“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States when men were free.” (Ronald Reagan)
“The nation has entered an age of post-constitutional soft tyranny … in which the president proclaims the authority to rule by executive fiat toward his goal of fundamentally transforming America.”
(Mark Levin: The Liberty Amendments)
“We can’t wait for an increasingly dysfunctional Congress to do its job. Where they won’t act, I will.”(President Barack Obama)
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” (Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution)
“In questions of power, then, let no more be said of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” (Thomas Jefferson)
“It is time to return to self-government, where the people are sovereign and not subjects.”
(Mark Levin: The Liberty Amendments)
* * * *
Background on the Constitution: Separation and Balance
The Founding Fathers were keenly aware, as Lord Acton so famously said, that: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
They were also familiar with the Biblical teaching from the prophet Jeremiah, that “The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
As a result, they devised a Constitutional Republic with three separate branches of government and a finely tuned system of checks and balances that would prevent any of them from dominating either of the other two.
In addition, they said that “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution … are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” (Tenth Amendment)
It all came together during the summer of 1787 in what some have referred to as the Miracle at Philadelphia. That Constitution has served as the Supreme Law of the Land for nearly 230 years.
The Constitution at Risk
Unfortunately, there are those who believe that the Constitution, like the Bible, is outdated. They think they know better and should be able to do as they please. As a result, they do things they should not do and refuse to do what they should.
That is particularly true of our current president who has taken on powers that do not belong to him, making “laws” by executive fiat rather than through Congress. He has also repeatedly failed in his sworn duty to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed”.
For example, he refused to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act and instead actively worked to overturn it. And he repeatedly refuses to honor and enforce First Amendment protections for the exercise of our religious beliefs.
Most recently, in what has been referred to as the Bathroom Edict, his administration directed public schools across America to allow boys who “feel” like girls to use girls’ restrooms and locker room facilities. If the schools refuse, they are threatened with the loss of federal funds.
Four Specific Concerns
As a result, to quote Alexis de Tocqueville, we are in danger of becoming “a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.” It is an age of “soft tyranny” that has become apparent in four specific areas:
— First is the irresponsible spending and the immoral national debt, now approaching $20 trillion, that we are passing on to our children and to our grandchildren.
— Second is the crushing regulatory burden that the federal bureaucracy is imposing on businesses and which acts as a drag on our economy.
— Third are the grants and mandates that the federal government is passing on to state and local governments without their consent, a clear violation of state sovereignty and of individual liberty.
— Fourth has been a growing takeover of the decision-making process by all three branches of the federal government — executive, legislative, and judicial – at the expense of the states.
Against that background, what can we do to rein in this runaway government?
Convention of States: A Possible Remedy
For starters, we can and we must elect leaders who honor our Judeo-Christian heritage and who respect the Constitution as it was written, not as how they would like it to be.
However, it is unlikely that enough of our elected representatives would approve any measure that would reduce the size of their purse or diminish their power. As one of our Virginia legislators has so famously said, “There ain’t no such thing as a self-butcherin’ hog.”
So what is left? Fortunately, our Founding Fathers have incorporated a remedy in Article V of the U.S. Constitution, which allows the states themselves to call a convention for the purpose of proposing amendments and which can now be used to rein in an abusive federal government.
But will it work? What about fears of a runaway Convention that would scrap the Constitution altogether and replace it with something much worse?
A Simulated Convention with Proposed Amendments
That was the big challenge facing a simulated Convention held in Williamsburg from September 21-23. So what happened?
First of all, 137 representatives from all 50 states showed up – including 115 sitting state legislators. They followed the rules and there were no signs of its becoming a “runaway” convention.
Second, they approved six important proposals for reigning in this overreaching government.
These included 1) new fiscal restraints on the growing public debt; 2) limits on Congressional power to regulate commerce; 3) term limits on members of Congress; 4) authority for State legislatures to abrogate federal laws, rules, and regulations; 5) an end to taxes on incomes, gifts, and estates; and 6) increased power to kill unwanted federal administrative rules and regulations.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, it provides an excellent model for states to apply for a real Convention of States. Eight have approved so far, leaving 26 more to go – including Virginia.
Crossroads: Why It Matters
So, why does all this matter? It’s very simple. The Founding Fathers intended for the government to be our servant, not our master, and the more powerful the government becomes, the less freedom we have to make our own decisions. That affects all of us!
For all of this and more, please join Rita Dunaway, who was the COS National Legislative Director for this effort and is also its staff counsel, and me this weekend on one of the following Valley stations: WBTX (1470) at 4:00 p.m. Saturday and again on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., followed by WSVA/AM (550) and 92.1 FM at 8:30; and WNLR (1150) at 11:30. You can also listen online HERE anytime.
In addition, for more information, including details about the approved proposals, go to www.conventionofstates.com and click on the link to the COS Simulation Page.
We deeply appreciate your prayers, your encouragement, and your support. All donations are tax-deductible and can be sent by check to Crossroads at PO Box 881, Harrisonburg, 22803.
From the Crossroads Team, for God and Country!
Dean