Jim Fossel, in his June 15 commentary, is right on. The little-known effort to hold a new Constitutional Convention is a danger to our democratic republic. As usual, Fossel blames progressive Democrats, but according to “The Hill” and Common Cause, right-wing Republicans are heavily behind this current threat to our Constitution. Nevertheless, the idea is bad for everyone, and the states soon to consider it should rip the proposal in shreds.
Fossel doesn’t say how many states are already on board with this ploy. According to Common Cause, 34 (2/3 of states) are needed and 27 have passed at least one application. A “Con Con” proposal might specify only one amendment such as the current American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) bid for a balanced budget. Participants, however, could decide to rewrite the entire document, because founding fathers did not set limits on their actions. Nor did they say how participants would be chosen. The process is open to partisanship, now rampant in the country. ALEC has written a handbook and distributed it to many state legislators. One of their tactics is to have one vote for each state on an outcome, thus equating the half million people of Wyoming with the 39 million of California.
Even Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was against holding another Constitutional Convention. Maine voted last year not to sign on to a proposed convention. New Hampshire remains the only northeast state to do so.
Victoria Adams
Kennebunk
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