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The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic

Mark R. Levin

4.31 · Rating details · 2,435 ratings · 198 reviews

For a century, the Statists have steadfastly constructed a federal Leviathan, distorting and evading our constitutional system in pursuit of an all-powerful, ubiquitous central government. The result is an ongoing and growing assault on individual liberty, state sovereignty, and the social compact. Levin argues that if we cherish our American heritage, it is time to embrac For a century, the Statists have steadfastly constructed a federal Leviathan, distorting and evading our constitutional system in pursuit of an all-powerful, ubiquitous central government. The result is an ongoing and growing assault on individual liberty, state sovereignty, and the social compact. Levin argues that if we cherish our American heritage, it is time to embrace a constitutional revival.

The delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and the delegates to each state’s ratification convention foresaw a time when—despite their best efforts to forestall it—the Federal government might breach the Constitution’s limits and begin oppressing the people. Agencies such as the IRS and EPA and programs such as Obamacare demonstrate that the Framers’ fear was prescient.

Therefore, the Framers provided two methods for amending the Constitution. The second was intended for our current circumstances—empowering the states to bypass Congress and call a convention for the purpose of amending the Constitution. Levin argues that we, the people, can avoid a perilous outcome by seeking recourse, using the method called for in the Constitution itself.

The Framers adopted ten constitutional amendments, called the Bill of Rights, that would preserve individual rights and state authority. Levin lays forth eleven specific prescriptions for restoring our founding principles, ones that are consistent with the Framers’ design. His proposals—such as term limits for members of Congress and Supreme Court justices and limits on federal taxing and spending—are pure common sense, ideas shared by many. They draw on the wisdom of the Founding Fathers—including James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and numerous lesser-known but crucially important men—in their content and in the method for applying them to the current state of the nation.

Now is the time for the American people to take the first step toward reclaiming what belongs to them. The task is daunting, but it is imperative if we are to be truly free. ...more

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Hardcover, 272 pages

Published August 13th 2013 by Threshold Editions (first published August 1st 2013)

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Sep 22, 2013 William C. Montgomery rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: political

This is an important book that could appeal to all Americans. This book should appeal to all Americans. But this book doesn't appeal to all Americans because it is too backward looking. Levin has written a wonderful book that will appeal to constitutional conservatives and libertarians like myself but is crucially missing any crossover appeal. That is a massive flaw.

The problem that modern Republicans have is that they think they can win every political argument by appealing to the constitut This is an important book that could appeal to all Americans. This book should appeal to all Americans. But this book doesn't appeal to all Americans because it is too backward looking. Levin has written a wonderful book that will appeal to constitutional conservatives and libertarians like myself but is crucially missing any crossover appeal. That is a massive flaw.

The problem that modern Republicans have is that they think they can win every political argument by appealing to the constitution. "Because James Madison said so," is woefully inadequate to persuade anyone educated by public school systems in the last fifty years. An ever-increasing percentage of our population dismisses the constitution as a racist document that is obsolete in the post-Civil War and post-Civil Rights world. So direct appeal to the document and its authors has little persuasive power. We need convincing contemporary arguments that appeal to modern-day voters.

This book is a missed opportunity to convince liberal, conservative and non-ideological Americans alike that restoring primary governmental powers to the states is a great thing to do. This concept should be equally appealing to a liberal state legislator serving in, for example, the Oregon House of Representatives as it does to a state legislator serving in Utah because it re-empowers both of them. And on an individual level, every voter's ballot would count more because the governmental bodies that write laws that most impact their lives are closer to them. The only people who wouldn't like this are the control freaks and busy bodies who feel a compulsion to force everyone else in the world to live a certain way.

