Guest Editorial-Congressman Rick Crawford on Balanced Budget Amendment

Since January, Congress has worked to reduce the size of government, rein in unnecessary spending, and control the national debt. We have been successful and are moving in the right direction, but we need permanent structural reform that will force the government to live within its means.

Washington has proven that statutory budget caps don’t work to control spending.  For decades, both Republicans and Democrats have merely ignored the caps and continued to spend money we don’t have, leading us to our current economic problems. The only way to truly control our national debt is a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.

A BBA will bind the hands of this Congress, and all future Congresses, when it comes to wasteful spending, something that no statutory legislation has ever been able to do.

It will rein in federal spending, prevent the continued expansion of the federal government, and eliminate partisan fights over the size of spending cuts. It will force Washington to spend wisely and not cut haphazardly.

Fifteen years ago, the BBA failed the Senate by only one vote. Now the stakes are significantly higher.

The House and Senate will vote on the Balanced Budget Amendment this fall. I consider this one of the most crucial I cast. I will fight for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution so we don’t punish our children and grandchildren with a national debt they didn’t create.

 

 

Comments

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[Registered Nurse]

I too agree a constitutional amendment should not be necessary. If the politicians can't act like grown ups and balance the budget, then why should we let them tamper with anything as precious as our constitution. It will take a combination of tax revenue and spending cuts. It can be accomplished but the parties of "no" need to become the representatives of the people, by the people, for the people and stop acting like babies.

[W Kelley]

While I am sure most people will respond based upon their frustrations from the recent fiasco where partisan bickering delayed the increase in the debt ceiling while the nation’s economy suffered, I hope that the true impact of such an amendment is considered. The Constitution already has a provision regarding the budget. The power of the purse is the responsibility of Congress. Rather than shirking that responsibility and providing for many future years “my way or the highway” arguments, Congress should just do its job. It is the responsibility of Mr. Crawford and his colleagues to work together to manage our nation’s finances. If they are unable to do that, then we can address their performance at the polls. The ability to negotiate and compromise should be qualities in those who choose to assume positions of political responsibility. The Constitution is a great document and should not be marred forever by evidence of the failing of those who we entrust to be responsible leaders.

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[Mike Todd]

I think all of us agree with Congressman Crawford that the nation's budget needs to be balanced. However, it is misleading to think that the Constitution needs to be amended to accomplish this goal. President Clinton did it for the last four years he was responsible for the budget with a mixture of tax increases on the wealthy and measured spending cuts. It is irresponsible for politicians to talk about a balanced budget without giving specifics on how they would accomplish it. Congressman Crawford should be telling us what taxes he would increase and/or what spending cuts he would make to balance the budget. It can't be done without one or the other or both. The failure of our political system is not in the politicians, but in the voters who don't ask the candidates to be specific on their proposals. We allow them to speak on populist views but don't require them to answer the hard questions. Hopefully Congressman Crawford will do another guest editorial and tell us what taxes and cuts he supports in order to balance the federal budget. Then, we will surely have a better Region 8.