Ernie vs. Nick
Ernie Hancock-Article V skeptic and Libertarian anarcho-Wildman of Talk Radio-invites Compact for America President Nick Dranias onto Freedom's Phoenix to talk about the Balanced Budget Compact for the second time; fireworks ensue along with some softening of Ernie's skepticism. The third time will be the charm! For your viewing pleasure, we've included slides from our latest powerpoint presentation. If you like what you see and hear, please consider a tax deductible investme
When Wall Street Says Don't Worry About the National Debt, You Know it is Time to Worry.
An incredibly shoddy piece of research on the national debt problem has been posted by JP Morgan called "5 Myths about U.S. Government Debt." Check it out. You won't believe your eyes when you read it. First, in response to the threat of a U.S. debt default, JP Morgan says don't worry about a U.S. debt default because the federal government has the power to seize everything in the country to pay the debt. Really. Check out this quote: "One of the reasons the U.S. has been—and
Compact for America at Heartland Institute's Constitutional Reform Center
The Heartland Institute launched its “Constitutional Reform” project at the Marriott City Center in Dallas on Wednesday, August 26. Featured speakers included Nick Dranias of Compact for America Educational Foundation, former U.S. Rep. Allen West (R ) and former U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, as well as constitutional scholars and advocates of a number of constitutional amendment projects, and Heartland’s CEO Joseph Bast. The event marked the beginning of Heartland’s effort to help
Everyday is Black Friday for Washington
Imagine if you had a limitless credit card you never had to repay on Black Friday. Now consider something a bit different: Imagine if, to keep your job, you had to compete for votes with someone who was willing to use that magic credit card to buy votes, build monuments, and otherwise do whatever it takes to get elected. How long would it be before you trampled over future generations in headlong pursuit of buying whatever shiny bauble kept you ahead of candidate Jones? If yo
Six Bullets that Could Fix the Debt
No, it's not what you're thinking. The Compact Commission challenged me to create 6 bullet points that capture the benefits of the Compact for a Balanced Budget's compact “vehicle” for delivering its federal Balanced Budget Amendment “payload.” So here goes! Three bullets on the compact “vehicle”: Certainty: The Compact for a Balanced Budget delivers certainty by empowering the states to pre-commit 38 states and simple majorities of Congress to everything involved in advancin
Who's Winning the Reform Race?
By consolidating everything states do in the amendment process into just one bill and by consolidating everything Congress does into just one resolution, with fewer than two years running, the Compact for a Balanced Budget is already far closer to delivering a ratified Balanced Budget Amendment than even the Reagan-era BBATF effort that’s been running for nearly 40 years! This is why the Compact approach is “Article V 2.0.” If you want to maximize your chances of restoring ou
What Did Scalia REALLY Say about A5?
The usual suspects who are opposed to organizing an Article V convention claim the Compact for a Balanced Budget cannot limit the convention it organizes, even with the agreement of 38+ states expressed in a solemn sovereign contract. They sometimes even claim Justice Antonin Scalia supports their position. In fact, Justice Scalia is very clearly on record as supporting an Article V convention limited to a specific issue or amendment. He only opposes a wide open Article V con
What's the Difference among the Major Fiver Movements?
The question often arises: What’s the difference between the three major efforts to organize the states to propose amendments by convention under Article V? The following chart gives you a candid and detailed series of answers to that question. If you can't read it, click on it for the pdf. You will note above that the Compact for America approach: faces the fewest significant legal or political issues among the various approaches; involves the fewest moving parts; and absor
Superwonk Alert! Why the Founders Stand Behind Every Single Bit of the Compact for a Balanced Budget
The Compact for a Balanced Budget is an interstate agreement that advances, proposes and ratifies a federal Balanced Budget Amendment in a single state legislative bill, which is activated by a single congressional resolution. In essence, the Compact pre-commits 38 states (the ratification number) to the entire constitutional amendment process in advance, so that a specific, pre-drafted federal Balanced Budget Amendment is voted up or down within 24 hours at the convention it
Exploding Propaganda Series (Part 7 of 7): Section 7's Self-Enforcement Provision
The Compact for a Balanced Budget advances a specific Balanced Budget Amendment that you can read today, and which four states have already contractually committed to ratify. Read it here. Section 7 of the Compact's BBA states that the Amendment is self-enforcing. Strangely, even this provision has drawn the fire of the opposition. The term is included because there is case law that says constitutional provisions are not necessarily effective or enforceable unless enforced by