Again, this is an important book that reminds us that the constitution contains a failsafe that allows the states to reign in the federal government. Furthermore, many of the amendments that Levin proposes would be wonderfully effective in breaking up the stranglehold that career politicians and bureaucrats have over this great nation. It is my fervent hope that the states take the initiative to restore their rightful role. Too bad Levin missed such a great opportunity to bring non-conservative minds into this movement. ...more

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Aug 26, 2013 Chuck rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

For any one interested in law, our history, and what defines our unique American style of self-rule - which was never designed to be a dictatorship of the 51% popular vote. This book does not delve into the controversial topics of today or spout un-examined talking points or partisan rally cries. It deals with the legal history of our constitution and the original intentions and debates behind the Bill of Rights and other amendments. It is not a book of whining disagreement with any one politica ...more

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Aug 10, 2013 Davet rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Concern US residents

Recommended to Davet by: Mark Levin

August 10: preview review
I heard the audio excepts today on Mark's show from the Liberty Amendments and was encouraged enough to buy a copy. I thought I would the be one of the first to indicate what I thought about the potential solution to the problem that the federal government is imposing on us. This is yet another way that the average countryman can start fighting the hundreds of unconstitutional laws and 80000 pages of regulations that are spitting out of the federal government every year. ...more

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Aug 15, 2013 Bryn Dunham rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned-books, civics-politics-philosophy

In "Liberty vs. Tyranny", Mark Levin wrote the definitive book on Conservatism. In "Ameritopia", he argued effectively how America has entered a post-constitutional era and that the never ending quest for an unattainable utopian society is not merely destructive but has been sought after by Statists since the dawn of civilization. Now, in "The Liberty Amendments", Levin once again delivers an excellent escape route to restoring America to the image envisioned by the Framers of the Constitution, ...more

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Aug 21, 2013 Bruce Snell rated it it was amazing

In this book from Mark R. Levin, the author makes the proposal that the states call for a States Convention to offer amendments to the Constitution. He begins by debunking the prevailing theory that such a convention could lead to the wholesale destruction of our Constitution as we know it today - much as the Constitutional Convention that was called to amend the Articles of Confederation resulted in the replace of those articles with the Constitution.

In the course of the book Mr. Levin suggest ...more

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Aug 20, 2013 Jim Brown rated it it was amazing

Shelves: political

Republican, Democrat, Independent. Doesn't matter. Sooner or later the opposing party will be in office and you will not like what it is doing to America. Mark Levin has identified a solution to not being able to control the people in power and this book defines the solutions currently available to American citizens by identifying 12 Amendments to the U. S. Constitution that can be achieves by State Governments. I would add a 13th and that is that all members of Congress, the White House and the ...more

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Sep 03, 2013 Brad rated it it was amazing

Shelves: conservative

Very good book. Explains his point of view clearly and explains the current problems with the Federal government. A lot of people complain about the things that are wrong, but Levin does an excellent job at laying out clear solutions to the problems that many people see with the Federal government.

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Aug 05, 2017 John rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: politics

Article V of the U.S. Constitution enables for Constitutional amendments to be proposed at special conventions called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. These amendments can then be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the state legislatures, thereby bypassing the need for input from the federal government.
In theory, this would provide Americans with a method for passing strongly supported legislation that the federal government refuses to implement (usually at the behest of special intere Article V of the U.S. Constitution enables for Constitutional amendments to be proposed at special conventions called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. These amendments can then be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the state legislatures, thereby bypassing the need for input from the federal government.
In theory, this would provide Americans with a method for passing strongly supported legislation that the federal government refuses to implement (usually at the behest of special interest groups or powerful donors). In practice, however, there is very little precedent for amending the Constitution in this manner, and to do so represents an uphill battle of the highest order.
However, that doesn't make it impossible.
THE LIBERTY AMENDMENTS is Mark Levin's attempt to generate momentum for such a convention. It's the same proposal being pushed by Senator Tom Coburn in his 2017 book SMASHING THE D.C. MONOPOLY, for which Levin provided the cover blurb. I wish both men all the luck in the world, but my pessimistic nature tells me they are grasping at straws here. I just don't see two-thirds of state legislatures standing in defiance of the federal government anytime soon. Then again, with Obamacare all set to implode as the (Republican-majority) senate stands idly by and watches impotently while it goes up in flames, perhaps there is cause for hope that someday a super-majority of states will stand up and wrest some of their power back.
But even setting all that Article V stuff aside, THE LIBERTY AMENDMENTS is a useful exploration of how American governance has gotten off track. Much of it could be categorized as "conservative talking points," so don't go in expecting anything mind-blowing. However, I thought there were a couple surprises, such as Levin's criticism of the Seventeenth Amendment for decreeing that senators should be chosen through popular election rather than by the state legislatures. At first, Levin's stance on this issue seemed almost anti-democratic, but his explanation of why America was actually better-off under the previous system ultimately made a whole lot of sense. Other of his proposed amendments, such as federal spending caps and term limits for senators, are simply no-brainers. ...more

