Our Renaissance is a foundation created to promote discussions – and help the people reclaim their right to self-governance through the legal and peaceful process that has always existed – and it is right there in Article V of the Constitution.

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Most people use the process every day in their personal, professional and public lives without even knowing it and it is the essence of the American legislative process. 

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The process is simple – Discuss to Agree and Do – D.A.D. 

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Discussion is a powerful process. When used correctly, it can foster communication and  lead to understanding and agreement, resulting in positive action. 

 

Without discussion, there can be no exchange of ideas, no real meeting of the minds to act together to achieve common goals. 

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We see this almost daily in the polarization and gridlock evident in Congress. 

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When the Constitution created Congress, the people who wrote and adopted it specifically recognized that all power comes from the people and our Constitution provides a role for the people – through their state legislatures and the amending process – to discuss, to agree and most importantly – to act!

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​Article V of the Constitution lays out two methods to propose amendments. First, Congress itself can propose amendments any time two-thirds of both Houses agree.

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Second, Congress must call a convention for the states to propose amendments if two-thirds of the states submit applications requesting that it do so.

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Congress has the duty to count the applications and call a convention when the required number (currently 34) of the states have applied. It has no authority to debate or limit the count based upon subject matter. It can only count and make a call.

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Congress has taken control of both methods to propose by denying, delaying and ignoring the states’ applications rather than obeying the clear and unambiguous language of Article V to call a convention. 

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Although 49 States have submitted hundreds of applications, Congress has never called a convention, so the states have never been allowed to propose one single amendment.

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On the other hand, in the almost 250 years since the founding, over 11,000 amendments have been offered by Congress; only 27 have been adopted.

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In this way, Congress has kept the power to propose for itself – and it is not letting go. There is simply no incentive for Congress to relinquish its control over the people’s power to amend. 

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Those who control the amendment process control the Constitution – and Congress knows it!

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​Congress also controls the method of ratification. A properly proposed amendment requires ratification by 38 states either by their state legislatures or their state ratification conventions, as determined by Congress.

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So far, Congress has used ratification by state legislatures 26 times for the 27 amendments that were adopted. In this way, Congress has failed to honor our right of self-governance by excluding the states and the people from exercising their right to amend.

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In the United States, the power of the government has always come from the governed – The People – and it’s time we reclaimed that power and used it as intended.