amendments

The idea of a convention of states such as the one scheduled for Phoenix, Arizona on September 12 may be unfamiliar to most people, but similar conventions have gathered throughout American history.

In ancient mythology, the phoenix was a symbol of rebirth. As its former life came to an end in a show of flames and spontaneous combustion, a newer, even better life was born from the ashes of its predecessor.

Convinced that Congress is unlikely to cure federal dysfunction, most state legislatures have triggered the Constitution’s most important reform mechanism: They have applied for what the Constitution calls “a convention for proposing amendments.”

In today’s edition of the Heartland Institute’s education podcast, your host, education research fellow and managing editor of School Reform News, Teresa Mull, spoke to Heartland’s own Kyle Maichle, project manager for Constitutional Reform.