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Sep 13, 2013 Ron Housley rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: all those fighting the good fight

The Liberty Amendments
©2012 Mark Levin
A short book report by Ron Housley

“The Liberty Amendments” wound up in my Amazon cart after I succumbed to the cable news blitz plus personal nudging from several friends.

Also, as I wrote in my book report on Levin’s prior book, “Ameritopia,” this author does have some penchant for scholarship. All of that was a sufficient hook for me.

Levin’s thesis is that the country’s lurch into statism can be reversed if we hold state conventions to amend the Constitut ...more

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Oct 04, 2018 Jill rated it liked it

This book is a good primer on many of the issues conservatives seem to value today. I’m reading this as a liberal and was surprised to find such a reasonable and balanced explanation of these topics. Personally, I find this method much more convincing and deserving of further consideration that the alarmist and blustery tactics used by those prominent in conservative media. The book was strongest using historical context, but I found the modern examples lacking. This was perhaps done by design t ...more

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Nov 10, 2019 Bruce Crown rated it did not like it

Shelves: absolute-garbage

This book is rated at 4.13?

That is ridiculous. This book is a neoconservative nightmare meant to guide the USA into a dystopian future, where we are all enslaved to the corporate structure of "laissez-faire" capitalism for the little man, but obscene socialism for the corporation.

Liberty here means both "libertarian" and a freedom only for the rich, slave-owning, white man, much like the Founding Fathers. The "libertarian" cognitive dissonance we see today by the GOP, who simultaneously advoca ...more

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Dec 15, 2014 Lance rated it really liked it

I am by no means a fan of Mark Levin, and in fact this book is the only thing written by him that I have read. While I don't agree with everything he proposed in his book, I do agree that we need to have a larger conversation about the principles upon which we will base our society. We need more voices, not less, engaging in dialogue about facts.

And Levin does a good job of laying out facts. Our government is filled with corrupt, self-serving politicians who have warped the system slowly but sur I am by no means a fan of Mark Levin, and in fact this book is the only thing written by him that I have read. While I don't agree with everything he proposed in his book, I do agree that we need to have a larger conversation about the principles upon which we will base our society. We need more voices, not less, engaging in dialogue about facts.

And Levin does a good job of laying out facts. Our government is filled with corrupt, self-serving politicians who have warped the system slowly but surely to their advantage. Levin proposes several constitutional amendments designed to turn the system back towards its original intent: operation within restrained limits so that the liberty of the people is preserved.

I like a number of ideas Levin proposes, though I disagree on a number of points. Perhaps the biggest disagreement I have is with the whole approach of fixing the system through constitutional amendments. That approach assumes that the government or whoever is in power respects the rule of law. That approach won't work with those who think that their agenda and its need of implementation supersede the rule of law. If those in power will do what they want to do anyway, then adjusting the supreme law of the land which they don't respect won't suddenly solve the crisis. You can pass all the constitutional amendments you want to preserve private property rights, for example, but if a government which cares not for the law still wants to take your land, guess what happens.

Now, if those in government will actually submit to the law, then amending the Constitution can offer some promise. The bigger problem, though, is not a broken system but rather a broken people. The system is working much as the Founders designed it to work. Those who are elected to represent the people are by and large representative of the people who elected them. So if our government officials are corrupt, it is because we as a society are corrupt. If our government officials are immoral, it is because we as a society are immoral. If our government officials are unethical, it is because we as a society are unethical.

