There ain't no limit on spending

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A balanced budget! At last!

I am totally, completely, irrevocably and absolutely justified in my opposition to a Constitutional Amendment requiring a balanced federal budget.

"What? Talk about your non sequitors, Baker! Have you lost your mind or something?"


I suggest to you that if you favor such an amendment you need to pull out Occam's Razor and start shaving off some delusions.

"In simple English please?"

Ok, Try these on for size.

Say we get a Constitutional Amendment requiring a balanced budget. What happens?

"Well, duh, Congress is forced to approved a balanced budget."

And how do you think Congress will balance the budget.

"Cut spending."

Yeah. Lean over this way. I'ma slap the rose-colored glasses off your face.

Then I'm gonna slap you.

Do you REALLY think Congress is gonna cut spending to balance the budget?

"Yes."

Why?

"They will have to. The Constitution will require a balanced budget,"

You do realize there is another way to balance a budget?

"Uhhhh."

Awesome illustration!

Raise taxes. If Congress is absolutely REQUIRED to balance the budget, what do you think they are gonna do?

"ohcrap."

Right. With an amendment, they can ALL hide behind the Constitution and sayd "We've got no choice. We have to balance the budget."

Which brings me to another item (thanks Vicki) about the "debt ceiling."

There ain't one.

No. There is no debt ceiling.

http://wap.wsbtv.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=146&nid=54257863&cid=377&scid=-1&ith=0&title=National+News

Lemme simplify this one for you.

Just another added feature of Pork Brains and Milk Gravy

The budget is approved by Congress. The budget, then, is the law of the land.

Budget being law, the executive branch of government (i.e. the president) is required to implement the law.

Following me so far?

Another way to look at it. Congress approves the budget. Congress is ordering the president to spend this money.

Got me? The president is under Constitutional obligation to spend the money as ordered by the president.

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do

He has no real choice.

If Congress does not approve the money needed to fund the laws it passes, this does not excuse the president from having to implement the laws. The president still has to do this.

If Congress objects to the president spending the money in the budget, the Congress should not approve the budget which requires such spending.

If an individual acted like that, we would call that person BiPolar at best and a complete effing nutjob at worst.

So what does the president do? He has to borrow money. Has to.

If Congress does not want the president to borrow money, Congress should cut the budget.

And we all glow in the dark.

So far, the current president is playing nice with Congress and trying to Sinators and Reprehensibles to raise the debt ceiling. But he doesn't have to. He can do it by executive order and it be legal. This is the nuclear option, which is why he's staying away from it. Our current spender in chief avoids that kind of scenario, unless it suits his political purpose. In that, he's no different from most of the people in Washington.

The problem with the nuclear option is, once you use it, it's used. The other side can use it too and probably will use it to blow your plans to subatomic particles.