What's needed is renovation

Renovation is precisely what is needed in our country whose national debt, open borders and as we've seen in recent weeks our university and public education system are in dire need of repair, even renovation. Failing to renovate an old house puts the owner at risk of broken electrical wires and water pipes, even collapsing roofs and walls. Failing to renovate a government in need of more than a paint job to cover up its many flaws can lead to dysfunction (what we have now) and ultimate collapse, which will be our future if we don't act soon.

Democrats are incapable of renovation because they have helped contribute to the problems. Republicans, who can't function as a party as shown by their deplorable behavior in failing to name a Speaker of the House, also lack the will to make necessary repairs.

The unsustainable$33 trillion debt continues to grow. As noted by Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget: "We are a nation addicted to debt. The deficit totaled $1.7 trillion in Fiscal Year 2023, but we actually borrowed $2 trillion when you fix the accounting around President Biden's reversed student debt cancellation plan. That means borrowing doubled from last year. With the economy growing and unemployment near record lows, this was the time to instill fiscal responsibility and reduce our deficits."

We will borrow even more and pay more interest if money to Ukraine and Israel gets through Congress.

The Biden administration refuses to admit the southern border needs repair. Is there a connection between the massive number of migrants entering the country and what we've witnessed in recent weeks in the streets of major cities and on university campuses with demonstrators calling for the eradication of Israel and even some extremists who take the side of Hamas and favor killing Jews? Clearly our education – no, indoctrination – system needs a complete overhaul. How do these young people come to believe such things unless they are taught?

It would appear there is only one way to fix this and that is the movement called The Convention of States (COS), a constitutional convention established by "we the people" to put government back inside the boundaries established by our Founders. As stated on the COS website: "Under Article V of the United States Constitution," a COS would be "restricted to proposing amendments that will impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit its power and jurisdiction, and impose term limits on its officials and members of Congress."

What once seemed like a pipe dream is getting ever closer to the possible. For such a convention to take place (and the Founders foresaw it might be necessary should the government get out of control), 34 states must approve a resolution after which a convention would be called. So far, 19 states have passed a resolution with seven others having passed it in one of their legislative chambers and 26 other states set to consider a resolution by the end of the year.

Politicians won't renovate anything. It is the people who grant power to the government, but government has misused those powers in ways that benefit the politicians, not those they are supposed to represent. It's time to renovate the government, public schools and universities. If that means starting over, so be it. We can't go on like this. If we do, disaster awaits because the history of nations that ignore the house equivalent of a cracked foundation or leaky roof are doomed to self-destruction.

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Cal Thomas, America's most-syndicated columnist, is the author of 10 books.