Clearly every barrel will have one or two bad apples. And those outliers don't define the distribution. But when we see such abuses of power as we have witnessed on every level of government by those who think it's okay to trample on the Constitution because the people just don't know what's best for them, we see a reflection of what happens on a smaller scale in the lives of individuals --- people who cheat their employers or cheat on their spouses, people who lie because it appears to give them advantage, people who drive with no respect or consideration for others on the road, people who step over others in order to get ahead in their careers or to get that hot deal on Black Friday. The people we complain about in government simply reflect who we are as a larger society.

The fix is to back to the home and reinforce family values. One such value is respect. We don't have to agree with everyone in order to live peaceably with them. But to live in peace we need to respect our neighbors. That value is best learned as children by observing parents practice that value and then practicing it ourselves later as adults. So it is with every other virtuous value promoted in home and family.

That fix is for the long-term. Political solutions play better to the short-term, and Levin puts his chips on that number. Where some systemic changes are proposed, I don't think Levin goes far enough. For example, he suggests giving power to the states to nullify acts of Congress. The Founders were right to restrict the power of the federal government through a system of checks and balances among three branches. What I think they missed was the fourth branch of government. They thought it was the media, who would keep corruption in check through public criticism. But the state legislatures themselves can play the role of restraining the federal government much better. They should be able to nullify acts of Congress, but they should also be able to overturn Supreme Court rulings and impeach members of the executive branch. The people, as represented by their state legislatures, should be able to constrain the government. Instead what we have seen is government which imposes itself in every aspect of the lives of the people, constraining their liberty. It's all upside down.

Levin and I are agreed on one point. We need to engage a dialogue about that next best step, and that dialogue is best held in a convention of states, which has the constitutional authority to institute the type of changes that Levin proposes in his book. Though the powers that be may not all respect the supreme law of the land, that doesn't mean that we the people should also cast it aside. We need to do what lies within our legal power to seek after liberty.

I don't agree with all of Levin's points, and I have questions about his approach, but I do recommend his book, if for no other reason than to provide a basis upon which to start a conversation about the society and the legacy that we want to pass on to future generations.
...more

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Sep 27, 2013 Myron Alexander rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Mark Levin provides an excellent platform for laying out a plan to save the USA. The USA is currently on course to become a has-been country which is very bad for the entire world. The world has depended on it to provide political stability which allows for economic and technological growth. Love it or hate it, this is the reality. Without the USA as it was, before the stateists ruined it, the world will begin to recede into a new dark age. It is already happening. We need the USA to return to i ...more

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Nov 22, 2013 Dale rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Published by Simon and Schuster Audio in August of 2013.
Narrated by Jason Culp. Opening and closing chapters read by Mark R. Levin.
Duration: 6 hours, 54 minutes.

For the past several years Conservative commentator Mark R. Levin has been laying out his arguments that demonstrate the government is over-reaching its Constitutional limitations in a series of books. He has discussed the Supreme Court in Men in Black , the roots of statist politics in Liberty and Tyranny and pointed out the ongo ...more

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Aug 28, 2013 Paul rated it it was amazing

The systematic centralization of governmental power and violation of the Constitution has been happening since FDR and Mark Levin blows it all out into the open with The Liberty Amendments. This isn't a 'soap box' book. This is well thought out with direct references to support his views. The Constitution isn't broken. It has just been twisted and allowed to be corrupted by the very people who will do anything to maintain their power over the states and individuals.

Mark Levin makes a compelling ...more

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Aug 23, 2013 Beccihall rated it it was amazing

We all know greatness when we see it, and Mr. Levin's "Liberty Admendments" sets a new standard. He has done an exceptional job supporting his views, and the Amendments, with historical and modern-day facts. He, wisely, omits the "social issues" of our time because America's troubles are systemic. As such, I didn't have to block out any agenda-driven noise; I got to read a smart, respectful and fresh depiction of an approach to solving our 21st century tyranny problem.

