I urge you to oppose H.Con.Res. 24 and S. 810. If Congress were serious about restoring fiscal sanity, it would simply reduce federal spending, which is currently at record-high levels. An Article V convention will get out of control, turning into a runaway convention. This is illustrated by the fact that H.Con.Res. 24 deceptively aggregates so-called "balanced budget amendment" applications with applications for a plenary convention. I urge you to read the following op-ed by former Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird warning of the perils of convening a convention: jbs.org/assets/pdf/Melvin-Laird-Con-Con-1984-Original.pdf Most of the current federal spending is unconstitutional and/or wasteful. Simply ending this spending will significantly improve our nation's fiscal situation. This -- and not a convention -- is the solution. Please oppose, and vote against, H.Con.Res. 24 and S. 810.

I implore you to oppose H.Con.Res. 24 and S. 810. Rather than solving our debt/deficit problems, an Article V convention (or Con-Con) will decimate the Constitution and its existing limitations on government. A Con-Con will not actually limit the federal government. There's also a real risk of an Article V convention getting out of control and resulting in unintended amendments and, perhaps, even a new constitution. Also, H.Con.Res. 24 dishonestly uses aggregation as its strategy for achieving a convention -- this only increases the danger. In 2015, Justice Antonin Scalia stated that "This is not a good century to write a constitution." This is wise advice, as any new amendments would only increase the constitutional size and scope of government. I encourage you to read the following editorial from Melvin Laird, the former U.S. Secretary of Defense. He recognized serious national-security risks that a convention would pose: jbs.org/assets/pdf/Melvin-Laird-Con-Con-1984-Original.pdf Oppose H.Con.Res. 24 and S. 810, and instead take our debt problem seriously by being faithful to the existing Constitution, and cutting spending.

I urge you to vote NO on House Concurrent Resolution 24 (H.Con.Res. 24), along with S. 810. An Article V convention is a harmful idea that could destroy the U.S. Constitution and the freedoms it protects. Please read this article by former DoD Secretary Melvin Laird warning of the national security dangers of an Article V Convention: jbs.org/assets/pdf/Melvin-Laird-Con-Con-1984-Original.pdf H.Con.Res. 24 does not limit its call for an Article V convention to any specific topic. Under the resolution, a convention could propose any constitutional amendment. Worse, the resolution aggregates different types of application subjects (such as plenary conventions) to artificially reach the 34-state requirement for calling a convention -- and many of those resolutions have since been rescinded. Also, every proposal for a supposed "balanced budget amendment" contains loopholes that easily allow Congress to continue its reckless spending habits -- effectively, this would make it constitutional for Congress to spend irresponsibly. Congress must significantly reduce its spending -- this, and NOT an Article V convention, will truly solve our debt crisis. Accordingly, please oppose H.Con.Res. 24 and S. 810.

I strongly request that you oppose H.Con.Res. 24. H.Con.Res. 24 would call an Article V convention based on aggregating unrelated topics together, leading to a convention if more than 34 states have applications (regardless of subject). I encourage you to read the following op-ed by former Defense Secretary Melvin Laird warning of the national-security consequences of a Con-Con: jbs.org/assets/pdf/Melvin-Laird-Con-Con-1984-Original.pdf If Congress were sincere about a balanced budget, it would simply cut spending and stop appropriating money for wasteful or unconstitutional purposes. However, H.Con.Res. 24 opens the door to meddling with the U.S. Constitution. As already written, it significantly limits the size and scope of government -- Congress needs to abide by it, not change it. Furthermore, nothing in H.Con.Res. 24 would prevent a runaway convention. It would achieve a convention by combining together different convention topics, including calls for a plenary convention. This is especially dangerous. Please do the right thing by rejecting H.Con.Res. 24 and instead cutting our wasteful and unconstitutional spending.

Please oppose H.Con.Res. 24 and S. 810, which would call a convention for proposing amendments to the U.S. Constitution under Article V. Not only is this proposal dangerous, but it's the wrong solution for solving our nation's fiscal irresponsibility. Please also see this article by former Defense Secretary Melvin Laird explaining why a convention would be dangerous for our country for national security reasons: jbs.org/assets/pdf/Melvin-Laird-Con-Con-1984-Original.pdf Nothing in H.Con.Res. 24 limits it to only considering a "balanced budget amendment" (BBA) in a convention. Congress could theoretically propose any other changes, thus threatening the Constitution and the God-given freedoms it protects. Furthermore, every BBA proposal includes loopholes that would allow Congress to continue to overspend or even raise taxes instead -- thus making fiscal irresponsibility constitutional! The real solution is for Congress to lower spending, and to limit it only to constitutional spending. This would fully solve/end our deficit and debt problems. Thus, please oppose H.Con.Res. 24 and S. 810.