The Unmentionable Convention

James Dale Davidson, chairman of the National Taxpayers Union (a small organization representing a large special-interest group, taxpayers), visualizes the following moment of comedy shortly after the election results are announced on November 6. One of the network anchormen appears on the screen and says: “One other development. There will have to be a constitutional convention sometime next year to amend the U.S. Constitution. The American people think it would be a good idea to balance the budget, apparently. We didn’t tell you about it earlier, frankly, because we thought it would only confuse you . . .”

Article V of the Constitution provides two methods of proposing amendments. Congress can submit an amendment to the states (the method by which all 26 amendments so far have been adopted), or two-thirds of the states can petition Congress to call a convention. This body then drafts an amendment, which must in turn be ratified by three-fourths of the states.

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Tom Bethell

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James Dale Davidson, chairman of the National Taxpayers Union (a small organization representing a large special-interest group, taxpayers), visualizes the following moment of comedy shortly after the election results are announced on November 6. One of the network anchormen appears on the screen and says: “One other development. There will have to be a constitutional convention sometime next year to amend the U.S. Constitution. The American people think it would be a good idea to balance the budget, apparently. We didn’t tell you about it earlier, frankly, because we thought it would only confuse you . . .”

Article V of the Constitution provides two methods of proposing amendments. Congress can submit an amendment to the states (the method by which all 26 amendments so far have been adopted), or two-thirds of the states can petition Congress to call a convention. This body then drafts an amendment, which must in turn be ratified by three-fourths of the states.