Friends Of the Article V Convention

Yes, it is very frustrating. It is only one of many ways revealing how arrogant and irresponsible our politicians have become. Congress thinks only they are allowed to make admendments, and are ignoring 567 requests by ALL 50 state legislatures to make amendments.  That is a violation of the Constitution and the Supreme Court that also chose to ignore the states' constitutional right clearly stated in Article V of the Constitution.  That's why I believe we need to build a list (i.e. an Article V Grade Card) of politicians that either support or oppose the citizens' constitutional right to an Article V Convention.  Then, come election 2008, we'll know exactly who to stop re-electing.  Congress will continue to ignore the Constitution as long as we repeatedly reward them for it; letting them enjoy a cu$hy 90% to 95% re-election rate since 1996. One thing is for certain.  Federal and State politicians will NEVER take the citizens of the nation seriously as long as the citizens (200 million eligible voters) repeatedly reward politicians by repeatedly re-electing them and blindly pulling the party lever; empowering the two-party duopoly's stranglehold. 
Especially those that oppose our constitutional right to an Article V Convention.
By the way, many of the states' legislatures have requested tax reforms (among a number of different reforms), but Congress ignores them.  Congress ignores anything that may even remotely reduce their power, opportunities for self-gain (e.g. campaign finance reform), or the security of their cu$hy, coveted incumbencies. They have stacked the deck, making it very difficult to unseat; giving enormous advantages to the incumbent, and raising many barriers to challengers; even blocking access to the ballots for many third party and independents.

By the way, my Congress persons (Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Sen. John Cornyn, and Rep. Micheal Burgess) still have not responded to the letter above. It would be interesting to know what they think when people all over start asking them why they are ignoring our Constitutional right; clearly spelled out in Article V ?

Property taxes are too high, and getting higher in many places.
My property tax on my modest middle-class home is $310 per month.
That's more than the monthly electricity bill, which has doubled (14.7 cents per KWH) in the past two years.

Your story about the "Pariso Glove Factory" is a story that is playing out all across the nation for decades.  The corpocrisy and corporatism is yet another manifestation of unchecked greed.  It's not a global village. It's global pillage.  Some corporations are essentially given tax breaks for moving out of the country.  And then there's war profiteering . . . much of which is non-competitive (i.e. no bid) cost+plus contracts by corporations. It's hard not to see it as a corporatized war.  Since Halliburton's old CEO, buckshot Cheney got into office, Halliburton has received a 600% increase in government contracts (including $10 billion in Pentagon contracts).  In return, Halliburton has delivered gas-price gouging, contaminated food & water to our troops, a consistent pattern of over-charging, hiring 3rd world laborers and Iraqis, and (according to the Hightower report) paying them as little as $5 per day while billing the government (us taxpayers) $55 per day.  Meanwhile, Halliburton's 2006 profits were $2,348,000,000.00  (an increase of 368%).  Also, federal investigators found $10 billion in waste and overcharges by various contractors, and Halliburton was responsible for $2.7 billion of those over-charges.

Corpocrisy and corporatism is rampant and just another manifestation of unchecked greed.  They are selling us out, and we're selling ourselves out by repeatedly rewarding their puppets (i.e. politicians) by repeatedly re-electing them.

smokytown.typepad.com/smokytown/2000/05/index.html

A little piece of the history of Starke County, Indiana.