It is time for states to take back their rights from an ever-encroaching federal government, says Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The Dallas News was on the scene as Abbott called for states to stand up to the feds.

“If we are going to fight for, protect and hand on to the next generation, the freedom that [President] Reagan spoke of … then we have to take the lead to restore the rule of law in America,” Abbott said during a speech at the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Policy Orientation that drew raucous applause from the conservative audience.

Along with the speech, Abbott released a nearly 70-page plan – part American civics lesson, part anti-Obama diatribe – detailing nine proposed constitutional amendments that he said would unravel the federal government’s decades-long power grab and restore authority over economic regulation and other matters to the states.

Abbott said that threats to American freedom don't come just from foreign enemies, but also from "our very own leaders":

The proposal for a constitutional convention, which has been gaining traction among some among conservative Republicans, comes just as the GOP presidential candidates begin to make forays into Texas ahead of the March primary election. The state, with 155 delegates up for grabs, will certainly be a key player in the party’s nominating process.

Abbott hasn’t endorsed a candidate, though the field includes Sen. Ted Cruz, who was one of Abbott’s top employees when the governor was attorney general. Abbott is likely hoping to boost his national profile within the GOP as eyes turn to the state.  

The idea of a Constitutional convention has been gaining popularity in recent years, especially after the publishing of Mark Levin's book The Liberty Amendments, a book that specifically called for such a move. If 34 states signed onto the idea of holding another Constitutional convention, then one would have to be called.