An Iowa House subcommittee advanced a resolution calling for a Convention of the States on Tuesday despite objections from Democrats and Republicans. House Joint Resolution 7 calls for a convention to impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government and impose term limits on federal officials and members of Congress.
Monty Button, a resident of Dallas County, said he opposes the resolution because nothing is wrong with the current Constitution. Button said the Constitution has served America well for 250 years and has “clearly stood the test of time.”
“The problem is the Constitution is not followed,” he added.
A Convention of States must be started by Congress, and Button asked why Congress should be trusted to solve the problem it created.
“Leave the Constitution alone,” he said. “It is not the problem.”
A couple of Iowans spoke out against the resolution due to concerns about the ramifications a balanced budget might have for Social Security and Medicare.
Pam Mackey Taylor with the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club said the organization opposes limiting the number of terms a person may serve in Congress because that power should rest with the voters. She also took issue with the resolution as it states the federal government has ceased to live under a proper interpretation of the Constitution.
Taylor said that is up to the Supreme Court and that if there are laws passed that people believe are unconstitutional, then they need to take it to the Supreme Court.
Paul Dykstra spoke against the resolution because he is worried about the “unlimited” powers of a convention. He also noted the amount of money that would be spent on influencing what might happen at the convention.
“The moral character of the United States has changed,” he said. “The threat to open the Constitution up to any further discussion is unbelievable.”
Dykstra said he is worried a convention opens the door to the “destruction of America.”
Gary Leffler said he is against the convention because the current Constitution is being ignored.
“What makes you think that if they pass this and we have a Convention of States and somehow we pass something that they’re going to follow a new document,” Leffler said. “I have very little faith in that.”
Leffler predicted millions of dollars would be dumped into efforts by George Soros and the Chinese to influence the product of a convention.
“Every fringe group in the United States of America will be there trying to impose their will on us, the American people,” he said. “My son serves as a Major in the United States Army. He just did a year over in Eastern Europe defending our country, defending our Constitution, defending our way of life. I say we honor their sacrifice and we keep America, America.”
Deb Davis testified against the resolution, saying she doesn’t have confidence in a Convention of States. Iowa’s legislature creates unfunded mandates often, which is lamented in the resolution.
“How can we enforce the things we are accusing the federal government of if we can’t even adhere to them ourselves,” she asked.
Tamara Scott spoke against the resolution on behalf of VALOR Iowa, Concerned Women for America and as the national committeewoman of the Republican Party of Iowa.
Scott pointed out the Republican Party platform does not support a Convention of States. She called such a convention “very dangerous and reckless.”
Rather than amending the Constitution, Scott said she is worried the Convention would result in an “overhaul.”
Republican State Rep. Brad Sherman testified against the bill. Sherman said years ago he supported a Convention of States but changed his mind as he dug into the details. Ultimately, Sherman said the “moral crisis” in the country is one big reason not to have a Convention of States.
“Honestly I cannot understand why one who has taken an oath to defend our Constitution would open it up to a Convention where there are no rules except the rules the convention makes,” Sherman said.
Karen Schuster of Ankeny spoke in favor of the resolution on behalf of Convention of States Action. Schuster noted that Iowans are “extremely concerned” about the direction of the country, including the financial state of America and the general loss of freedom. Iowans are looking to the state legislators to help. According to Schuster, more than 52,000 Iowans have signed a petition in support of a Convention of States.
Former United States Sen. Rick Santorum spoke in favor of the resolution. Santorum said he is involved in efforts to call a Convention of the States because he spent 16 years in Congress, ran for President twice and has been on most major news networks in America only to largely fail.
“I failed because this country is a lot worse of than when I started, 40 years ago, involved in politics,” he said. “Our country is more divided. I got involved in politics, I think our deficit was $2 trillion. It’s now $34 trillion and we’re adding $1-$2 trillion every year and there’s no end in sight to that. A country cannot be sustained doing that. And I couldn’t walk away. You can’t walk away if you spend 30 years of your life trying to solve something and fail at it and just walk away.”
