Time to Use Article V.

For 237 years, the American people have held the power to rewrite their Constitution; not by revolution, but by design. It’s time we remember what the Founders left us; a way to fix what’s broken, together.

There’s a quiet power sleeping in our Constitution; a single article that can shake the ground beneath Washington without firing a shot or burning a flag. It’s Article V, the amendment process, the people’s own blueprint for peaceful change.

Article V is short, clear, and revolutionary. It gives us two ways to update the Constitution;

Congress proposes, and the states ratify.
The states propose, and the states ratify.

The second path; a Convention of States, which has never been used. Not once. But that’s the one the Founders included to make sure the people could act even when Congress refuses to listen. They understood something simple and timeless; power concentrates, and freedom fades unless ordinary citizens have a way to reset the balance.

For generations, Americans have been told that the Constitution is untouchable, that change can only come from courts, parties, or presidents. But Article V tells a different story. It says; if the government stops working for you, you have the right to fix it yourself.

Every major reform in our history; ending slavery, granting women the vote, lowering the voting age happened because people organized, pressed, and demanded amendment. The Constitution was built to bend without breaking. It was built to evolve.

And yet, we’ve grown timid. We’ve let the most democratic tool we have gather dust because we’ve been told it’s “too complicated” or “too risky.” But what’s truly risky is doing nothing while dysfunction becomes the norm.

Our national debates are louder than ever and our progress slower than ever. Congress gridlocks. Courts polarize. Presidents toggle policies every four years. But Article V offers something rare; a structured way for the people and the states to lead.

If two-thirds of state legislatures call for a convention, Congress must convene one. The states can then propose amendments; ideas like campaign finance reform, term limits, or even a modern Bill of Digital Rights; and send them to all fifty states for ratification. Three-quarters must agree before anything becomes law. That’s not chaos. That’s consensus.

The process is hard on purpose, but not impossible. It’s designed to make us talk, listen, and compromise. In that way, the challenge is the cure.

Article V reminds us that democracy isn’t a spectator sport. It’s a relay race; and we’ve been holding the baton too long without running. Each generation must reearn the promise of the Constitution by understanding it, questioning it, and, when needed, improving it.

Calling an Article V convention wouldn’t mean throwing out the past. It would mean keeping faith with it. It would mean saying; we still believe in self-government. We still believe in us.

So let’s teach this in schools again. Let’s talk about it at town halls. Let’s demand that our state representatives dust off their constitutional duty and consider when the people’s reset button should be pressed.

In a time when faith in institutions is low, Article V offers something rare; trust in ourselves. It’s not a partisan weapon; it’s a patriotic responsibility.

The Founders left us the means to adapt without violence, to evolve without tearing apart. They handed us the map. They trusted us to know when the time was right.

Maybe that time is now.

Make Believe Better | Orlampaland.com

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