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What if the fastest path to a balanced budget isn’t a new amendment at all, but simply enforcing the one we already have? We sit down with constitutional lawyer Joe Wolverton to dismantle the popular case for a new constitutional convention and to map out a realistic, lawful way to rein in Washington’s spending. Joe traces his journey from a military family to constitutional scholarship and lays out a plain reading of the Constitution: enumerated powers are few, and everything else belongs to the states and the people. If federal actors stayed within those limits, the budget would contract dramatically—no new text required.

We go deep on the balanced budget amendment pitch and why it misunderstands incentives. If leaders ignore the document they swore to support, adding another line won’t cultivate virtue or restraint. Using a clear contract analogy, Joe explains the founders’ design: the states are the principals, the federal government is the agent, and acts beyond enumerated powers are void in principle and should be refused in practice. That refusal is not rebellion; it is the remedy in Federalist 46, where states decline to cooperate with unconstitutional programs, starving them of the local machinery they need to function.

You’ll hear sharp examples of federal overreach—sprawling agencies, expansive taxation, and costly global commitments—with a sober reminder that even well-intended amendments can backfire. The cautionary lessons of the 16th and 17th Amendments loom large, and the risk of a runaway convention is real once the door is opened. Instead of rolling the dice on a rewrite, we make the case for an attainable plan: educate state legislators on their oath, assert reserved powers, and reestablish constitutional boundaries. That’s how to make America states again—and how to restore fiscal sanity without gambling the founding charter.

If this conversation challenged your assumptions or gave you a new playbook, follow the show, share it with a friend who cares about constitutional limits, and leave a review with the one action you’ll take in your state.

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What if the real dinosaur debate isn’t about bones, but about the story we use to read them? We take you from ancient dragon legends and striking biblical descriptions to modern fossil labs that report soft tissue in dinosaur remains, then ask why two smart people can study the same evidence and land on timelines that are worlds apart. Rather than dodging the hard questions, we walk straight into them: Could Noah have housed dinosaur kinds on the Ark? Why do so many cultures remember great reptiles? And how do post-flood changes—shorter lifespans, harsher climates, and rising fear between man and beast—explain rapid extinctions?

Along the way, we contrast two starting points. One begins with deep time and unguided processes; the other trusts the authority of Scripture, a recent creation, and a global flood. Those foundations don’t just sort fossils; they shape ethics, purpose, and hope. If suffering and death ruled for ages before humanity, the biblical arc from Eden to the cross wobbles. But if death enters through Adam and the fossil record reflects catastrophe and judgment, then the atonement of Jesus Christ stands at the center of history, with the promise of a restored creation where death and predation end.

We keep the tone warm and thoughtful as we unpack Leviathan and Behemoth, the meaning of “kinds,” and why average dinosaur size matters for Ark logistics. We press into how worldview forms conclusions, encourage honest inquiry, and invite you to consider whether Scripture should frame consensus—or the other way around. Listen to be challenged, to think deeply about origins and meaning, and to strengthen a biblical worldview that makes sense of evidence and life. If this conversation stirred you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can join the journey.

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Want to change Washington by rewriting the rules? Not so fast. We sit down with constitutional lawyer Joe Wolverton to pull back the curtain on the modern push for an Article V constitutional convention—and why the promise of a “limited” convention is a myth with stakes too high to ignore. Joe walks us through the lean language of Article V, showing how it lacks guidance on delegate selection, voting rules, convention scope, and enforcement. That vacuum invites capture by big money and national organizations eager to shape the charter itself, putting core rights—from life to the Second Amendment—at real risk.

We go beyond procedure to the heart issue: paper doesn’t turn oath-breakers into oath-keepers. If leaders already ignore their oaths, extra lines in the Constitution won’t restore fidelity. The better path is the older path—virtue in candidates, informed citizens who know the Bill of Rights, and states that use the Tenth Amendment to enforce limits. Joe lays out concrete examples of state-level resistance working right now, from gun policy to raw milk and marijuana, proving federalism still has teeth when locals engage.

The conversation closes with a clear action step: build influence where it counts. Your state legislators know your name, answer your calls, and vote on measures that either open or block a convention. Use streamlined tools to email committees, attend hearings, and make your voice matter. And stay tuned—next week we tackle the two biggest selling points for a convention, the balanced budget amendment and term limits, and why enforcement often beats rewriting. If you value constitutional government grounded in real-world accountability, subscribe, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review telling us how you’ll engage your statehouse this month.

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https://www.jacksonfamilyministry.com

https://bobslone.com/home/podcast-production/