The rhetorical question of the title will almost certainly be answered “no” by most readers since for the most part, our ability to really influence our federal leaders is very limited, especially at the individual level. However, in case you are not sure, please take the simple satisfaction quiz below:
1. Do you approve or even mostly approve of how your tax dollars are spent by Washington?
2. Do you think the U.S. Congress is doing a great job?
3. Do you think your voice counts as much as some special interest or major campaign contributor?
4. Are you satisfied with the choices you get for high offices – Senator, Representative and President?
If you answered “no” to two or more of the quiz questions, you are not a satisfied citizen. We believe you are in good company and in fact believe that the majority of US citizens are dissatisfied with our leadership choices and accountability of the federal government, and we certainly have good reason:
· In part due to policy and in part due to government regulatory failures (among other things), we face a very serious financial crises that by some accounts will cost more than all of America’s wars combined.
· We had the last Congress score record low approval ratings, yet historically, members of Congress have a reelection rate well over 90%.
· Many of us are disenfranchised in primary elections since the outcome is determined before many state primaries are even held.
· We seldom get really new and better leadership choices because the cost of campaigns are so far beyond the reach of what any average person could hope to raise without significant party or special interest contributions – approximately $8.6MM for Senate and $1.3MM for Representative seats respectively on average.
So what is a citizen to do? We of course always have the options to vote for the non-incumbent, contribute money to a different candidate or even run for office ourselves, but these options have limits, and these limits largely determine the choices and quality of government we get today.
There is another option, though never used in the history of the United States, and that is the assembly of a Second Constitutional Convention as provided by Article 5 of the Constitution. In order for a Second Constitutional Convention to be convened, two-thirds of the states have to petition the Congress for a convention and any amendment developed from the convention would have to be approved by three-fourths of the states to become law. So how can a Second Constitutional Convention help? A Second Constitutional Convention could help by proposing Constitutional Amendments that could address a number of things frustrating citizens including:
· Imposing term limits on members of Congress
· Requiring public funding of campaigns to eliminate the influence of large contributors
· Establishing a national presidential primary election day to give all citizens the option to vote for all primary candidates
These changes have been proposed but never close to passage in the Congress because passing such measures limits their own powers and/or that of their party, and if history teaches anything, it has taught that those in power do what they must to remain in power. Citizens will have to drive these types of changes through a Second Constitutional Convention.
Opponents of a Second Constitutional Convention raise fears that such a convention would have limitless powers and could undo previous amendments or even dissolve the Constitution itself, when the reality is that Article 5 limits a Constitutional Convention to amending, not replacing the Constitution, and even then, all proposed amendments need to be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Additionally, opponents raise fears that a convention would be dominated by special interests, which is possible only if the very citizens who demand the convention allow it to happen.
To learn more about a Second Constitutional Convention, to read Article 5 for yourself or learn how to contact your state legislators, please visit us at citizens-first.blogspot.com.
With the inauguration of President Obama, there is a lot of hope and energy behind the general theme of “Change” and though the merits of the proposed changes will be debated and argued over the coming weeks and years, the change discussion has been focused on what the government functions should or should not be, when the focus perhaps should be on how the government functions. The need to switch the debate from “what” to “how” is not obvious – you really have to think it through to reach the conclusion which can best be demonstrated by answering a few simple questions:
- Question: How did an initially sound trust fund like Social Security get overspent?
Answer: A series of poorly functioning Congresses whose members were often more concerned with getting re-elected than sound management of taxpayer dollars
Answer: The functional mechanics of congressional elections, including the massive campaign dollars required keep most of our brightest leaders out of Washington.
Answer: The functions of the primary election process disenfranchises millions of voters every four years.
So you see, many of our governmental ills have less to do with what the government does than the functional design of how the government works, which leads to the logical question of how to change the functional processes of government. The simple answer of course is to write your congressman, but Congress will not pass some of the functional reforms needed because they would be acting to reduce their own power and the power of the two major political parties, and when in history (other than George Washington) have you seen anyone in power act to reduce their power?