ALERT! Give this book an HO ...more

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Sep 18, 2013 Paul Kurtz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, political

I agreed with Levin's point of view and thought the amendments he proposed were excellent. However, I think there is a fundamental flaw in the book. I see no way that there will be enough state legislatures willing to petition congress for a constitutional convention to amend the constitution. Politicians use local and state offices as stepping stones to higher offices. They are just as corrupt as the U.S. congressmen and senators who Levin says will be unwilling to amend the constitution becaus ...more

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Oct 18, 2013 Lynette rated it it was amazing

This was one of the most provocative books I had read in a long time. I only thought I understood the constitution and how "we the people" are really not getting a deal from our three houses of government. The congress, senate, president and supreme court all need an overall. It takes we the people to get out and vote and demand what the founders of the this great nation intended.

My family have fought, bled and died for the United States of America, before it was the United States of America. I ...more

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Dec 19, 2013 Shane rated it really liked it

Shelves: economic-liberty

For the last couple years I have said to anyone who would listen; "the best way to fix our government is to repeal the 17th Amendment". It is nice to see that someone else agrees with me at least in part. Levin's "Liberty Amendments" is not so artfully crafted as "Liberty and Tyranny" but it never was meant to be. It is well thought out and very carefully researched and seems best served to start a conversation.

In the epilogue Levin states "Rational debate stimulates improvement by tapping into ...more

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Feb 09, 2015 Fredrick Danysh rated it liked it

Shelves: political, advance-read

The author purposes eleven amendments to the US Constitution which he feels would return America to being a Republic. These amendments cover taxes to term limits to nullifying federal laws and actions. He does not really address thee Bill of Rights which include the Ninth and Tenth Amendments which clearly define limits of federal authority. The book does make for a thoughtful read, especially in an era with Congress abdicating power to the president, a Supreme Court that legislates from the ben ...more

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Sep 05, 2013 Marialyce rated it really liked it

Shelves: sept-2013

Excellent book on how to get our country back to the way our founding fathers wanted it to be. It is engrossing, although t times a bit hard to read and understand especially if you are not well versed in the Constitution and the law.

Hopefully, many will read it and see how far afield we have come to what the law of our land was established for. For those that want our country back, this is a must read.

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Dec 09, 2013 David Robins rated it liked it

It is, at least, a fairly _good_ rearrangement of the deck chairs, although fails to realize that the progressisivism target is merely a symptom, and that slavery is not to be "fixed" but abolished. It's also funny to see him calling out others as statist; rather a pot-kettle-black to a voluntaryist. As an incremental improvement, it would work, but liberty will not be voted in; it never has been. ...more

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Mar 24, 2018 Sylvester rated it it was amazing

Shelves: philosophy, politics, history

Mark Levin demonstrated his knowledge of American history in The Liberty Amendments. He proposed a few new amendments to strength the constitution such as introducing term limits for senators, supreme court justices; more efficient budget to curb debt ceiling, restoring the rights to the people from tyrants.

A very insightful and well annotated book, though I think it would make most progressives fall asleep as big words are lost on them.

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Sep 12, 2013 David Vanness rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-have

High School & College students should have it required reading. An analysis of the validity of Levin's reasoning for extra credit would be nice. My introductive required reading was a world history volumn of six or eight hundred pages that was quite old. Needless to say I enjoyed it. ...more

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Jul 25, 2013 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

This man needs to run for public office. Preferably the Senate. Or Presidency. Great, great read.

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Aug 29, 2018 Lily Brown rated it really liked it

