Luddites – The Luddites were members of a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who opposed the use of certain types of automated machinery due to concerns relating to worker pay and output quality. They often destroyed the machines in organized raids. Named after a textile worker Ned Ludd.
I compare the fear mongers who oppose a Convention of States to the early 19th Century protesters called “Luddites”. They were not happy with technology – in this case automated weaving machines – that would replace their jobs. Understandable.
My comparison centers around the fear in Congress – that if they allow a Convention of States, the number one agenda item will be a Term Limits Amendment on Congress – and hence – they’d be losing their jobs. Not immediately, but like the 22nd Amendment that they had no problem passing in response to a 3rd term and perhaps longer of FDR – they have no such willingness to propose a 28th Amendment for limits to Senate and House terms – and hence THEIR jobs.
Breitbart posted an article that brought up the thorny notion of a Convention of States that some forward thinking conservatives have been salivating for for years. In 2023, California and Gov. Newsom called for a constitutional convention to propose amendments to limit the Second Amendment, such as setting a minimum age of 21 for gun possession, and universal background checks. What he didn’t factor into his gun grabbing change to the Second Amendment is that although that one would have almost zero chance of passing – on the other hand – Term Limits just might pass and get ratified if we actually called for that “scary” Convention of States. Now with Trump coming back to DC, California and the illiberal left are not so keen on a Convention of States anymore. So, Newsom backtracked and called for a “repeal” of his 2023 proposal for a Convention of States.
On Breitbart, a fearful, distrustful and I believe well meaning commentator to Newsom said: A Con Con is the worst thing that can happen, a Con Con opens the entire Constitution to revision, so you trust our current politicians to do the right thing, I don’t, there is an amendment process in the current Constitution that can accomplish the same thing, what makes you think our politicians will honor a new Constitution, they don’t honor the current one…
My answer: Yes, a Convention of States – with 35 states proposing Amendments is the right way to go – that’s not an easy hurdle or it would have been done by now – and yes, 38 states have to ratify ANYTHING that is proposed. No, I do not think anything would happen in a Convention of States other than Term Limits and possibly some sort of Balanced Budget Amendment. Levin in his book Liberty Amendments lists a few others but it would be almost impossible to get the kind of overhaul these luddites keep warning about with their fear mongering.
Congress is no longer responsive to the people – and the only possible thing that could change that would be turnover and new blood theoretically unencumbered by big money donors. I hear the tired argument that our votes on election day is all we need to change things, but that has almost zero impact in Congress when big donors and a near endless supply of money funds future campaigns so that it becomes nearly impossible for a new candidate to unseat a well entrenched representative. And while congress will squeal that there is no need for term limits – they had no problem passing the 22nd Amendment to limit the terms of the President – in this case what they called the “imperial Presidency”. I guess what we have now is something like an “imperial Congress” that says all the right things come election time – backed up by huge donations from their key constituents – and then reverts back to being the prevaricators and hypocrites that makes up their unholy group of extortionists and miscreants.
Speaking of miscreants who have used insider trading to make millions, I’d say today the only way you get someone like Pelosi out of DC (when she’s not getting hip replacement surgery in Europe on a tax payer paid junket) is in a body bag. So, no, last I heard the surgery went well and like most of our corrupt members of Congress, she is liable to be spending and wasting tax payers’ money for many years to come!