So how then, do we effectively change how government functions? The answer lies in Article 5 of the Constitution where the Founding Fathers, ever fearful of an overbearing central government, gave citizens the power to reassert themselves over the federal government through a Constitutional Convention. A Second Constitutional Convention would be formed when citizens of two-thirds of the states convince their state legislators to petition the Congress for a convention. Though never done since our Constitution was adopted, a Second Constitutional Convention could draft amendments – needed changes, the Congress will never deliver including congressional term limits, national presidential primary election days, public campaign funding and more, all subject to ratification by three-fourths of the states.
Opponents of a Second Constitutional Convention mistakenly raise fears that convention delegates would have unbridled authority to do anything, including dissolving the Constitution itself, which is simply not true since Article 5 limits a convention’s authority to proposing amendments to – not replacing the Constitution.
We encourage you to contact your state legislators and urge them to petition Congress for a Second Constitutional Convention. To learn more about Article 5 or how to reach your state legislator, please visit citizens-first.blogspot.com.
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Example 3
Time for Change….Time for Americans to Re-take Their Government
There is a lot of energy in the air with the Obama presidency for change, and I have to agree, we are in need of change…we Americans need to re-take control of our government and establish a more sweeping change of leadership. On the surface, I’ll concede that this may seem like a flippant or even outrageous comment – until you really think about it. Consider the facts:The last congress had an approval rating lower than President Bush’s, yet most running for re-election were re-elected. In fact, over the past 40 years, members of congress get re-elected nearly 90% of the time. How can you expect change when you keep the same leadership?
In the last primary election, I was one of millions who were disenfranchised because John McCain secured the nomination before my state primary. How do we get change when so many are disenfranchised?
We have heard for decades promises of politicians to end the influence of special interests, yet dollars still buy elections since the biggest spender wins 86% of congressional elections. How do we get change when money mostly still buys election results?
If Americans really want change, then we have to change the game, use tools not used before and send the leaders of the federal government the very clear message that this country really can and will be ruled by its citizens rather than a semi-permanent political class. We can change the game by insisting that our state leadership demand a Second Constitutional Convention. Our Founding Fathers gave us this tool through Article 5 of the Constitution.
A Second Constitutional Convention under Article 5 would have the power to develop amendments to the Constitution that would then be subject to ratification by three-fourths of the state’s delegates or legislatures. A Second Constitutional Convention could develop amendments (for example) that would:
- Establish term limits for members of congress, enabling more frequent fresh leadership and fewer ties to special interests.
- Establish a national presidential primary election day, forcing candidates to compete on their ideas and qualifications to the entire nation simultaneously and enabling all citizens to vote within the same 24 hour period. The result would be that Iowa and New Hampshire primary votes would no longer carry more weight than Indiana or Montana primary votes.
- Establish public funding for national elections which could significantly reduce the influence of special interests and wealthy donors and free candidates to compete on their ideas and leadership rather than their party’s prowess at fund raising.
These are just examples of amendments that could be ratified to significantly increase the accountability of elected federal office holders to their citizen constituents. However, members of congress will never initiate amendments like these since by definition, their own power and the power of their political parties would be diminished.
There are those who claim that a Second Constitutional Convention would have unbridled power and could go so far as to dissolve the Constitution, which is simply not true – a Second Constitutional Convention initiated by the States and the Congress under Article 5 has only the power to amend, not replace. Additionally, some prominent political leaders have espoused concern about where a convention of this type might go, or what may result. I suggest to you that their concerns are rooted in the fear of influence and power they may have to relinquish to the American citizens, since again, all amendment proposals have to be ratified by three-fourths of the stat legislatures or convention delegates.
The time for change really has come for America – time to change back to what President Lincoln so eloquently described at Gettysburg as “A nation of the people, by the people, for the people.” You can initiate this change by writing your state legislators and demanding that they petition the Congress for a Second Constitutional Convention. To learn more or to learn how to reach your state legislators, please visit Citizens-first.blogspot.com.
