TX Governor Greg Abbott calls for Convention of States to amend the U.S. Constitution to federal tyranny over the states

Saturday, January 09, 2016 by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Convention of States, federal government tyranny

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(NaturalNews) Frustrated with the massive accumulation of power in Washington, D.C., liberty-minded Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has become the latest high-profile politician to call for an Article V convention of the states in order to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution, amendments he and others say would return power to states and the people.

As reported by The Texas Tribune, Abbott – elected in 2014 to succeed Rick Perry who opted instead to pursue another run at the White House – issued his call earlier today, identifying nine new amendments he would like to see considered at a future convention organized by states.

Among them are amendments that would require a balanced federal budget, something long sought by fiscal conservatives worried about the spiraling national debt which has more than doubled on President Obama's watch and a prohibition on Congress from regulating any activity "that occurs wholly within one state," the latter an amendment which conservatives say eyes gun rights and marriage.

Additional amendments include giving states the authority to override federal laws and Supreme Court decisions by two-thirds majority and a requirement for a seven-justice supermajority for high court decisions aimed at invalidating any laws passed by states or Congress.

Texas lawmakers are again scheduled to meet in 2017, and Abbott said he plans to ask them to approve a measure calling for a state convention.

"When measured by how far we have strayed from the Constitution we originally agreed to, the government's flagrant and repeated violations of the rule of law amount to a wholesale abdication of the Constitution's design," Abbott wrote in his 90-page proposal, which he announced in a 1 p.m. speech before the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation.

Abbott noted that the administration of President Obama had particularly encroached on states' rights, mentioning specifically the new executive gun control actions the president issued earlier this week (which prompted this tweet from Abbott).

The only way back to our founding is via an Art. V convention

"The president took action that threatens Second Amendment rights, even though the entire point of the Bill of Rights was to protect Americans from invasions of their liberties," Abbott said in his prepared remarks.

But of course, the Obama Administration is far from the only one that has usurped the Constitution and imposed a federal solution on many an unwilling state. The U.S. Supreme Court has twice upheld the Affordable Care Act in recent years, despite its clear constitutional shortfalls, and the high court has imposed gay marriage on all states, in violation of states' traditional role in defining marriage and despite the fact that several had passed their own marriage-defining legislation.

Also in this century: the Bush Administration's use of the NSA to blatantly spy on Americans without a court order, in clear violation of the Fourth Amendment, and the Republican-led Congress greatly expanded Medicare, which added to the national debt.

Then there are the myriad of federal regulations that have increasingly been imposed on states and the American people by faceless, nameless bureaucrats – regulations that have the force of law, with real penalties and consequences if they are not honored. Per the Constitution, only Congress can make law, and that's only if a president agrees and signs them.

For those who are not familiar with Article V, it is the section of the Constitution explaining the two ways in which it can be amended. Since the Bill of Rights was ratified, the additional 17 amendments have all been proposed and passed by Congress and then sent to the states, three-fourths of whose state legislatures must then approve it before it can be added to the Constitution.

The second way amendments can be proposed is a process that has never been attempted: Two-thirds of states petitioning Congress to call for a convention for the purposes of proposing new constitutional amendments. Were that to happen, states would agree to terms, such as how many delegates to send, and any amendments that were passed would again have to be approved by three-fourths of the states.

Opponents – many of whom simply do not understand the process and are thus fearful of it – say any new "constitutional convention" would amount to a "runaway convention," whereby existing constitutional protections are put at risk of repeal.

Fear of a convention is unfounded and, frankly, silly

Konni Burton, a Republican state senator from Colleyville, Texas, is one typical of most opponents, saying in 2011 that a new convention will allow "anyone to offer up any number of amendments... based on their own ideology and interests, which could ultimately radically change our Constitution."

That's irrational and incorrect. As the history of the first Constitutional Convention reveals to anyone willing to spend the time to read the debates and inform themselves of the processes employed by our founders when hashing out our original governing document, state legislatures would provide guidance on what to propose. Also – and this is key – any new amendment, regardless of how it is proposed, must be approved by three-quarters of ALL states. Do Burton and other critics seriously believe that three-quarters of state legislatures would approve an amendment overturning the Second Amendment? Eliminating free speech? Privacy protections? The right to worship freely?

That's just not a sensible, coherent argument.

By the way, a full listing of Abbott's amendment proposals is here.

Learn all about the Art. V convention of the states project convention of the states.

Two GOP presidential contenders – Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas – have also previously voiced support for holding a convention of the states.

The most authoritative voice on an Article V convention is constitutional scholar and radio talk host Mark Levin, the so-called "father" of this movement which was launched with his powerful 2014 book, The Liberty Amendments, which you can purchase or review here.

Sources:

ConventionOfStates.com

TexasTribune.org

NationalReview.com

NYTimes.com