By Nick Dranias
Arizona and five other states are considering use of their power under Article V of the U.S. Constitution to initiate an amendments convention. With the federal debt exceeding $14 trillion, I believe nothing short of state-initiated constitutional reform will stop the impending fiscal train wreck.
Critics of an Article V amendments convention claim the states could unleash a runaway “constitutional convention” by exercising their Article V powers. But the states do not have authority under Article V to call a “constitutional convention.” Indeed, the words “constitutional convention” appear nowhere in the Constitution.
The power of the states to call an amendments convention is no greater than the power of Congress to propose amendments. Both amendment powers operate within the existing limitations of the Constitution. Any proposed constitutional amendment, whether arising from Congress or from an amendments convention, must still be ratified by 38 states.
Opposition to states using their Article V power boils down to a belief that Congress is more trustworthy than the states when it comes to proposing constitutional amendments. I disagree. Congress is driving our nation toward a financial cliff. The states must take the wheel.
Learn More:
Goldwater Institute: Amending the Constitution by Convention: A Complete View of the Founders’ Plan
Goldwater Institute: 10 Facts to Rebut the Mythology of a Runaway Convention
RestoringFreedom.org: The National Debt Relief Amendment
Nick Dranias holds the Clarence J. and Katherine P. Duncan Chair for Constitutional Government and is Director of the Joseph and Dorothy Donnelly Moller Center for Constitutional Government at the Goldwater Institute. Prior to joining the Goldwater Institute, Dranias was an attorney with the Institute for Justice. In law school, Dranias served on the Loyola University Chicago Law Review, competed on Loyola’s National Labor Law Moot Court Team, and received various academic awards. He graduated cum laude from Boston University with a B.A. in Economics and Philosophy. 
Mr. Dranias neglected to mention in his article that the states have already applied in sufficient numbers to cause a convention call. You can read the over 700 applications from 49 states at http://www.foavc.org. Viewed in this light, that Congress has refused to obey the Constitution, the question is then is Congress as trustworthy as everyone thinks? Answer: no. There is no record whatsoever of an Article V Convention ever having violated the Constitution in any manner whatsoever.
Realize this: when these critics say we should fear a convention, ask yourself one question: what do they offer as an alternative to resolve the issues we are facing?