Not trusting themselves to make responsible decisions about priorities concerning taxes and expenditures, the U.S. House of Representatives took a crack at a “balanced budget amendment” to the U.S. Constitution. And, one can’t be too critical of the self-assessment of some in Congress that they can’t be trusted with these priorities. I don’t know how many played the game Civilization, but there was a screen where you could devote the Civilization’s resources to science, luxuries, and taxes. As one went up, the other two would move. You could lock one in place at a certain rate so that the remaining balancing took place between the remaining two. Most of the House Republicans have taken a pledge to, in essence, play the game with the taxes locked somewhere between 10 and 20 percent (you have to pick between 10% increments).
Anyway, “balanced budget amendment” doesn’t really tell you anything. It’s one of those things that sounds good as a general proposition, but the devil is in the details. Here is the text of H.J. Res 2 which the House voted on:
`Section 1. Total outlays for any fiscal year shall not exceed total receipts for that fiscal year, unless three-fifths of the whole number of each House of Congress shall provide by law for a specific excess of outlays over receipts by a rollcall vote.
`Section 2. The limit on the debt of the United States held by the public shall not be increased, unless three-fifths of the whole number of each House shall provide by law for such an increase by a rollcall vote.
`Section 3. Prior to each fiscal year, the President shall transmit to the Congress a proposed budget for the United States Government for that fiscal year in which total outlays do not exceed total receipts.
`Section 4. No bill to increase revenue shall become law unless approved by a majority of the whole number of each House by a rollcall vote.
`Section 5. The Congress may waive the provisions of this article for any fiscal year in which a declaration of war is in effect. The provisions of this article may be waived for any fiscal year in which the United States is engaged in military conflict which causes an imminent and serious military threat to national security and is so declared by a joint resolution, adopted by a majority of the whole number of each House, which becomes law.
`Section 6. The Congress shall enforce and implement this article by appropriate legislation, which may rely on estimates of outlays and receipts.
`Section 7. Total receipts shall include all receipts of the United States Government except those derived from borrowing. Total outlays shall include all outlays of the United States Government except for those for repayment of debt principal.
`Section 8. This article shall take effect beginning with the later of the second fiscal year beginning after its ratification or the first fiscal year beginning after December 31, 2016.’.
Not exactly as concise as, say, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” — and we still haven’t entirely ironed out what *that* means. Can you imagine how long we’ll be fighting over what constitutes an “outlay”? And yet 261 of your duly elected representatives voted for this hot screaming mess. As an addition to the Constitution.
They want an amendment to our Constitution that includes an incentive to go to and continue war as a budgetary tool. Rep. Donnelly crossed party lines to vote for that? The six Indiana Republican Congressmen also voted for it. Reps. Carson and Visclosky voted against.
Who was the guy who missed the vote? Pence?
Nah. I just screwed up – should be 7 of 9.
Fixed it.
What is the point of this at all if they include Section 7?? Yeah, lets exempt those from total outlays and receipts and claim we balanced the budget…
Wonder what they’d say for a school prayer amendment if that nostrum was back in play?
I’ve read worse. This is a pretty good amendment.
Look, making budgetary decisions based on locked in proscriptions is lunacy.