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View Full Version : Why the Madison Amendment? The Madison Ammendment gives States the same power as Con




Galileo Galilei
09-14-2010, 04:05 PM
Why the Madison Amendment?

The Madison Ammendment gives States the same power as Congress to propose an individual Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

http://www.madisonamendment.org/index.html

I support this. Do you?

nobody's_hero
09-14-2010, 04:22 PM
Something should be done to circumvent Congress's monopoly of power over amendments.

I don't have the same fears as some do here of an Article 5 Convention occurring, but I can understand the futility in expecting Congress to act when the 2/3 requirement has been met by the states for a call for convention.

Using either method, Congress still has the power to block any attempts at amendment.

States are not likely to rise up if they get two-thirds to call for a convention and Congress simply ignores them (as has happened in the past).

The biggest flaw in article five:

"The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments.[. . . ]"

Too much dependency on Congress to do something directly in opposition to its self-serving interests, which is why it will never happen.

Galileo Galilei
09-14-2010, 04:31 PM
Using either method, Congress still has the power to block any attempts at amendment.



Once amendments are proposed at a convention, congress has no power to oppose them. Nor does congress have power to block a convention.

nobody's_hero
09-14-2010, 04:35 PM
Once amendments are proposed at a convention, congress has no power to oppose them. Nor does congress have power to block a convention.

But the initiation of the convention itself is the duty of Congress ("Congress shall call"). We need an amendment that basically tells Congress to take a hike while the states get the country back on track. —No dependency on Congress whatsoever to call a convention.

The Madison amendment would be a great start.

Galileo Galilei
09-14-2010, 04:39 PM
But the initiation of the convention itself is the duty of Congress ("Congress shall call"). We need an amendment that basically tells Congress to take a hike while the states get the country back on track. —No dependency on Congress whatsoever to call a convention.

The Madison amendment would be a great start.

That means they have to call it. They can't block it.

TNforPaul45
09-14-2010, 04:41 PM
The article states that congress is compelled, without choice, to call a convention, if the 2/3rds states majority is reached in the call for the proposal for amendments. If 31 states call for an Amendment Convention, Congress is compelled to convene one.

Now, the convening process is what is iffy. Not sure how that would work. You might say "Well Congress ignores the Constitution all the time." Yes it does, but if the states SOMEHOW go together and compelled a convention call, and Congress refused, it would be War.

TNforPaul45
09-14-2010, 04:44 PM
Unfortunately the Same Power Brokers that control the Congressional Puppets also control the State Legislatures. This is a remote possibility anyway.

What the People need is the ability to engage in Direct Legislative Recall of Federal Positions AND Departments. If the President and the Congress can appoint anyone, then the people should be able to directly Recall them, and anyone recalled would be barred from any Federal positions for a period of 10 years.

Galileo Galilei
09-14-2010, 04:54 PM
Unfortunately the Same Power Brokers that control the Congressional Puppets also control the State Legislatures. This is a remote possibility anyway.

What the People need is the ability to engage in Direct Legislative Recall of Federal Positions AND Departments. If the President and the Congress can appoint anyone, then the people should be able to directly Recall them, and anyone recalled would be barred from any Federal positions for a period of 10 years.

Also unfortunate, most people have not read the Constitution or know what is in it or the principles behind it. In the 1800s, the Federalist Papers were required reading for everyone in college. Today, even those in law school don't read them.