I recently read the book The Liberty Amendments by Mark Levin. The Liberty Amendments describes a set of amendments Levin proposes be added to Constitution of the United States of America. Most of the amendments he proposes cover issues like states’ rights, personal liberty, and reduction of the federal government. Levin is biased like every author, but carefully researches material that is accurate and presents in a way that lets the reader decide if the amendment is valid. Even with the recogn I recently read the book The Liberty Amendments by Mark Levin. The Liberty Amendments describes a set of amendments Levin proposes be added to Constitution of the United States of America. Most of the amendments he proposes cover issues like states’ rights, personal liberty, and reduction of the federal government. Levin is biased like every author, but carefully researches material that is accurate and presents in a way that lets the reader decide if the amendment is valid. Even with the recognition of his bias, Levin lacks in his crossover thinking and validation of the modern governmental climate. I began reading this book with a different mindset than I came out with, and Levin’s sources and uncovering of research not always widely known helped me come to conclusions that I hadn’t thought of before.
This book is steeped in ideas of returning government power to the states and the local legislator. Levin depends heavily on the original writings in the Constitution and the ideas that dominated the making of the original document. This includes states’ rights, predominantly. The original colonies were fearful of large government because of their historical conflict with England. Without just representation in the body that governed them, the Framers created a constitution that allowed for the most transparent and limited government, one that never again would take advantage of those who occupied the nation. Levin proposes a return to this mindset, as he evaluated that American today is the opposite of what was first established.
With these ideas driving the book, Levin caters his amendments to a specific audience: the “Silent Majority” and the quieted voter. Levin writes to appeal to the average American who feels their voice isn’t being heard and their government is controlling them, rather than the other way around. This American is one who desires their government be handed back to them and their vote to actually count. This American wants the issues in their backyard resolved and cares less about issues thousands of miles away. This American wishes to cut the politics out of Washington and return to the political service of politicians.
What this book lacks is an evaluation of the other side of the coin, and the viewpoint of the other half. While Levin addresses the possible negatives of the proposed amendments, he lacks in his truthful and honest assessment of what the other side of the ticket may think. His amendments offer little compromise, which would make it nearly impossible to be accepted by the entirety of Americans. Levin proposes changes to the Constitution that are radical, in frank words, and they offer little flexibility. All in all, his amendments lack practicality and thoroughness for the realistic American social and political climate.
In conclusion, Levin offers an informative, well researched, politically acute proposition of amendments that appeal to a largely conservative audience. This mindfulness is effective, yet it misses an opportunity to be realistic in showing how a limited government might help your country better itself. With this lacking, the book still presents eye opening solutions to problems that are widespread and concern many Americans. Levin is concise and well written, with a vision of both sides of an argument, but a lacking of realistic carrying out.
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Jul 11, 2014 Joseph Bredesen rated it liked it

With regards to the balanced budget amendment (BBA) in the book I think that a rigid BBA is bad meaning that government can't run debts, because during times of recession and depression it is natural that government would have to spend more in order to meet the needs of its citizens, so I would have one that allows for debts to increase to say let's say 30% of GDP. How I came to that number? The debt to GDP ratio during the great depression increased 27%, and I just rounded up to 30%. It's a rou ...more

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Feb 16, 2016 Miles Fowler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

1CThe Liberty Amendments 1D is first and foremost a highly thoughtful working through of proposed amendments to the United States Constitution by talk-show host and former government attorney Mark Levin. It is also an exploration of what has gone wrong in the development of federal power over the past two centuries and of a little-known remedy built into the Constitution itself. But more about that later.

Most of the book is devoted to ten amendments that Levin has written himself, but which wo 1CThe Liberty Amendments 1D is first and foremost a highly thoughtful working through of proposed amendments to the United States Constitution by talk-show host and former government attorney Mark Levin. It is also an exploration of what has gone wrong in the development of federal power over the past two centuries and of a little-known remedy built into the Constitution itself. But more about that later.

Most of the book is devoted to ten amendments that Levin has written himself, but which would not likely be proposed or approved by a sitting Congress because these amendments tend to limit federal power and, in several cases, directly counter the authority of the Congress and other branches of the federal government by granting power to the state governments to check the federal government. These amendments are well thought out in that they do not give states cart blanch to go back and change laws written years before. So that while these measures allow the states, through their legislatures, to undo acts of Congress and even decisions of the Supreme Court (they also allow Congress to undo High Court decisions) these countermeasures would have to be launched within a specified number of months after the legislation or decision and would require super-majority votes of either two-thirds or three-fourths. Levin 19s amendments would not make it possible to exercise these checks of federal power frivolously, but if there were enough widespread opposition to any federal measure or decision, it could be neutered fairly quickly.

