Conservatives prepare new push for constitutional convention

[Celerity]

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/584835-conservatives-prepare-new-push-for-constitutional-convention

SAN DIEGO — Conservative lawmakers will mount a new push to call a constitutional convention aimed at creating a balanced budget amendment and establishing term limits for members of Congress in an effort to rein in what they see as a runaway federal government.

State legislators meeting at the American Legislative Exchange Council’s policy conference here last week hope to use Article V of the Constitution, which allows state legislatures to call a convention to propose new amendments.

“It’s really the last line of defense that we have. Right now, the federal government’s run away. They’re not going to pull their own power back. They’re not going to restrict themselves. And so this Article V convention is really, in my opinion, is the last option that we have,” said Iowa state Rep. John Wills (R), the state’s House Speaker pro tempore who backs the convention.

At least two-thirds of states must pass a call to force a convention; so far, 15 states have passed the model legislation proposed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative group that backs free markets and states’ rights.

snip

[Grasswire2]

1. nooooooooooooooooooooooo nt

[Comfortably_Numb]

2. Of course it's ALEC...the insert your state name here cookie cutter authoritarian oligarch fluffers

[TheRealNorth]

3. I don't think it takes a Constitutional Convention to pass an amendement....

So you can bet their real goal is even more insidious.

BTW, do Conservatives never take out mortgages when they buy a home? Or do they wait until they have the cash in hand?

[FBaggins]

5. It doesn't. But it let's them bypass Congress

Any amendments that are offered still have to be ratified by 3/4 of the states.

Both sides of the fence periodically call for an Article V convention (you'll find a number of them advocated here over the years)... but it's always really because Congress isn't doing what someone wants and they're convinced that the people would be behind it if only we could get Congress out of the way.

I don't see any reason to believe that it will happen any time soon.

[JHB]

15. Their goal is essentially a second Confederate Constitution.

Something to lock in their own privileges and pet policies, and which guts the mechanisms for making reforms.

[iemanja]

4. We didn't see this when they were implementing the tax giveaways

to the filthy rich.

[PortTack]

6. For starters,they need 34 of the governorships....ain't happening

[Polybius]

16. There are 23 states with Democratic governors and 27 states with Republican governors

It's pretty split.

[guillaumeb]

7. Ironic that the Party that never presents a balanced budget is in favor of a balanced budget.

Luckily for the GOP, 70 million voters are too uninformed to realize that they are being lied to.

[Mr.Bill]

12. They want to balance it by

eliminating Social Security and Medicare, among other things.

[guillaumeb]

13. And then blaming the Democrats.

And many in their uninformed base would fall for the lies.

[BeckyDem]

8. Free markets aka socialism for the wealthy, very wealthy.

The last line of defense for their top donors is what he meant to say.

[spanone]

9. odd they didn't bring this up during tfg's maladministration

[Turbineguy]

10. They'll get rid of everything

except the second half of the 2nd Amendment.

[rurallib]

11. yet another assault on our country and its constitution

add it too the gerrymandering, the voter suppression, the attempt to nullify elections, the outright assault on governments (US, Michigan eg) and the total disdain and manipulation of our court system.

[Johonny]

14. Term limits are built into voting. They only serve until you vote them out . . .

[jmowreader]

17. Simplest way to fix this shit

The liberal states propose these amendments and stonewall the convention until they get them:

1. President elected by direct popular vote.
2. States receive one Senator, and one additional Senator for every 10 million population.
3. Representatives are apportioned based on multiples of the smallest state’s population…so, if Wyoming has 500,000 people and Montana has 1 million, Wyoming gets one representative and Montana gets two. There will be no limits on the number of representatives.
4. Reproductive healthcare has the same rights as guns, so if a state wants to ban reproductive healthcare guns will also be banned.
5. Cannabis will be have the same legal status as alcohol.
6. Congressional districts will be set by a bipartisan commission at the federal level, and will not be changed unless a state gains or loses a representative as a result of a census.
7. Representatives will serve four year terms and the election will be in the same year as the presidential election. Senators will serve eight years and be elected in the same year as the president.
8. Tax cuts will not take effect until the end of the Congressional session that approved them.
9. Each president will replace one-third of the Supreme Court one year after taking office. The president may also replace justices who die during their terms.
10. A presidential impeachment will be heard by a panel consisting of the Senate, all state governors, and the highest-ranking official in each state who is not in the governor’s party. A simple majority is required for conviction.
11. The penalty for insurrection will be loss of citizenship and deportation to Russia.
12. The United States will have no official language.

[Liberal In Texas]

18. I could support those!

"...deportation to Russia." LOL

[jmowreader]

19. I also have a 13 and 14

13. New budget bills are only required if a department’s spending amounts change.

(How this would work: Let’s say the Navy got authorization to spend $500 million on a new ship in FY 2025. In FY 2026 they have $500 million extra in their budget and they’d like to use it for new housing. Since the spending amounts don’t change, Congress doesn’t have to negotiate a whole new Navy budget; they can simply approve that one line item. The language of the amendment would allow for spending increases indexed to inflation without rewriting the whole budget.)

14. Any bill requiring new spending must state the taxes that will be raised and the period for which they will be raised in the language of the bill.