Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., is commendably backing the Republican call for a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution to address irresponsible spending.
Noting that all Republicans in the Senate back the measure (though it unfortunately lacks Democrat support), Alexander stated in a news release, "I am for cutting spending, capping what Congress can spend each year, and passing a Balanced Budget Amendment because Washington has to stop spending money we don't have."
He said the amendment would require the president and Congress to pass a balanced budget each year, cap federal spending at 18 percent of gross domestic product, and require a two-thirds vote of the House of Representatives and Senate to raise taxes.
What could be more obvious than the fact that a nation as deep in debt as ours is needs to begin producing balanced budgets?
Obviously, we will not dig out from under our catastrophic debt load with just a few years of balanced budgets, but it would be a start. That is better than ignoring the problem until there must be devastating cuts in even essential spending, plus huge tax increases.
Don't you believe Alexander and the other senators favoring a balanced-budget amendment are being more responsible than Senate Democrats are being in opposing it?