Georgia Magazine - September 2013 - (Page 7)

Amending the Constitution Article V of the Constitution describes two ways amendments may be proposed to the Constitution and two ways amendments may be approved. Congress, by a two-thirds majority vote, may propose amendments, or legislatures in two-thirds of the states may call a convention to propose amendments. This has been called a “Section V convention” or an “amendment convention,” and should not be confused with a constitutional convention, such as the one that took place in 1787. An amendment convention’s powers are limited to proposing an amendment or amendments to the Constitution. To ratify an amendment to the Constitution, three-fourths of the state legislatures or conventions in three-fourths of the states must vote to approve the amendment. Article V contains language that prohibits amendments on three subjects. No amendment before 1808 could stop the importation of slaves or change how direct taxes would be apportioned among the states. (Congress stopped the slave trade in 1808, and the 16th Amendment permitted an unapportioned income tax after its ratiﬁcation in 1913.) The other area, which still cannot be amended, is a state’s representation in the U.S. Senate. Each state is guaranteed “equal suffrage” in the U.S. Senate, meaning each state is represented by two senators. The Constitution has been amended only 27 times in more than 200 years. The ﬁrst 10 amendments comprise the Bill of Rights, added in 1791; another 17 amendments have been added since. All of these, with the exception of the 21st Amendment repealing Prohibition, were proposed by Congress and ratiﬁed by the state legislatures. The 21st Amendment was approved by state ratifying conventions. —Jim Jess September 2013 STEEL MOBILE HOME ROOFING Insurance credit Expert installation Increase the value of your home Energy Star Certiﬁed Cut your electric bill Stop leaks LIFETIME WARRANTY Since 1983 roofover.com 800.633.8969 Picture this? Guess where this is and you could Win a $25 gift card! In “Picture this?” the reader whose photo of a Georgia place is published wins a $25 Target gift card—as does the person who correctly guesses what the photo is and where it was taken. The winner’s name (drawn at random from correct guesses) and the answer will appear in a future issue. If you’re ready to guess, or have a photo for us to consider, email picturethis@geor giaemc.com or mail to “Picture this,” P.O. Box 1707, Tucker, GA 30085. Submissions for consideration should be 300-dpi photos you have taken of locations that are accessible to the public and easy to identify. Please send photos and guesses separately. Guesses for the September contest must be received by Sept. 20, 2013. With all correspondence, both via email and regular mail, please include your name, address and phone number. Our winners from the July 2013 issue are Rebekah Cline, of Jonesboro, who took the photo, and Emily Dennis, of Warner Robins, who correctly guessed that it is Stately Oaks Plantation in Jonesboro, a Greek Revival antebellum home of the “Gone With the Wind” era. According to exploregeor gia.org, the 1839 planter’s home has been preserved as a historic home available for both interior and grounds tours. Emily writes, “My mother played there with her friend Emily during their childhood and high school days in the 1930s. They would have school parties in this wonderful home.” July 2013 More online at www.georgiamagazine.org 7 http://www.roofover.com http://www.roofover.com http://www.exploregeorgia.org http://www.exploregeorgia.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - September 2013

Georgia Magazine - September 2013
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Liberty Notes
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar of Events
Currents
Georgia’s Energy Outlook
From Rural Georgia to the Governor’s Mansion
Buried Treasure
Celebrating 75 Years in the Community
Lessons for Learning
Around Georgia
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - September 2013