Sunday, May 07, 2017 by JD Heyes
http://www.naturalnews.news/2017-05-07-elections-wont-drain-the-swamp-but-this-movement-may-be-the-last-real-chance-we-have-before-things-get-violent.html
In an impactful column earlier this week, Natural News founder/editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger and a huge advocate for personal liberty, proclaimed that Americans’ efforts to reclaim their constitutional republic by means of voting has officially become moot.
Noting that Republicans especially – whom Americans gave a congressional majority to oppose the over-spending, over-regulation and Left-wing cultural lunacy that has defined Washington, D.C. for decades – surrendered to the system once again in approving a $1.2 trillion budget that does not address in any way President Donald J. Trump’s legislative and policy objectives.
There was no money for his promised border wall. Planned Parenthood was fully funded. Sanctuary cities were fully funded. Refugee resettlement programs were funded. The National Institutes of Health, which has a long history of wasting billions on bogus, politically correct “research,” was given more money. And so on. (RELATED: Uncle Sam Continues To Waste Your Tax Money On Frivolous ‘Research,’ Such As Paying A ‘Scientist’ To Have A Bee Sting His Genitals)
“It’s over for America. The ‘hail Mary’ Trump revolution has been suffocated by a hoard of spineless, incompetent corporate prostitutes known as ‘Congress,’” Adams wrote. “The $1 trillion spending bill now nearing final approval in Washington D.C. proves beyond any doubt that Washington cannot be fixed by Washington. It is beyond reform… and beyond the hope of even the most optimistic.”
He’s right, of course. Even the so-called Obamacare “repeal” measure that the House barely passed (and the Senate will water down even further, if it passes at all) doesn’t really do much to unravel the Affordable Care Act. As the Texas Public Policy Foundation stated, Washington will still be in control of our health care. That means the billions in taxpayer-supported subsidies will continue, federal control will be maintained for the most part, and the bulk of Obamacare regulations that drove premiums and deductibles sky-high in the first place also remain.
Republicans are declaring a major legislative victory; Democrats are claiming the minor changes will kill us all. Both are being dishonest, let’s be crystal clear about that.
So what will work to restore our republic? How can Americans – Left, Right, and Center – regain control of their government and legitimately devolve power out of Washington and to the states and the people, where our founders intended it to be?
Simple: An Article V Convention of States, and on Thursday Texas became the 11th state to pass a measure calling for one. Just 34 states are needed to convene one; the purpose is to propose constitutional amendments that go directly to states for ratification (or rejection). The process bypasses Congress altogether, which is the point. As Adams said, Washington cannot and will not fix Washington.
The process is completely constitutional and in fact, the founders added it precisely because they suspected that at some time in the future Congress and the Executive Branch could become too tyrannical and politically compromised to address the people’s issues. Article V, defining the amendment process, states:
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, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof…
We’ve seen that despite giving mandate after mandate to our elected officials, the interests of the American people are routinely ignored and discarded, while those of big-money donors, corporate interests and lobbyists are overwhelmingly predominant. (RELATED: This Leading Presidential Contender Is Now Supporting A Convention Of The States)
Obamacare repeal and replace is a prime example. It is an absolute disaster for the vast majority of Americans and companies who are being financially crippled by the law’s onerous requirements and heavy regulations. And yet, Americans can’t get Congress to pass legislation getting the federal government out of the business of regulating our health care. It’s ridiculous.
But it’s not going to change until enough state legislatures have had enough and call for a Convention of States. This isn’t a “conservative” or “liberal” issue, it’s a “liberty” issue. Giving more power back to states lets residents of California decide what healthcare system works best for them, Texas for Texas residents, and so on, just as one example.
The only way the swamp will be drained in Washington is if the people, through their state elected officials, do it themselves. The time has come.
J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel.
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Tagged Under: Tags: Congress, control, Convention of States, freedom, Liberty, obamacare, repeal and replace, Texas, will of the people