Thomas Daschle: “the first legislative action I took when I came to Congress in 1979 was to introduce a constitutional amendment to…”

“the first legislative action I took when I came to Congress in 1979 was to introduce a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget. I believed 16 years ago, as I believe today, that Government must learn to live within its means. I believed then, as I believe now, that we must trim the fat, cut the waste, and make the tough choices necessary to control spending. I supported a balanced budget amendment then and I remain committed to an honest, fair, and forthright amendment now. However, I have concluded I cannot support the one which is now being pushed through the body, without amendment or compromise. The magnitude of the decision about how we propose to amend the Constitution should not be lost on anyone. A balanced budget amendment, if passed and ratified, will have a dramatic effect on the very nature of government and its relationship to the American people in all perpetuity. We cannot come back next year or next Congress and clean up our mistakes. When we embark on such a path--to amend the Constitution--we must know that it is the best amendment we can write, that it incorporates the best ideas and the most carefully written words we have to offer. It is critical now, as we contemplate amending the Constitution for only the 28th time, that we refuse to succumb to the notion that what we do is, as the old adage goes, ``good enough for Government work.'' This effort had a noble beginning.…”