On Thursday, March 16, the New Hampshire House of Representatives should be debating and voting on HCR 4-a resolution applying for an Article V Convention for a term limit amendment.
There is no reference in Article V of the U.S. Constitution which limits a convention to a specific amendment or topic. Legislators who support this amendment have been told by out-of-state lobbyists that an Article V Convention can indeed be limited, but they have no historical precedence to back up their claims since the U. S. has never held an Article V Convention. Just believe them because they trot out well-paid spokesmen who say so.
One of the out-of-state lobbyists is Mr. Ken Quinn. He works for Term Limits USA but once worked for Convention of States (COS). He spends a good amount of his time denouncing and smearing all Republicans who dare oppose an Article V Convention. Back in 2016, his organization accused NH State Senator Kevin Avard of bribery-a total lie, but it demonstrates the lengths that some of its leadership are willing to go to get their resolutions passed—Senator Avard Accused of bribery by COS.
It looks like COS has not learned its lesson:
Attorney Mike Ferris, a co-founder of COS, advocates for “structural change” of the U.S. Constitution. In the Spring of 2016, Mr. Quinn not only defended “structural change” of the Constitution but claimed that the Constitution was flawed because elected officials could ignore it. In his own words:
Last month, the New Hampshire House rejected COS’s resolution-HCR 1. Let’s hope they do the same to HCR 4.
Term Limit Amendment:
“Throw the bums out” is the emotional call of some term-limit amendment supporters, but a term-limit amendment will throw all members of Congress out- not just the “bums’” If passed and fully implemented, 12 to 15 years from now, it will give us a permanent lame duck Congress, and likely do nothing to change the ideological make-up of new members of Congress.
Hal Shurtleff, Alton
