A Bill Of Federalism

Randy E. Barnett, 05.20.09, 4:11 PM ET
Lately some state legislatures have been considering so-called "sovereignty resolutions." Rather than pass strictly symbolic measures, however, I recommended--in an op-ed last month in The Wall Street Journal--that state legislatures exercise the power given them under Article V of the Constitution to petition Congress to call a convention to propose a "Federalism Amendment."

This idea clearly touched a chord among the public and elicited an outpouring of comments and suggestions, including here on Forbes. While many liked my original proposal, others wanted to see added provisions for balanced budgets, term limits and other constraints on federal power.

With this feedback in mind, I decided to draft a Bill of Federalism consisting of 10 amendments devised to restore the balance between state and federal power as well as the original meaning of the Constitution. By identifying 10 separate amendments, a coalition can be formed from people who support different constitutional reform measures that could not be combined into a single amendment. At the same time, opposition to any one provision cannot be used to sink the whole proposal.

... Read more: http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/20/bill-of-federalism-constitution-states-supreme-court-opinions-contributors-randy-barnett_print.html