Article V Convention of States - SC Status

___The United States Constitution provides two ways to amend itself. Elected members of Congress may propose amendment(s) and 2/3 of the House and Senate must approve the amendment(s) before being sent to the states. Then ¾ of the states must ratify the amendment(s) before being added to the Constitution. The second method is for 2/3 of the state legislatures to propose specific amendments at a convention of states. Again ¾ of the states must ratify the amendment(s) before being added to the Constitution.

___The United States Constitution has been amended only 17 times – once to undo a previous amendment (prohibition). Ten amendments, the bill of rights, were necessary for states to approve the original Constitution.

___The usual argument against the convention of states is a fear that the Constitution will be substantially rewritten. The same unfounded argument can be used when members of Congress propose an amendment. The same 2/3 and ¾ requirements apply in either case, and only amendments are discussed. A Balanced Budget Amendment or term limits for members of Congress and the federal courts would change the original Constitution – just like the 2-term limit for President, but our basic balance of power and constitutional republic structure will be unchanged.

___Americans need to consider why America works. France has had 2 empires and 5 republics since our Constitution was written. Our founders knew what they were doing. They were not just a bunch of “dead white guys!” But when the federal government becomes too corrupt, the people have a constitutional solution built in to our founding legal base.

___About 37 states – including SC – are well into passing the CoS legislation. SC has stalled in the Judiciary Committee chaired by Rep. Greg Delleney. His constituents need to call, email and write to him encouraging him to finish the job.

___Our national debt is $19.3 Trillion, but we also have student loan debt of $1.3 Trillion with a default rate of about 20% and unfunded promises for Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security of over $100 Trillion. Not only must we balance our budget, but we must run a surplus. That happened in FY2000 when welfare reform finally showed savings. All of those reforms have been gutted. The status quo leads to bankruptcy (or revolution) in less than 20 years unless we find our Margaret Thatcher.

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Medical Treatment for All

___The Democrats controlled the Congress from 1955 to 1995 and during the last two years of George W. Bush's Presidency (when the "debt crisis" occurred). In 1986 they passed COBRA which included EMTALA: The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), an act of the United States Congress, passed as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). It requires hospital Emergency Departments that accept payments from Medicare/Federal Medicaid to provide an appropriate medical screening examination to individuals seeking treatment for a medical condition, regardless of citizenship, legal status, or ability to pay. Hospitals may not transfer or discharge patients needing emergency treatment except with the informed consent or stabilization of the patient or when their condition requires transfer to a hospital better equipped to administer the treatment.

___The above was not newsworthy when the Affordable Care And Patient Protection Act was passed by Democrats in 2010. Hospitals and insurance companies benefited because EMTALA was an "unfunded mandate." Uncompensated care represents 6% of total hospital costs.

___Clinton did not want medical care for illegal aliens to be covered by taxpayers under Hilliarycare. Now she wants "rich" taxpayers to cover illegals. When progressives got the 16th Amendment ratified, Americans were promised that only the richest 3% would pay any income tax. Surprise! They Lie!

Delegate Count as of 18 March 2016

___Trump 621

Non-Trump 717

Needed for nomination on 1st ballot: 1237 The media is hyping fear of a "contested convention." We live in a country with a Constitution full of checks and balances! The delegates are "won" in "contested primaries" and the nominees of the parties will run in "contested elections."

___On the Democrat side, Clinton leads by a wide margin proving that Democrats approve of sloppy security (58,000+ of my generation died in Vietnam thanks to politicians' hands-on management and poor security) and government favors for sale.

___Clinton says "no one died on my watch" as Secretary of State. Really?! We need a President who will tell us the truth (and can count past 0)!

Productivity Decreases; Unit Labor Costs Increase

___Productivity decreased 2.2 percent in the non-farm business sector in the fourth quarter of 2015; unit labor costs increased 3.3 percent (seasonally adjusted annual rates). In manufacturing, productivity decreased 0.7 percent and unit labor costs increased 3.2 percent.

An Elitist Political Class Makes Better Spending Decisions?

___The guiding premise of the Progressives is that an elitist political class can make better spending decisions than individual Americans. History demonstrates that the premise is false. The economy did quite well under Kennedy, Reagan and even George W. Bush after taxes were reduced. The “roaring 20s” were still the most prosperous for government with budget surpluses for each of Coolidge's six years. Critics would say that the “excessive exuberance” of the 1920s led to the 1929 stock market crash, but that was a small part. The isolationist tariffs and high minimum wages caused the 25% unemployment. We also had “excessive exuberance” before the “junk bond crash” in 1987, “dot.com crash” in 2000 and the “real estate/credit crash” in 2007. These followed periods of good growth.

___Corporations and the very wealthy are the villains of the Progressive century-old conspiracy. History again shows the error. The oil giant that became Standard Oil, Inc also saved the whales! Most lighting used whale oil as a fuel. Rockefeller made kerosene so cheap that whale oil sales became insignificant. U.S. Steel made it possible to build buildings with more than 3 stories. General Electric and Westinghouse lit our world and powered our appliances. Ford made the car affordable. J.P. Morgan had to bail out the United States treasury when Gould cornered the gold market.

