For years now, the federal government has been recklessly spending beyond our means, driving our nation deeper into the red. Many would argue that their careless disregard for the financial health of our economy has left our country weaker and more vulnerable than ever before.

The Founding Fathers designed our Constitution with the utmost care, crafting it so that our hard-won freedoms would always be guaranteed. They knew there would come a day when the federal government would grow to such a size that not only would it cease to govern effectively, but it would actually become destructive to our very liberty. They knew, so they planned – they adopted Article V, granting states the power to amend the Constitution. Now, nearly 230 years later, many believe our country has reached the point where amending the Constitution is the only viable option we have left for putting in order the chaos Washington has created.

Just within the last few weeks, the Senate has approved two separate pieces of legislation aimed at reining in the federal government’s runaway spending. On Thursday, April 22, the Senate approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 21, formally submitting an application to Congress for the calling of an Article V convention of states to propose certain amendments to the U.S. Constitution for the purposes of limiting the federal government’s power. Petitions from at least 34 states are required in order to call a constitutional convention; an estimated 27 states have active petitions calling for a convention of states to propose a balanced budget amendment.

On Monday (4-27), the Senate passed Senate Bill 433, adopting the Compact for a Balanced Budget in Missouri. While there’s a long road ahead, the ultimate goal of the compact is the adoption of the Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In addition to imposing a constitutional debt limit, Congress would be prohibited from passing any new or increased taxes without receiving the approval of two-thirds of the entire body of each chamber of Congress.

Finally, I’d like to leave you with the following column excerpt concerning our nation’s crippling debt, provided to the Missouri Senate just this week by Compact for America:

Every child born today owes nearly $60,000 as his share of our $18.1+ trillion national debt. But that’s not all—nearly $650,000 is the average child’s share of the federal government’s estimated $210 trillion in unfunded spending programs. Many of these programs may be good and necessary, but our kids have never had an opportunity to vote for or against their advocates. The truth is that they mostly benefit other people.

If obligations of such magnitude continue to be incurred without limit, our children and their children will inevitably face taxation without representation on a scale that will dwarf the worst of the injustices that led to the American Revolution.

This is not only wrong, it is a recipe for societal conflict.

This observation is not idle speculation. Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmdorf testified only a few weeks ago that our national debt was on a “trend that could not be sustained.” A few years before that, in September 2011, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael G. Mullen, testified “our debt is the greatest threat to our national security.” All around the world, we have seen nations like Argentina, Greece, Italy, Mexico and Spain facing crisis and economic collapse because of unsustainable debt spending by their governments.  

If you have any questions or comments about this or any other matter regarding your state government, please feel free to contact me at (573) 751-1503; you are also welcome to e-mail me at jay.wasson@senate.mo.gov.