But we’re not the Founding Fathers: Calls for a constitutional convention pose potential threat to our form of government

We’re not in the habit of opining on resolutions before the Legislature.
Unlike actual bills, they typically concern benign issues — naming bridges, designating certain days this or that or requesting a study.
However, the trio of resolutions urging Congress to call a convention of states to consider constitutional amendments may be the most disturbing piece of work to emerge from this Legislature.
We’re no constitutional scholars, unlike some legislators, who also moonlight as experts on education, law enforcement and medical procedures.
But a quick read of the U.S. Constitution’s Article V spells out in about 140 words the process whereby our nation’s form of government can be amended.
Either two thirds of both houses of Congress “or on the application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments … .”
In 2016 the Legislature passed such a resolution that was narrowly focused on a balanced budget.
Our newspaper has consistently opposed any such constitutional convention of the states for fear it could turn into a runaway convention.
What could go wrong, you ask? After all, it does take three fourths of the states to ratify any new amendments and many such resolutions’ intent are narrow.
And our Constitution has already safely been amended 27 times, too.
But each of those amendments went through an intense vetting process that often took years. After winning two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress, three-fourths of state legislatures had to sign off on them, too.
In other words, despite the narrow issues on the agenda of such a convention it could run amok and threaten the stability of our Constitution.
If anything this Legislature should be more concerned with reforming itself, rather than the federal government.
Take for example the mistake we clarified in today’s newspaper about overriding a governor’s veto.
If the governor vetoes a bill, the Legislature can override the veto with a simple majority vote of both houses.
The only exceptions are the budget bill or a supplemental appropriations bills. A two-thirds vote of both houses is needed to override a governor’s veto in these instances.
Some argue that allows the Legislature far more power than the other branches of state government.
Whereas in Congress a two-thirds majority is needed to override any presidential veto.
As one citizen noted at a public hearing on those resolutions recently, the only such convention in history was the one that created the Constitution and it turned out OK.
But she added, we’re not the Founding Fathers, either.