On December eleventh a “budget deal” was announced by the leadership in Congress. They say the deal adds certainty to the operation of the Federal government. I agree. This makes it that much more certain that Washington will continue to kick the can down the road of fiscal irresponsibility.
The plan does not create a realistic path to balancing the budget, instead it guarantees more of the same deficit spending for years to come, and it takes off the table any opportunity to challenge their budget targets until well after the next election. It does agree to some minor limits on government growth, but not enough to actually balance the budget. With this budget plan we continue to slip into more and more unmanageable debt.
If this is the best Congress can do, then Congress has proven they are inadequate for the job. It is one more proof that they cannot be trusted to act in the best interest of the country, not unless strict limits are put on their ability to spend more than revenues dictate.
We need bold, new policies that will cure this fundamental dysfunction which is now standard operating procedure for Washington D.C.
This is one more reason why the states must exert their authority (and responsibility) through Article V of the U.S. Constitution. State legislators can, and I believe will take the credit cards away from Washington. I say will, for there already is a growing army of citizens and state legislators who are determined to make this dream a reality.
The most recent example of this movement was on the seventh of December. Ninety-seven state legislators from thirty-two states met at George Washington’s estate in Mount Vernon to start preparing for an Article V Convention. The Mount Vernon Assembly was not an official part of the process specified in Article V. It was a preliminary meeting to ensure that when we hold an Article V convention it will be proper, legal, and effective.
Article V grants real political power to the states, who can initiate an Article V convention through thirty-four indidvidual state resolutions calling for an Article V convention. Only at that convention can amendments be proposed. Then, after the Article V convention, if the amendment(s) are ratified by at least thirty-eight states, the amendment(s) become a part of the law of the land.
Our nation was founded upon the principle of Constitutional Federalism, where the power and reach of government was limited, and divided between the states and the Federal government. The current “budget deal” is one more proof that constitutional federalism is in jeopardy. Article V was designed for such a time as this.
I trust we will have the wisdom and strength to amend our Constitution in such ways that will limit the power that is currently too concentrated in Washington D.C.. We must, to control the runaway growth of the Federal government and to put our nation back on the track of Liberty!
-Kevin Lundberg