'The Liberty Amendments' by Mark Levin Premieres at No. 1 on Amazon

In the book, Levin, who served as chief of staff in the Justice Department during the Reagan Administration, argues that the states should take advantage of the power given to them in Article V of the Constitution to call a convention of the states to propose amendments to the Constitution.

P>WASHINGTON, DC (CNSNews.com) - Nationally syndicated radio host Mark Levin's new book--The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic-- skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Amazon.com bestseller list for books today, the first day it was available for sale.

In the book, Levin, who served as chief of staff in the Justice Department during the Reagan Administration, argues that the states should take advantage of the power given to them in Article V of the Constitution to call a convention of the states to propose amendments to the Constitution.

The specific amendments Levin would like to see such a convention propose are all designed to push the federal government back within the limits of power the Founding Fathers envisioned for it when they originally drafted the Constitution.

"It is the only way out," Levin said in an interview on CNSNews.com's Online With Terry Jeffrey. "The federal government, Congress, the Supreme Court, the president, the bureaucracy, they are not going to reform themselves, they are not going to limit their activities. Only we can--through our state representatives from the bottom up."

Under Article V, Levin points out, there are two ways to propose a constitutional amendment: Two-thirds of both houses of Congress can vote to propose an amendment, or two-thirds of the states and can call for a convention of the states, which can propose amendments. In either case, a proposed amendment will not become part of the Constitution unless it is ratified by three-quarters of the states.

Some of the constitutional amendments Levin would like to see include:

--Imposing a 12-year limit on serving in Congress.

--Returning the election of U.S. senators to state legislatures.

--Requiring Congress to balance the budget and limiting federal spending to 17.5 percent of GDP.

-Limiting federal taxation to 15 percent of an individual's or a corporation's earnings.

--Empowering a special congressional committee to veto regulations issued by federal bureaucracies.

--Prohibiting Congress from compelling anyone to participate in commerce (such as forcing them to buy health insurance).

--Requiring Congress to publish the final text of any proposed legislation at least 30 days before holding a final vote on it.

--Requiring individuals to present a state-issued photo ID that establishes their identity and citizenship before they are allowed to register or vote.

--Putting tax day and election day back to back.

"It's time to turn to the Constitution, to save the Constitution, if you love the Constitution, before there is no Constitution," Levin told CNSNews.com.

To read the full transcript of Levin's interview about The Liberty Amendments with CNSNews.com click here.

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