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The Spectacle Blog
Reps. Mike Pence, Jeb Hensarling, and John Campbell today proposed a constitutional amendment to limit federal spending to 20 percent of GDP. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Pence and Hensarling call it a “spending cap with real teeth.” Washington would be confined to its historic share of the national economy.
The purpose of the amendment is to put a brake on the upward presure on federal spending created by the auto-pilot entitlements, the aging population, and back-to-back big-government presidents and Congreses. Because it focuses on the level of spending rather than just deficits and it is less likely to result in tax increases, the Pence-Hensarling proposal is in many ways superior to the balanced budget amendment touted by Republicans in the 1980s and 1990s. But it suffers from the limitations (no pun intended) of all proposed constitutional amendments: it will be difficult to get out of Congress, difficult to ratify, and it is by definition a goal rather than a specific set of proposals to cut government spending.
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More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/03/03/pence-hensarling-unveil-spendi
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tp | 3.3.10 @ 6:28PM
What a great beginning for the new conservative era...
Thank you Representatives Pence, Hensarling and Campbell.
COnservative Bob| 3.3.10 @ 6:30PM
If politicians will not live within the limits of the constitution as it now exists how will amending it for this purpose change anything?
It is hard to see this as anything other than an election year gimmick.
Further why must we be forced to sustain the 20 level of excess?
Where in the constitution is the right to take over health care enumerated.
That fact has not gone without mention over the past year but the knowledge has not slowed the proponents in their zeal to ram it down our throat.
CNewman| 3.4.10 @ 12:59PM
You are no doubt correct that the 4 members of the Supreme Court who regularly find ways to violate their oath to uphold and defend the Constitution would try to find a way around the amendment.
I think enough of the current health care plan will be found unconstitutional to make it unworkable even in the eyes of the Democrats. This will be a 5 to 4 decision. If the Democrats still control Congress then, they will pass a fix that is even worse, if possible, than the current plan. In the mean time taxes will be collected until the court orders otherwise, which will take a while. If they get back their 60 votes in the Senate, by means fair or foul they will try to pack the Court next. I don't think the people are going to allow this. We'll see.
Blackwatch| 3.3.10 @ 8:24PM
COn-bob,
So let's no do anything because we can't reach budget perfection? Of course its an election year gimmick! It's meant to hammer the big spenders and get their butts voted out. This whole election years is going to be about turn out. How else will be see progress? It's not going to be done in a comprehensive manner its going to be done incrementally and at the ballot box.
We have lots of Federal judges who enjoy enforcing the constitution and we will soon have a more honest congress. It's going to take a generation to get out of this mess and we need to start soon. The generation theft that is happening now is criminal. If they won't listen to us we will vote them out. If we loose at the ballot box their will be an insurrection. The Constitution is not a suicide pact. The SCOTUS and the Feds will not be able to stop the citizenary. We out number them and they are surrounded by us.
VotingGunOwner| 3.8.10 @ 12:02PM
I agree with Blackwatch. Now is the time with the American people beginning to once again take an interest in the principles of our founding. And this proposal does more than any other in the last 20+ years to limit the growth of the federal gov't. I live in Indiana, and I can tell you Pence is a genuine conservative warrior. We love him here.