Force a Balanced Budget Amendment

[Nebuchadnezzar]

How hard would it be for the American Citizen to force the US Government to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment?

No branch of our government wants this...well, two of the three branches don't want it and the third don't care one way or the other but it is very badly needed.

[Au165]

No one wants to be in office when it happens. The reality is everyone will end up pissed off meaning it is political suicide. That wouldn't be a big deal except people have made politics a career rather than a civil service.

[BmorePat87]

(12-21-2017, 01:41 PM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: How hard would it be for the American Citizen to force the US Government to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment?

No branch of our government wants this...well, two of the three branches don't want it and the third don't care one way or the other but it is very badly needed.

You'd need at least 34 states to call for a convention to propose an Amendment and another 4 on top of those 34 to approve it. I don't think there's 34 states that will go along with it to even hold the convention. 

[*Nately120*]

(12-21-2017, 01:41 PM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: How hard would it be for the American Citizen to force the US Government to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment?

No branch of our government wants this...well, two of the three branches don't want it and the third don't care one way or the other but it is very badly needed.

The American people demanding a balanced budget a year after electing a guy who promised to build a gigantic wall would be quite the laugh.  The American people don't even have the discipline to handle a balanced breakfast.

[StLucieBengal]

Convention of states is close to happening. I believe the balance budget amendment is one of the things on the list.

[Belsnickel]

Balanced budget amendment would be terrible. There are appropriate times for deficit spending, it's just not all of the time. A balanced budget amendment, assuming it requires at least a deficit neutral federal budget, would eliminate one of the best and most effective tools in the arsenal of the federal government for manipulating the economy. Were such an amendment to pass, the next recession would be longer and more devastating than any other.

[JustWinBaby]

(12-21-2017, 09:11 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: Balanced budget amendment would be terrible. There are appropriate times for deficit spending, it's just not all of the time. 

True, but I'm sure they could figure out some sort of averaging method.

The debt ceiling has become a complete joke.  I hate to say to do away with it, but these days it's nothing more than a way for the minority party, or usually a few rogues, to get headlines and maybe some pork.

[Belsnickel]

(12-22-2017, 02:48 AM)JustWinBaby Wrote: True, but I'm sure they could figure out some sort of averaging method.

You give them more credit than I do.

(12-22-2017, 02:48 AM)JustWinBaby Wrote: The debt ceiling has become a complete joke.  I hate to say to do away with it, but these days it's nothing more than a way for the minority party, or usually a few rogues, to get headlines and maybe some pork.

The issue is that what happens if we reach that fiscal cliff is much bigger of a thing than shutting the government down, even. We need to figure out something that Congress can't just bypass to win votes, I just don't think a balanced budget amendment is it.

[Devils Advocate]

How about a seperation of business & government amendment?