I urge you to oppose HCR 8, which apply for a convention to propose amendments, under Article V of the Constitution, otherwise known as a constitutional convention (Con-Con). These bills would merely give false assurance that a convention will go as planned. I don't care what specific changes to our Constitution these resolutions call for -- a Con-Con is a dangerous idea that could lead to unintended and harmful consequences. The solution is to enforce the Constitution through Article VI and the 10th Amendment, not to change it. Just because the Constitution isn't being enforced now, doesn't mean we should throw it away. Please oppose and vote against HCR 8.

I implore you to stop the passage of HCR 8 and any other resolution calling for an Article V convention, or "Con-Con." It would be destructive to our country. Our Constitution is one of the few things that unites us. After all, it's been the law of the land longer than any other national constitution. Changing it will be very damaging and risks abandoning the principles that made our country great. Our founding fathers, including George Washington (in a 1788 letter to Richard Peters) and James Madison (in a 1788 letter to George Lee Turberville) opposed a second constitutional convention as it would divide the country and cause instability. More recently, the late Justice Antonin Scalia (in 2014 and 2015 interviews) expressed opposition. Just as importantly, we don't even need an Article V convention to solve the problems facing our country. Many problems aren't because of "flaws" with our 230+-year-old constitution, but rather the fact that we haven't been following it consistently. In this case, please take a look at Article VI, which provides for the nullification of unconstitutional laws, rather than Article V.

I urge you you to reject HCR 8 and all other Article V convention resolutions, no matter their subject or the policy they seek to advance. Please vote it "inexpedient to legislate." Any Article V convention would be a win for special interests and a loss for our country. The subject the convention would seek to act on is irrelevant -- a Con-Con could destabilize our country and become out-of-control. Our country is divided now, probably more than at any other point in history. The only thing that unites us is our shared Constitution. Why should we also take away this point of unity? A Con-Con could also limit the Bill of Rights, and either way, once a Con-Con is called, nothing would stop delegates from proposing amendments completely unrelated to what the Con-Con supporters want. The pro-Article V convention position rests on a false presupposition -- that there's something wrong with the Constitution that changing it would fix. Even if there were (there's not), the divisiveness and destabilizing effect of a Con-Con would neutralize any potential for an improved document. Please oppose all Article V-related bills and applications, including HCR 8, HB 269, and HB 392.

I strongly request that you oppose HCR 8 and every other resolution that applies for an Article V convention to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. An Article V convention (or "Con-Con") is unnecessary and will do harm to the U.S. Constitution. It is unnecessary because almost every problem or issue these applications seek to solve actually exist because we haven't been properly abiding by the Constitution -- not because of problems with the Constitution itself. A Con-Con is harmful because they could lead to damaging changes to the Constitution, such as those removing protections to our God-given freedoms, that Con-Con proponents did not intend. The risk of an "out-of-control" convention has historical precedent. The 1787 constitutional convention actually began as a "limited" convention to amend the Articles of Confederation. That convention produced a high-quality document, but we live in too divided of a time to draft a constitution equal to or superior to our current one. An Article V convention is unnecessary and dangerous. Please oppose HCR 8 and every other bill/resolution calling for or promoting one.

Please oppose HCR 8 and all other attempts to apply for an Article V constitutional convention, also known as a Con-Con. Any Con-Con could have damaging effects on our country. Our country is severely divided, and changing our most important national document could lead to massive unrest. James Madison made this point in a 1788 letter to George Lee Turberville. Among other noteworthy statements, he said: "[A] General Convention ... would consequently give greater agitation to the public mind; an election into it would be courted by the most violent partizans [sic] on both sides." If the U.S. was divided then, it's much more so now. There's a reason why our Constitution has been our fundamental law longer than any other country in the world. It is one of the greatest documents, and we won't achieve anything superior to it through a constitutional convention. The resolution's language is very vague, meaning a Con-Con could still go in many different directions. A Con-Con is an dangerous idea. To guard us against federal power-grabs, use Article VI, not Article V. Oppose HCR 8.