Dear editor:

Several organizations in Wyoming rank state legislators as to their respective conservative credentials, based on how each voted on a small number of bills during the session. These organizations include, for example, the John Birch Society and WyoRINO. One of the types of bills in which legislators are scrutinized has typically been on the Convention of States (COS) resolution. Those who oppose the Convention of States resolution are graded as conservatives, while those who support it are graded as liberal and unreliable.

This is shockingly unfair. Anyone who has studied COS knows that liberals as a group virulently oppose it. Conservatives around the state and nation are about evenly divided as to its merits. Supporters include many high profile and respected Republicans both inside and outside the Trump administration.

Its opponents have even gone so far as to label such a convention “unconstitutional." This is a ludicrous charge, since Article V is in the United States Constitution. Article V lays out the two methods of proposing amendments to the Constitution thus: “The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, OR on the application of the legislators of two-thirds of the several states, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments. “

Each citizen should carefully read the whole of Article V himself or herself. Our nation is on the brink of collapse through cronyism in Congress, the staggering national debt and federal overreach. Since Congress will not do its job, it is time to invoke the second method delineated in Article V. Convention of States website (conventionofstates.org) explains the process, safeguards and answers, doubts and questions. Please consider looking at it.

Stephen E. Mainini, M.D.

Cody