Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Open Letter to State Lawmakers - Too Risky NOT to Act on BBA


The REAL RISK to America is NOT Passing

                                  the Balanced Budget Amendment. 

 

Don't be Fooled by Hysterical Claims of a Run-Away Convention.  

                                       The Fear of a Run-Away Amendment Convention . . .  is Just a Myth. 

 

Open letter to the Several State Lawmakers:

 

David Barton and Professor Rob Natelson should know.  They have spent years researching source documents to find out the original intent of the Constitutional Framers. With the discovery of new research, they have confirmed what the real expectation and precedence is for an Amendment Convention under Article V of the Constitution.

 

We have much more to fear from our Run-Away Congress than from an Amendment Convention run by the state legislatures. The Convention approach to proposing Amendments is safe and the best solution to affect control over a reckless Congress.  The Amendment Convention will certainly be managed well by the state legislatures, as have dozens of similar inter-state gatherings in our nation’s past.” - David Barton

 

Professor Rob Natelson said, "The equal right of states to propose amendments without interference from Congress was placed in our Constitution, specifically to address concerns that America is facing today; critical issues that Congress refuses to deal with, such as the out-of-control debt." 

 

He continued, "To balance the powers between the states and the central government, it is required of state legislatures to periodically use the tool of Article V Convention of the States. Please read my article,  

The Myth of a Run-Away Convention . It provides more details to address this falsehood;  go to the AmericanThinker.com . http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/08/the_myth_of_a_runaway_amendments_convention.html

 

"Congress continues to act irresponsibly with the Federal budget and will not stop the reckless spending . . . unless forced to. The State call for a National Balanced Budget Amendment, is the only safe and viable way to correct this fiscal recklessness."

 

It is too risky to NOT pass the state call for a Balanced Budget Amendment. 

Don't be swayed by the hysterical and undocumented scare mongering from naysayers, who, in the absence of real evidence, are trying to frighten people about the ability of state legislatures to properly manage the Amendment Convention process. 

 

By supporting the Balanced Budget Amendment resolution, you will be joining over TWENTY other states ready to force Congress to stop their fiscal mismanagement.  To assure that an Amendment Convention stays on track and focused on the single-subject of a Balanced Budget Amendment, states are passing an Enabling Act for the delegate process. This bill would define the appointment and recall process for your delegates attending the Amendment Convention.  With the additional step of needing 3/4 of the states to ratify, before becoming law, any proposed amendment will most assuredly be a well thought out proposal.

 

America is running out of time. We cannot wait for Congress to do the right thing and start tightening their budgetary belt. Every year, Congress just continues to "kick the can down the road", hoping it won't destroy the country on their watch.

 

BUT YOU, OUR STATE LEGISLATORS have the authority provided in Article V of the Constitution to force Congress to live within its' means. 

 

The vast majority (74%) of the population (maybe even more in your district) are asking you to DO THE ONE THING THAT CAN STOP Congress from pushing America over the financial cliff . . . Pass the Balanced Budget Amendment Resolution.

 

Please save our country from the inevitable default. With your support of the BBA resolution, we can prevent our children and grandchildren from being buried under a mountain of government debt

 

Thank you for your concern and courage "to do the right thing."

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif

 

Tom Llewellyn

Give me Liberty, NOT DEBT.

Who Should Decide the Question of BBA Aplications?


What is The BBA Application “Official Count” ?

 by Tom Llewellyn, Michigan Chairman, BBA Task Force

 America needs an answer to this most critical question of our time. . . . Do States have an equal right to amend the Constitution without interference from those [in Congress] who's power we are occasionally obliged to reign-in, as is the case with the BBA state call for an Article V Convention of the States?

 
Can the States effectively stop the fiscal madness in Washington with Balanced Budget Amendment resolutions, or must we first beg the opinion of our out-of-control Congress to [make-up] establish the rules to which we must abide? 

Are we to plead our case before the very body we are attempting to force into proper management of our nation's financial obligations already entrusted to them; imploring to their good graces that they first bless us with a Rule of Ceasar on the "OFFICIAL COUNT" of BBA State Applications? 

I agree with Art Taylor in that Congress should not have unfettered discretion in determining the fate of whether states have made a "proper" call for the BBA Convention. 

This Congress must not be the sole arbiter or judge on this critical decision of "the official count" for the BBA call.


The Judiciary should be asked for a declaratory finding and recommendations on the "call" role-out. 

I agree, that more than just relief from a delayed and/or in-effective Congressional committee process, the Judiciary can establish standards and hold Congress accountable for any possible "material breach" of procedural delays or other actions inconsistent with their guidelines.

The question of where is "the finish line" on the BBA  "official application count" goes to the heart of defining the future balance of power and formal working relationship between the States and the Federal government. Congress must not be granted the exclusive title of ruler of the body politic by having the states relinquish a say in the decision process on this most critical and historic issue. 

By "granting" Congress the authority to make this judgement, is it not like asking the Olympic Committee (or one of the leaders of one of the other competing countries) to determine where the finish line of a race will be marked, right in the middle of an on-going event?

Supporters of the BBA must never surrender the ruling of the state application "official count"  to Congress. To do so would be to disarm those of us who are in the very process of compelling them to act responsibly in the first place. 

We may not be ready for this leg of the race, but a recent turn of events in the media has brought the question to us. It is time to get our second wind and press ahead courageously. 
 

This is a great battle for the hearts and minds of America. The very fate our beloved country is at stake. As activists in this crusade to restore our Constitutionally limited government, we must keep the faith in our republican convictions and believe in We The People. Remember that, God willing, our efforts will change the tide and we we will be freeing our next generations from this oppressive and burdensome central government. 

Our fight to save America did not get this far without His help. Be confident that our efforts to restore fiscal sanity in Washington can continue to rely on His grace and guidance,

   

Tom Llewellyn

Michigan BBA Task Force

 
 ". . . with  a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence . . ."