Dear Editor: Ignorance is Bliss at COS

Dear Editor,

Whether you are for or against the Convention of States (COS), please take a moment to read this and consider heavily what I have to say. I was at the Helena Capital building to absorb the words of others and testify against the COS.

As I listened to those in support, I could feel the strength of their belief. They talked of budget requirements, term limits, and restricting the federal government. That sounds so compelling, doesn't it? The supporters stated that those who oppose the COS, do so out of ignorance, that they are misinformed by the John Birch Society, and that they use fear-mongering to try to scare people into not supporting a convention of states. I found it interesting that after talking of opposers using fear. many of the supporters talked of another civil war if the convention of states did not happen. No use of fear there. Made me chuckle. But normal in this day and age.

The anti-cos people talked of a runaway convention. The fear of today's biased, partisan air of politics, that nothing is wrong with the constitution, that the budget is already set on a deadline. Many pointed to article 6, which is the state nullification of unconstitutional or bad laws.

All who spoke had their beliefs. The one that got me thinking about what I really should say was Bob Wagner. He spoke of the rot at the root of the tree of liberty. Bob pointed out that adding a couple of shiny new leaves will not save the tree. He is such a compelling speaker, that when the three-minute limit clock went off, he went on for at least another three minutes if not four, and nobody said boo. Nobody tried to stop him.

So...I am listening to all sides and Bob. And then it hit me. For better than 60 years our schools have taught less and less about our country. Who we are. What the country was meant to be. Why we fought the wars we did. The importance of the constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. What the constitution and bill of rights say about the function of the government and citizen rights, and how it pertains to them. What our freedoms mean to citizens of other countries. I believe we are in an elite class of countries, but we are losing our country due to a lack of education.

So, this brings me back to the supporters' claim that opposers are ignorant of the ways of a convention of states. It is my belief that creating a Convention of States is out of ignorance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

Government control is there. Teach others to use it. Insist that knowledge of our country is taught in schools.

It is my thought that you can amend the constitution. Reword the constitution. But until it is taught to the citizens of this still great country, it means nothing. From elementary on, it needs to be taught. It's hard to deny that we are in the mess we are in today because 95% of our country knows or remembers nothing about the laws and constitution of the United States. This goes back to Bob Wagner's Tree of Liberty.

Teaching the citizens of the nation is the root of the Tree of Liberty. Without education there is ignorance.

The convention of states points are:

• Mandatory balanced budget. The budget is already required to be balanced. A budget is required to be presented by September 30th of every year. Voted on and signed by the end of the fiscal year, on Oct.31st. To get around this, the House body created the 'Continuing Resolution'. A way to kick the fiscal can down the road. To make things worse, politicians figured out that they can refuse to vote for a continuing resolution unless they get concessions adapted into the resolution. Usually means money.

• Term Limits (restricting time in office to two terms): I have a smidge of an idea of the learning curve for this job. It takes a while to get up to speed. But to limit their term reduces the effectiveness of any person. I think four terms are more reasonable. And then there is the possibility that we actually elect somebody that does better than most at the job, when that person is out, do we just hope for somebody that is as good or better? To me, term limits come around every voting cycle. Again, it's the citizens who ignorantly vote to keep these criminals in office. Education is everything.

• Limiting government: One of the greatest threats to our country is a bloated government. I agree with limiting our government and getting this wild spending spree of these last decades under control. But we don't have to amend the constitution, it is already there. But then if you read the constitution and bill of rights, you would know that. And that is the point. Without education, what you change is still misunderstood and open to exploitation.

The Legislative branch includes the Senate and House of Representatives. They draft proposed laws, confirm or reject presidential nominations for heads of federal agencies, federal judges, and the Supreme Court, and have the authority to declare war.

The House side is also supposed to control the government's purse strings.

The Judicial branch interprets the meaning of laws, applies laws to individual cases, and decides if laws violate the Constitution. It is comprised of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. They are not there to create laws.

The Executive branch includes the President, Vice President, and Cabinet. This branch carries out and enforces laws. The executive branch was never intended to create laws.

I know that those who support Biden's executive orders are happy with his executive orders, but that is not how it is supposed to work. When the president starts dictating to the nation how to live, that turns into a kingdom and we fought a war to get rid of the king. Even his speeches sound like a king.

Jim Buterbaugh

Whitehall, Montana