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Is It Time for a Balanced Budget Amendment?

Is it Time for a Balanced Budget Amendment

  • Yes

    Votes: 14 60.9%
  • No

    Votes: 8 34.8%
  • Other

    Votes: 1 4.3%

  • Total voters
    23
  • Poll closed .
So you want direct democracy?

Not in the least. What I want is a cast-in-stone system where the elected officials are little to nothing more than administrators of the existing laws and society.
 
We havent had a poll on this in a while, so I thought I would bring it up again. Given the skyrocketing spending and debt, out of control social spending, and the inability of congress to deal with it, would you support an amendment to the constitution to the effect of requiring the govt to not spend more than it has in the treasury, except in the case of a congress declared national emergency? The exact language doesnt matter. Just the idea, for the purposed of this poll.

I think this would be a very radical change. Most state and local governments already operate this way. We the people seem to be less outraged at irresponsible behavior coming from our state and local governments. I certainly think this should be pursued but we need about 10-20 years to prepare for this. I would be ok for a balanced budget amendment that took effect at a later date into the future. I really think the political capital exists to make something like this happen. Almost all states already practice this so getting them to approve a change like this to the constitution would be a snap. I don't agree with the making an exemption for "emergencies". I'd prefer taxing the bejesus out of the public in the event of an emergency rather than borrowing money to make it happen.

Keep in mind though. The federal government is a different animal. If you imposed the limitation of a balanced budget there are still options. The federal reserve could be abolished and the government could press print. Presto, your currency has devalued to such a degree that chaos erupts. National governments don't really operate under the same rules as individuals, households, businesses and local governments. A national government has a lot of complex capabilities and responsibilities. We really don't need a balanced budget amendment although I would support it.

Oh yeah. I voted no in the poll because I don't think it is the right time to do this.
 
a balanced budget amendment could potentially give control of the budget over to the courts, because any constitutional amendment is subject to extensive judicial review. do you really think unelected courts should hold power over what goes in the budget, especially since their rulings are hard to predict?

They already have it. The Supreme Court has jurisidiction over all cases.
 
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