Sam Farr: “I support a balanced budget. I support deficit reduction. I support bringing entitlements under control and eliminating…”

“I support a balanced budget. I support deficit reduction. I support bringing entitlements under control and eliminating every bit of fat there is in the budget. What I do not support is gimmickry to do it, stealth budgets to get there, or slash and burn tactics to achieve it. The balanced budget amendment to the Constitution has been sold as the panacea to all our fiscal woes. Most of us know that it doesn't work that way. There is no balance in a balanced budget amendment. An amendment doesn't automatically balance the budget. Spending cuts and tax revenues do. Congress has been working to balance the budget for the past 2 years without an amendment. The new dialog supporting a balanced budget amendment is a way for legislators to avoid the responsibility of making the tough decisions. I don't believe in trying to escape my duties through a legislative 'escape clause' and urge my colleagues to reject the balanced budget amendment until it can be shown how to get there.”