These amendments would rebalance the power exercised in U.S. civic life, taking supreme powers previously enjoyed by the branches of the federal government and putting them under the power of the states where they could be overruled whenever they prove to be sufficiently unpopular. In some cases, Levin 19s proposed amendments are a reaction to the undermining of intent of the original U.S. Constitution, which has crept toward ever more federal control over state sovereignty over the centuries and especially during the past century.

Where the intended purposes of government and relations between the state and federal governments have been changed over time in ways that Levin deems impossible to return to their original condition, he has opted to limit federal power in ways that only indirectly address the imbalance. For example, the power of the judiciary under the Constitution, which allowed it to review laws, has been used from early on to give the Supreme Court wider and wider powers of interpretation to the point where 1Cjudicial review 1D implies an almost unlimited authority to rewrite laws and expand and even radically alter the meanings of constitutional provisions to the point where their Framers would find them unrecognizable. Levin despairs that the philosophy behind such abuses is too entrenched to defeat it by reiterating the proper understanding of the Constitution 19s original intent or by reforming the curriculum of our law schools. He therefore attacks the problem by proposing term limits for the Court. This kind of indirect approach, evident in some of his proposals, reminds me of the song about the old lady who swallowed the spider to catch the fly. One problem is deemed insoluble by attacking it directly; so, instead, another measure will be introduced in order to counteract the problem. However, this is not said as a fatal criticism of his proposal, because he is probably right that this would be a more effective way of combating an error than would be a lengthy review of every past Court decision in order to overturn those that misinterpreted the letter of the law or misapplied precedents that were already contradictory to the law. Term limits would solve the problem with much less mess, even though, as Levin recognizes, it would work only if more judicious men and women were appointed to take the places of the retiring justices.

What is exciting about the best of these amendments is that they create specific legal steps by which the states, usually through their legislatures, can check and counter acts by the federal government. They provide exactly the measures that the Anti-Federalist delegates to the state ratifying conventions in 1788 rightly pointed out were missing from the Constitution, and which they asked for, but never got, from the original Constitution and its Federalist advocates: lawful measures that would allow states to stand up to the 1Cgeneral 1D or federal government. Even Hamilton and Madison, in the 1CFederalist Papers, 1D both appealed to armed insurrection as the most specifiable resort to which the states could turn under the Constitution, if they did not like what the federal government was doing to them!

The idea that set Levin to thinking about new amendments that might be proposed even though the Congress itself would never approve them, is that of the 1Cconvention of states, 1D which is mentioned in Article V of the U.S. Constitution as one of two ways that the document might be amended. It actually does what most of Levin 19s amendments do: allows the state legislatures to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution whether Congress likes them or not. Throughout U.S. history, the only amendments that have been successfully added to the Constitution have been proposed by Congress and passed by a supermajority of both houses, then ratified by three-fourths of the states. There have been several times when the other method allowed by Article V, the Convention of the States, has been attempted but it has not come to pass. This process is described approvingly in 1CThe Federalist Papers 1D by both James Madison (Paper #43) and Alexander Hamilton (Paper #85). Advocates of this approach have included President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Senator Everett Dirksen, and Levin cites Professor Robert G. Natelson as a leading advocate whose published legal writings led Levin himself from skepticism to enthusiasm.

Levin deals with objections that the Convention of the States might become a runaway Constitutional Convention that would rewrite the Constitution entirely. This notion is quite a popular objection, but it requires a degree of paranoia bred of ignorance of the fact that the language of Article V makes the Convention of the States a process hemmed in by a narrow legal mandate to write amendments only and to submit them for ratification to the other states, requiring three fourths of them to vote for any new amendments just as is the case under the method where Congress submits new amendments to the states.

It is interesting to note that in one of his amendments, Levin suggests that the process of the Convention of the States itself be changed so that there would not need to be a national convention of the states. Under Levin 19s proposal, each state could meet separately and propose amendments. The only problem with this, for which Levin specifies a solution, is that each state, without the consultation of the other states, would be likely to come up with completely different and incompatible amendments; so Levin includes a provision that each amendment voted upon by all of the states must be worded exactly the same in order to become an amendment to the Constitution.

