AUSTIN, TX—Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Dr. Thomas Lindsay, director of the Center for 10th Amendment Action, issued the following statement on the Oklahoma Senate passing legislation calling for a convention of states to propose amendments under Article V of the United States Constitution:
“Oklahoma’s successful resolution to call for an Article V Convention of States is heartening to all friends of freedom,” said Lindsay. “A recent Gallup poll finds that nearly half of Americans, 49 percent, believe the federal government poses ‘an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens.’ Their fears are justified. By the time the current president completes his term, our national debt will have grown to roughly $20 trillion. Our reckless federal government is crippling economic opportunity, not only for the current generation, but for our children and grandchildren as well.
“Fortunately, the Constitution’s Article V provides a mechanism by which the states can restore the individual liberty and economic freedom denied us by the federal government. Oklahoma joins Indiana, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Alaska, and Tennessee in calling for an amendments Convention. Oklahoma’s resolution proposes a federal balanced budget amendment and term limits for Congress. The resolution will next be sent to Congress.”
At the Texas Public Policy Foundation 14th Annual Policy Orientation, Texas Governor Greg Abbott called for an Article V Convention of States to amend the Constitution for the purpose of limiting the power and jurisdiction of the federal government.
Dr. Tom Lindsay is Director of the Centers for 10th Amendment Action and Higher Education at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.