Constitutional Balance Amendment

The federal government's spending programs have us headed for a financial-market revolt against our Treasury bonds, which will cause the long-term collapse of our society's safety net.  The federal government is unable to reduce its spending programs, because of special-interest groups and the high percentage of people who rely on the federal government to subsidize their standard of living.  If the states had their constitutionally granted right to propose amendments, they could limit federal government spending programs to sustainable levels, so our society's safety net could be maintained at a sustainable level.  Since Congress unconstitutionally blocks the states from proposing amendments, the states can use one of our Founding Fathers’ intended checks and balances to add the following Constitutional Balance Amendment to the Constitution.  This amendment just restores the states’ constitutionally granted right to propose amendments, in a manner that Congress cannot unconstitutionally block now or in the future.  Congress, which forced the states into this predicament that can no longer be tolerated, will propose the Constitutional Balance Amendment, rather than force the states to set a precedent by using the check and balance.

Constitutional Balance Amendment

Two-thirds of the states can propose an amendment, without Congress' involvement, which will have the same legal standing as if proposed pursuant to Article V and designated for state legislative ratification.

Note concerning Congress unconstitutionally blocking the states from proposing amendments:  Article V of the U.S. Constitution states ".......on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, [Congress] shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments.....".  The word "shall" is used throughout the Constitution to mean "peremptory" (absolute & unconditional).  In The Federalist 85, Alexander Hamilton (who wrote Article V) states that "on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of the states," Congress "will have no option" and "will be obliged" to "call a convention for proposing amendments".  He also states, "The words of this article are peremptory.  The congress "shall call a convention."  "Nothing in this particular is left to the discretion of that body."  During the 222 years since he wrote this, Congress has received "the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States" many times, and just refuses to "call a Convention," as required by Article V.

The Constitutional Balance Amendment (which avoids the pitfalls of constitutional conventions) will have no effect on existing and new federal laws that overstep constitutional limits set on the federal government, other than one of the following.  Three-fourths of the states would be able to limit such laws, after the Constitutional Balance Amendment is proposed by Congress and ratified by three-fourths of the states.  Two-thirds of the states would be able to limit such laws, if Congress does not propose the Constitutional Balance Amendment and the states have to add it by themselves.

The goal of the book CONSTITUTIONAL BALANCE AMENDMENT (which was distributed as listed below) is to get Congress to propose this amendment as soon as possible.

The goal for after this amendment's ratification is for future historians to look back and say something to the effect:  The states’ constitutionally granted right to propose amendments was restored so the states could save the economy.  The states’ conducted themselves in a manner that our Founding Fathers would have expected.

Arguably, State Governments are not worth their huge costs, if they do not restore their constitutionally granted right to propose U.S. Constitutional Amendments.  The states seem to have surrendered their U.S. Constitutionally granted rights, which as a result (1) cuts the people off from the U.S. Constitutionally granted rights that "are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people" and (2) has enabled Congress to bring our economy to the brink of an economic collapse. 

This 2nd Edition of the book Constitutional Balance Amendment was sent to all:

- State Governors in office as of March 2011

- State Attorneys General in office as of March 2011

- State Attorneys General in office as of October 2010

- National Conference of State Legislatures' Executive Director & Executive Committee in office as of Feb. 2012

- potential 2012 Presidential Candidates

- selected members of Congress

- selected organizations that support restoring the Constitution

1st Edition was sent to all State Governors in Feb 2010

The book Constitutional Balance Amendment will continue to be sent to all new State Governors, State Attorneys General, and the National Conference of State Legislatures' Executive Director & Executive Committee.

The Constitutional Balance Amendment is inevitable, because it is the only way to keep Congress from crashing our economy/society and then restructuring our crashed economy/society without any meaningful input from the states.

Future U.S. historians will praise:

 - the branch of state governments or the state that leads the states to restore their constitutionally granted right to propose amendments.

 - Congress (hopefully) for proposing the Constitutional Balance Amendment before any states start declaring their willingness to do it themselves, which would in effect be nothing more than the states upholding the Constitution with their constitutionally granted right restored.

Note:  Getting three-fourths of the states to agree on and ratify an amendment will be very difficult.  After the Constitutional Balance Amendment has been added, the federal government will be inclined to back off enough on its unconstitutional control over things like the states’ educational systems, so as to avoid being limited by three-fourths of the states.