When I first heard Levin talk about his idea, I thought was brilliant. Having read his book now, I find that 1Cbrilliant 1D is not strong enough a word. It seems to me that Levin 19s proposed amendments are what James Madison might have come up with had he had the benefit of looking back on two and a quarter centuries of American constitutional history. If not Madison, then certainly Thomas Jefferson would have approved. ...more

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Nov 30, 2020 Brent Soderstrum rated it liked it

I was a tad disappointed in this book. I am a big Mark Levin fan. I listen to his podcast and watch him when he is on FOX. I like, and agree, with his proposed amendments to the Constitution. The presentation of his ideas is a little dry, however.

Levin states that there are 10 amendments that need to be added to the Constitution. He states that the amendments should go through the states, instead of the federal government as the previous amendments have. Amendments include term limits for Congre ...more

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Nov 02, 2018 Michael Carrier rated it liked it · review of another edition

RPL Audio

While he does make a good case for amending the Constitution for the betterment of the country and to adjust to the 21st Century, he constant implying that members of the government as been working in secret for over 100 years to give us what we have today. He also shows a basis to the right of the political spectrum (tea bagger) through constant pounding of the evils of last two Democratic presidents. While I agree that something needs to be done and amendments to the Constitution coul ...more

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About Mark R. Levin

Mark R. Levin

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Mark Levin has become one of the hottest properties in Talk radio, his top-rated show on WABC New York is now syndicated nationally by Cumulus Media. He is also one of the top new authors in the conservative political arena. Mark's radio show on WABC in New York City skyrocketed to Number 1 on the AM dial in his first 18 months on the air in the competitive 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM time slot. Mark's book Mark Levin has become one of the hottest properties in Talk radio, his top-rated show on WABC New York is now syndicated nationally by Cumulus Media. He is also one of the top new authors in the conservative political arena. Mark's radio show on WABC in New York City skyrocketed to Number 1 on the AM dial in his first 18 months on the air in the competitive 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM time slot. Mark's book Men in Black was released February 7, 2005 and quickly climbed to Number 3 in the nation on the New York Times Best-Seller list. When your book is endorsed by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, you know you have a winner on your hands. In a short period of time, Mark has become one of the most listened to local radio Talk show hosts in the nation.

Mark Levin took over the WABC 6:00 PM slot on September 2, 2003. Before that, he hosted a popular Sunday afternoon program. "He's smart, witty, and fast on the draw," according to WABC Program Director Phil Boyce. "He has this sharp sarcastic wit that can easily stun his opponents. I know I would not want to debate him." Mark's show follows the ever popular Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity on WABC, but everyday he manages to come up with a new twist on the day's top news events, as well as his own unique information. His passion and intellect have made him a favorite of tens of thousands of radio listeners in the New York City area.

Mark has been a frequent guest and substitute host on The Sean Hannity Show, and has also been an advisor to Limbaugh, who frequently refers to him on the air with the nickname "F. Lee Levin." He is perhaps more well-known for his nickname, "The Great One," coined by his friend Hannity.

Mark Levin is one of America's preeminent conservative commentators and constitutional lawyers. He's in great demand as a political and legal commentator, and has appeared on hundreds of television and radio programs. Levin is also a contributing editor for National Review Online, and writes frequently for other publications. Levin has served as a top advisor to several members of President Ronald Reagan's Cabinet - including as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General of the United States. In 2001, the American Conservative Union named Levin the recipient of the prestigious Ronald Reagan Award. He currently practices law in the private sector, heading up the prestigious Landmark Legal Foundation in Washington DC.

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“It is folly to believe that Congress and the president, on their own, will make the necessary and difficult decisions to address the impending financial debacle. After all, they and their predecessors engineered the approaching tsunami. As the situation becomes direr, the federal government's actions will grow more oppressive.” — 27 likes

“And it makes you wonder—how can a people incapable of selecting their own lightbulbs and toilets possess enough competence to vote for their own rulers and fill out complicated tax returns?” — 25 likes

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