Governor Kasich seeks an Article V Convention

Democracy and Power 104: Future Debt Burden

A government debt is a government claim against personal income and private property – an unpaid tax bill.—Hans F. Sennholz

Excessive spending and inflicting debilitating debt is integral to all modern democracies. Why? Elected politicians institute programs for current voters and shift the debt to future workers, even the unborn. Social Security, Medicare, prescriptions drug benefits for seniors are prime examples in America.

Governor Kasich seeks an Article V Convention

In order to force a Convention to convene and amend the Constitution, 34 states must agree to meet. Seeking a constitutionally balanced, federal budget, the Ohio legislature was the 23rd state to call for a constitutional convention. John Kasich (R-OH), Governor of Ohio, recently visited Arizona to convince their legislature to become the 24th state to join the call for a convention. Governor Kasich will continue his quest by visiting Idaho, Utah and continuing on to more states.

In the 1990s, Kasich, as a Member of Congress, recognized our federal government debt was a national catastrophe in the making. Then, a single vote prevented the federal government from writing a balanced-budget amendment that needed to be approved by 38 states. In the intervening years, the national debt has exploded to at least $18 trillion.

As Hans F. Sennholz succinctly stated, A government debt is a government claim against personal income and private property – an unpaid tax bill.

Our national debt is a tax bill that every American will eventually pay. As Americans, it is our duty to help Kasich and other political activists to convince our own and other state legislatures to vote for an Article V convention. It is imperative for America to have a balanced-budget amendment and put a cap on spending. Sadly, a $1.1 trillion spending bill was passed in the dark of the night a week ago, which is a one, prime example of profligate spending.

Kasich explained the political and social forces that made fellow Ohioan, Speaker Boehner (R-OH), to support the egregious $1.1 spending bill. “Part of being an elected official is that you spend money,” Kasich said. “I’ve known John Boehner for 1,000 years, and I know he’s one that wants to see balanced budgets. But I also know the pressure he’s under. He’s just the speaker. He’s not in charge of everything.”

Thus, America needs a constitutional amendment assuring the American public that the federal government will produce a balanced budget. The time has come for an Article V convention. The states are the most powerful countervailing force to a profligate and corrupt federal government. At the same time, the states need to consider and support a compact amongst them for a balanced budget. This, too, is an Article V procedure.

Again, the states are the most powerful, countervailing force to control the debt and corruption that has besieged our federal government. Now…is the time to make it right for all of us.