The Most Dangerous of Ideas

COLUMBIA — Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell is calling for a national constitutional convention that would give states the right to deny benefits to illegal immigrants and have them forced out of the country. [ ht Gamecock]

Let us not forget that the first Constitutional Convention was called to do nothing more than deliberate on matters related to modifying the Articles of Confederation. What did they do? They completely abolished the "perpetual union" created by that document and created a completely new form of government. It is interesting to note that Rhode Island remained outside of the new union created by the Constitution for a year, existing as a free nation-state as all the 13 original states had done until 1783. (I wrote a piece a while back concerning these events if you are interested)

The point of all of this is that if you wish to solve a singular issue such as immigration a Constitutional Convention is certainly not the answer. Would you trust the buffoons in Washington or any of our state houses to address issues as serious as the wording of the Constitution. With their propensity to compromise I can clearly envision the scope of work expanding to issues such as "clearing up ambiguities" in the wording of "nasty things" like the Bill of Rights.

We simply do not have leaders of character or conviction that I would trust meddling with the Constitution in any sort of convention. Just think for a minute the mess those idiots would make of the document - just think what a field day the socialist would have creating new "rights" related to healthcare, insurance and numerous other programs that would take money from me and you and redistribute it to others.

I am not certain that the individual states are not well within their rights to regulate immigration as it stands. This is particularly true if one looks hard at the illegitimacy of the 14th Amendment. Beyond that and even if one accepts the 14th Amendment as defined by the courts I can still imagine a dozen ways that states could stand up and police illegal residents up within their borders - what the Federal government has to say about it be damned.

Glenn McConnell is from my home but he is no friend of my state or of conservatism - he has proven that too many times in the past. This idea of his is foolish and ill-conceived.