Balanced Budget Amendment

I'm sorry to have misrepresented my argument. I don't mean to say that a BBA would impose a deadline. but the constraints it would place on congress would have the same effect as one. As I mentioned earlier, as the spending limit for the year approached, congress would become deadlocked over how to spend the rest of the money. Because a BBA would mean only so much could be spent in a time period, congressmen would push their own agenda first, and filibuster any other proposals that would take the place of their own. This obstinacy is what will, as has been observed recently, result from a strict boundary for congress. Also, I am not fighting the idea that it is OK for congress to spend as much as it takes in, I am fighting the idea that not doing so is a crippling, unshakable affliction. In terms of paying off our debt, a BBA is unnecessary. Did you know it is possible to spend more than we take in and simultaneously decrease the debt? If we take in ten dollars, and spend fifteen, we have negative five dollars and increase the debt by that much. But, if ten of the dollars we spent went towards paying off the debt, we would actually have five dollars less debt. Obviously the ratios in that example are off, but the premise still stands. A BBA is completely unnecessary to reduce debt. In terms of the third point, I'm sorry if I unintentionally insulted you, but I do not in any way see it as a "low shot". I in no way intended to "attack the tea party for an ongoing and deep seated problem". What I meant to do was reference the actions of politicians elected as tea party candidates preventing an effective solution from being reached. This is not a point of view I made up just to attack tea party members. Here is a quote from Standard & Poor's memo regarding the credit downgrade: "Compared with previous projections, our revised base case scenario now assumes that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, due to expire by the end of 2012, remain in place. We have changed our assumption on this because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues, a position we believe Congress reinforced by passing the act". This makes the same points that I did earlier, and shows that I was right. Whether or not this reason is valid is irrelevant. The fact is, we were downgraded, and this is why, proving my contention. Now, to defend my point that you quoted. Yes, the government does help people. Free education, transportation, social security, not being invaded by other countries because we have no army are all thanks to the government, so I think yes, it does help people. Secondly, eliminating the Bush tax cuts would provide extra revenue. It's not even a tax hike, it's allowing something that was meant to expire expire. Calling their expiration a tax hike is like calling the end of a store's half off sale a doubling in price. With or without a BBA, extra revenue is good. It would make sense for you to call for the expiration of the cuts as well because their revenue would extend the budget, making a BBA more viable. Even your evidence works against keeping the Bush tax cuts. "In 1980, when the top income tax rate was 70%, the richest 1% paid only 19% of all income taxes; now, with a top rate of 35%, they pay more than double that share." This shows that lowering taxes on the super wealthy increases income disparity. It has been proven that increased income disparity has lasting negative effects on society and the economy.[1] Also, Obama extended the Bush tax cuts because all 42 senate republicans signed a pledge to filibuster any and all legislation until that had happened, which supports my earlier criticism of tea party members, though I admit I may have been too narrow and should have blamed all republicans. As the con, burden of proof does not rest upon me, so I am in no way obligated to provide the examples you ask for, but I will anyways. All we have to do is increase revenue, and/or decrease spending, which can be done without unnecessarily restricting congress' power.