William Hughes: “I rise in opposition to all of the proposed constitutional amendments dealing with a balanced budget. It is important…”

“I rise in opposition to all of the proposed constitutional amendments dealing with a balanced budget. It is important that we do not frame this debate in terms of whether or not a balanced budget is a worthy goal--of course it is. To reduce this debate to that level is ridiculous and does nothing but distort the issue. I believe we can all agree on the fact that balancing the budget as expeditiously as possible must be our top priority, and would represent the best economic growth package that the Congress could pass. Yet we are currently faced with a budget that is, quite frankly, out of sync. Irrespective of the reasons for the fiscal problems we now face--and there are many--the fundamental question today is how do we move ahead and create a brighter tomorrow for us and our grandchildren. How do we balance the budget? In this regard, I believe it is neither necessary nor wise to amend the Constitution of the United States to balance the Federal budget.”