Nathan Deal: “I rise in support of a constitutional amendment to balance the budget. The United States of America is the demonstration…”

“I rise in support of a constitutional amendment to balance the budget. The United States of America is the demonstration project of modern civilization whose purpose is to prove that free people can govern themselves without the supervision of monarchs or dictators. Our pilot project has entered its third century, but is still an infant on the amortization table of history. Our success is not assured simply because we profess noble purposes and lofty ideals. Others have shared these dreams, yet they have failed. The energy force of all governments is power--the power to take and the power to give. Democracies take in the form of taxes and give in the form of spending. Although taxes and spending are the opposite sides of the same coin, one would assume that the law of averages would dictate they would equally appear when the coin is tossed. For the last 25 years, however, the coin has always landed on the spend side, because Congress has the ability to load the coin and to spend more than it receives. In fact, we have done this for so long that some would elevate it to a religious requirement with the perverted admonition, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' I believe this debate about a balanced budget amendment is really a debate about preserving our Republic.”