State Department spokesman Mark Toner’s recent gaff at a press conference highlights what many Americans already believe about their federal government: transparency is a joke.
Toner broke out in laughter for several seconds after calling the press conference an “exercise in transparency and democracy.”
"Is that what this is?" Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee responded, voicing the opinion of the American people. "I thought it was an exercise in spin and obfuscation."
Toner’s actions provide yet another example of the attitude our federal officials take towards the people they “serve.” According to them, We the People are not the “source of all authority,” as Thomas Jefferson said. The people are to be handled, controlled, and manipulated.
If this is the attitude in D.C., why do we expect the next batch of D.C. politicians to make the changes our country so desperately needs? We don’t need more government action. We need more action from the people and the states, and a Convention of States is the way to do it.
An Article V Convention of States empowers the states and the people to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. These amendments can flip the balance of power away from the federal government, reminding them who they work for (We the People) and returning decision-making authority back to the states.
