Daniel Schaefer: “today I rise in strong support of the Barton-Tauzin balanced budget amendment. I support this amendment because not only…”

“today I rise in strong support of the Barton-Tauzin balanced budget amendment. I support this amendment because not only does it required a balanced budget, but it puts Congress on the correct path toward achieving one. The Barton-Tauzin amendment is based on two fundamental truths that the American taxpayer has learned again and again. First, left to its own devices, Congress will not discipline itself fiscally. There has not been a balanced budget since 1969, that is over 25 years ago. The current institutional framework gives Congress far too many incentives to borrow, tax, and spend, and far too few incentives to act responsibly. So, the Barton-Tauzin amendment places a constitutional restriction on Congress: It must pass a balanced budget. Every American taxpayer has to balance his or her books, so should the Government. The second fundamental truth incorporated into the Barton-Tauzin amendment is that raising taxes will not reduce the deficit. Time and time again, the American taxpayers have gotten a budget deal from Congress which promises that in return for tax increases, the deficit will go down. Raising taxes to reduce the deficit won't work. It never has and never will work. Studies have found that for every dollar that Congress raises taxes, it spends $1.59. Recognizing this sad truth, the Barton-Tauzin amendment includes a tax-limitation provision requiring a 60-percent supermajority vote to increase taxes.”