PostHeaderIcon Balanced Budget Amendment

There is increasing chatter in the media RE the long-talked-about, never-going-to-happen balanced budget amendment.

I have long been against all this noise because I think it is nothing but a distraction and a cheap attempt by congress to act like something it is not. Besides, until we actually return to running our government per the terms of our Constitution, what possible point could there be in amending it further?

Having said all that, what if we really did insist on a balanced budget amendment along with an even greater insistence that our Constitution be obeyed? How might such an amendment be constructed such that it would actually have meaning? Most of the proposals I read are little more than nonsense proposals with holes so large that congress would not be the least hampered in its continued fiscal insanity.

However, as you should expect for one as opinionated as myself, I have a partial solution. The problem with the “standard” proposals which are based on the “standard” budgeting process is that they are all forward looking, hence subject to the most outrageous estimates of the future (such as economic growth causing increased tax revenues). My simple proposal is a backward looking process. Rather than grossly overestimate future revenues then plan our spending based on that nonsense, we look at each year’s ACTUAL revenues then base the next year’s spending on that. I suggest that the amendment simply state that any year’s spending is absolutely limited to 90% of the previous year’s actual revenue. Sharper minds than mine can figure out how to obtain a reasonably accurate, tamper-proof figure for the previous-year revenue.

Of course, we would still be stuck with the problem that no rule is any better than the integrity of the enforcers. A problem made worse by the fact that most of WTS do not understand that WE are the only effective enforcers.

It is so very frustrating to see all that might be done, if only the citizens of this failing nation would take the responsibilities of citizenship seriously.

Think about it.

Troy L Robinson

One Response to “Balanced Budget Amendment”

  • The rear-view mirror idea is great, but like you suggest, we don’t need another Amendment, we just need to hold our elected servants accountable. If we had any sense at all, we would enforce a one term limit at every election, by refusing to vote for an incumbent – ever. â—„Daveâ–º

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