The US Constitution was written over two hundred years ago. Things have changed. Many people forget, however, that the Constitution was written with the intent that it be changed, too. It has been a long time since that has happened; but fortunately, it is being considered again. All of the Amendments to the Constitution have been written and enacted by Congress, but the Constitution also allows for Amendments via a process outside the Congress, a Constitutional Convention. Exercising the Convention option is one way to enact change without involving Congress, which is currently, incredibly deadlocked. There are many issues that could be handled by Amendments. The most prominent is a balanced budget amendment, which is the leading candidate. Other issues are equal rights, repealing Citizens United; or even issues like a clearer definition of gun rights, abortion, the death penalty – which becomes the point of concern for many. It is possible for a Constitutional Convention to do more than add an Amendment.
“Critics say the only precedent for a successful convention occurred in 1787 when framers met to discuss weaknesses found in the Articles of Confederation. Instead of tinkering with the articles, the attendees scrapped the whole set of laws for the current Constitution. This context only intensifies critics’ fears of a runaway convention.”
Of course, considering the political unrest within many Americans, that may be just what they’d prefer.
(Click on the photo for the link.)
“The Constitutional Convention 2016” – Slate
Pretending Not To Panic 