___It is more often the government's fiscal policy that drives jobs to another city, state or country. Examples are the shortstop for the New York Yankees being a resident of Florida, and the co-founder of Facebook becoming a citizen of Singapore. States have adapted by putting a tax on income where it is earned. Athletes should boycott [Super Bowl] games in high-tax cities and states. Internet sales are now taxed. Multinational corporations pay foreign taxes on profits and U.S. taxes on the same profits if they bring them back to the United States (so the capital is left overseas stimulating our competitors). You have an absurd case of a $50 Billion U.S. corporation being “bought” by a $10 Billion Irish corporation, and the headquarters address being Ireland (for tax purposes).

___The United States became the most powerful economy with the written Constitution giving balance of power, property rights and the rule of law, and The Wealth of Nations as economic theory. Progressives say the Constitution was written by “a bunch of dead white guys,” and Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes provide the “updated” economic theory. The 2009 “stimulus” took over $700 Billion from taxpayers, and elitist politicians spent it on solar and wind projects. Some was spent on “shovel-ready” projects which had been planned for future years and were completed earlier. Most was spent on loyal Progressive supporters.

___Most people should not go to college. The lotteries were sold as “free college education for the masses.” Basic economics says that a dramatic increase in demand (students) and a relatively static supply (colleges) will mean an increase in costs. Thatcher said pretty soon you run out of other peoples' money, so a B average was required. Thugs threatened teachers. An additional requirement of 18 on the ACT was hastily added. When costs rose rapidly, the taxpayers guaranteed student loans (currently over $1.3 Trillion with a rising default rate). The Progressives want to forgive the debt and make college tuition free. Graduates will make $15/hr even if they cannot find a job in their field! Unemployment was extended from 26 to 99 weeks years ago. Who needs to work?!

___We have a problem with entitlement programs. Dr Williams calls Social Security a Ponzi scheme with a gun. Actually, if you refuse to pay FICA payroll tax, you would be sent to prison – maybe GiTMo! The population demographics of the United States, Japan and Europe does not support a welfare state. You need a pyramid with few elderly and disabled (takers) at the top and many (workers) at the base.

Protection of Our National Security

___In the 1950s the United States under Eisenhower had several hundred military advisors in Vietnam. Kennedy raised that to several thousand. Johnson intervened in a civil war between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and increased our numbers to several hundred thousand. Over 48 thousand of my generation died in this political and military intervention. I was in college during the 1960s, and my career choices were limited to the branches of the military. In 1967 when I graduated, there were over 700,000 American military personnel in Southeast Asia. I joined the U.S. Air Force in August.

___I served in Space Systems and Missile Warning. I had a Secret security clearance, and I received classified information about our enemies and their capabilities. I had sworn to protect that information, and I have.

___In our representative form of government, we elect those who will get the security clearances and make decisions based on the classified information they receive. It is vital to the national security that we choose well. If revealed, Top Secret information can cause “exceptionally grave damage to the national security.” Our methods and key people could be revealed and intelligence could be compromised for decades. George W. Bush was criticized for using human intelligence data that indicated “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq. By the time Iraq was invaded, these weapons had been moved or never existed. Our human intelligence is imperfect. The enemy does not post their plans and capabilities on Facebook! If our methods for obtaining human intelligence are compromised, then we will be blind, and our operatives may die.

___Hillary Clinton, the Democrat candidate, is being investigated for failure to secure classified – including Top Secret/Special Access Required – data. General Petraeus was convicted for far less. It is amazing that over 70% of my fellow South Carolinians believe that Clinton should be the next President! As if Barack Obama – surrounding himself with high-level Muslim advisors like Valerie Jarret – hasn't done enough damage already!

Who Said Anything About a Draft?

___There is no draft. The last draft was for Vietnam – over 40 years ago!

___We have a sexist law called the Selective Service Act which gathers information on males when they turn 18. Women are not included because the Biblical role of the woman is to make a home while the Biblical role of the man is to protect that home. The Bible also says that God gives each of us gifts. If I have a gift for cooking and my wife has a gift for business, then I should make the home, and my wife should work in business. The healthiest and strongest should protect the home.

___Men and women are not equal. Neither are all men equal or all women equal. I am a man, but there are many women who are stronger [and smarter] than me.

___Congress plays games with names for a law. My favorite is the Motherhood and Apple Pie Act (MAPA). If you vote against it, then you are obviously against motherhood and apple pie. Treason! So, when a law is named “selective service,” the actual law could contain a military draft, but let's assume the law is named correctly. President Kennedy said “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country!” I don't think that he wanted both young men and women to go into military combat! Both young and old were paid to help in America and around the world to teach methods to avoid and escape poverty and death.

___Women have correctly demanded equal benefits. They should also be willing to accept equal responsibilities!