Santorum said he wasn’t supportive of a Convention of the States when he first heard of it. But after studying it, he believes it could be an answer to many of our government’s problems.
“The country is off the rails,” he said. “Washington is completely broken and it’s going to get worse.”
Santorum discussed the history of the U.S. Senate, noting for the first 140 years of America there needed to be unanimous consent to vote on a bill in the Senate. And things unraveled with the direct election of U.S. Senators as opposed to state legislatures appointing the senators.
“For 140 years, the federal government didn’t take power from the state of Iowa or any other state,” he said. “But that changed with the popular election of senators and the federal government has exploded. People say, ‘Oh, the Constitution, don’t touch it.’ It’s been touched. It was ripped out. The provision that provided for federalism, that allowed the states to keep their authority, was ripped out of the Constitution with the passing of the 17th Amendment.”
Fortunately, Santorum argued, the Founders put a second provision in to allow the states to reassert themselves at the top of the food chain.
Currently, too much is dictated to states by Washington, Santorum added.
“The country is fracturing because Washington is doing everything and imposing everything and it’s dividing the country,” Santorum said. “And you can say, ‘Well, we’ll elect better people.’ How’s that been going? What solution did you hear today from those who oppose this? What solution is going to fix this problem of rampant spending, federal tyranny?”
While the courts have the power to check it, Santorum said they aren’t. State legislatures are the “line of defense” against the tyranny of Washington, but they’ve abandoned their job.
“Those who say that this is a risk, is $34 trillion and gaining every year not a risk,” he asked. “Is a federal tyranny where Presidents can up with a wave of a pen and just change the law? Do you know there’s been, I think 800,000 pages of new regulations this year? You think that’s not a risk? And there’s no solution. Except for the one that’s in the Constitution and people are afraid.”
There will not be a runaway convention, Santorum said, because 38 state legislatures would have to approve anything that comes out of a convention.
“You can’t get 38 state legislatures to agree what time it is,” he said. “And you’re worried that there’s going to be a runaway convention? A runaway convention to do what? The runaway convention idea is a fallacy. This is a convention to propose amendments under the rules set by you under your resolution.”
Santorum said there aren’t enough states to ratify anything that will be “radical.”
“Fear is not a solution,” he said. “And all I hear is no solutions and a lot of fear. I just hope that we have an opportunity to let the people through your elected representatives come to this convention and debate the future of our country, because we’re not doing that now anywhere and this is an opportunity to do it.”
Democrat State Rep. Adam Zabner said that although he would pick two senators who aren’t Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, he thinks it is “ludacris and offensive” to suggest returning to the Founders’ intention of having state legislatures select their United States senators. Zabner also spoke against the resolution due to concerns about Iowans who are on social security and what a balanced budget amendment would do.
“We’ve heard from people on both sides of the aisle who came out at eight in the morning to oppose this dangerous, dangerous resolution,” he said. “We heard from one Iowan who supports it.”
Republican State Rep. Shannon Lundgren said she hears from constituents at home all year who support a Convention of the States. And at the subcommittee on Tuesday, she heard zero solutions from those who oppose it.
“I’m open to hearing solutions,” she said. “If somebody comes to me with a better solution, I am all ears.”
Lundgren noted the $34 trillion debt America has and how about $180,000 is sitting on the head of every American today in debt alone. She called that “pretty frightening” and said as a business owner, she would love to be able to spend, spend, spend and not have to worry about where the money is coming from.
“That’s not reality,” she added.
Republican State Rep. John Wills said he heard a lot of “fear” in opponents of a Convention of States. He said a runaway convention that cancels the Constitution “absolutely cannot happen.” Safeguards are in place at the Supreme Court and also with the requirement that 38 state legislatures must support whatever comes out of a convention.
“What I have heard a lot from constituents is we need to do something,” Wills said. “Congress isn’t working for us. They’re designed to keep power and keep power for themselves. They don’t care about the people out in the streets. They care about their power. This constitutional convention is a way to limit and restructure their power so that the states once again wield power, not Congress.”
