S.J.Res.27 Balanced Budget Amendment

S.J.Res.27 - Senator Jim DeMint, R-SC

A joint resolution proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Comment: This is one of those feel good pieces of legislation meant to polarize Americans with the typical left-right paradigm argument. There is no doubt in my mind that DeMint will make sure there is some back door opportunity to go go beyond a balance budget, which would be placed into the resolution so Congress can wiggle out of the proposed amendment. For instance in time of war or national emergency, for example Hurricane Katrina.

The way the budget gets balanced is to repeal the 17th Amendment and allow for the states to check and balance the spending mania in Congress.

I came across these comments on the Baltimore Sun's Reader Forum by the commenter "johnwk" that offers a strong argument against:

Founding Father’s method to keep the budget balanced which is already in our Constitution and would make each State’s Congressional Delegation immediately accountable to their Governor and State’s Legislature if the budget were not balanced. This is what these flimflamming con artists are trying to accomplish…overrule our founding fathers thoughtful method to keep the budget balanced and replace it with manipulative and ineffective language.

The following intentions are found in several of the State ratification documents.


Ratification of the Constitution by the State of New Hampshire; June 21, 1788

Fourthly That Congress do not lay direct Taxes but when the money arising from Impost, Excise and their other resources are insufficient for the Publick Exigencies; nor then, untill Congress shall have first made a Requisition upon the States, to Assess, Levy, & pay their respective proportions, of such requisitions agreeably to the Census fixed in the said Constitution in such way & manner as the Legislature of the State shall think best and in such Case if any State shall neglect, then Congress may Assess & Levy such States proportion together with the Interest thereon at the rate of six per Cent per Annum from the Time of payment prescribed in such requisition-

I will freely admit that this is an area I have little knowledge, however with the limited research I conducted today I believe this argument is very cogent.

The founders provided our country with a better form of government then than we have today. DeMint's resolution should be opposed and the 17th should be repealed.