Action of PA Urges Balanced Budget Amendment

Member Group : News Releases

***NEWS RELEASE***
For Immediate Release
September 28, 2011

CONTACT:
Deborah Hamilton, Hamilton Strategies, 215.815.7716, 610.584.1096, [email protected]

ACTION of PA Continues to Urge Sen. Casey to Support Balanced Budget Amendment

Group Committed to Conservative Principles in Government Raising Awareness about Budget Amendment to Constitution

West Chester, Pa.—ACTION of PA, or Americans For Christian Traditions In Our Nation, is urging U.S. Sen. Bob Casey to co-sponsor and vote for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

In a proposal called "Upgrade Our Federal Government: A Petition for the Balanced Budget Amendment," ACTION of PA is asking Casey to be one of the senators who proposes that a Balanced Budget Amendment be added to the U.S. Constitution. Pennsylvanians are urged to visit the ACTION of PA website at www.actionofpa.org/ to sign the petition online, or download and mail a written version.

In the petition to Casey, ACTION of PA lists several reasons why it’s time for a federal Balanced Budget Amendment. Every state in the U.S., other than Vermont , currently has some sort of budget amendment in place, meaning that states cannot spend more than they collect in income or revenue. These state amendments require a balance between the projected receipts and expenditures of each government.

Especially in light of the U.S. government’s recent financial woes, many have proposed that a similar amendment be written into the U.S. Constitution. Thus far, there is no such amendment. After the August 2 passage of the Budget Control Act 2011, which raised the debt ceiling, Congress must vote on a balanced budget amendment by the end of 2011.

Thus far, all 47 GOP U.S. senators, including Pennsylvania’s Sen. Pat Toomey, are co-sponsoring a Senate Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution relative to balancing the budget. A balanced budget amendment must get at least 67 votes in the U.S. Senate to be passed on to the states for ratification.

Casey has publicly supported a balanced budget. The late Tim Russert showed a video of a Casey campaign ad on Meet the Press on Sept. 3, 2006, where Casey stated, "I believe in a balanced budget," Casey had said. "Government should live within its means, like any small business."
Bob Kettering, president of the Lancaster County chapter of ACTION of PA, said, "It’s time to stop talking about how to save our national financial situation and time to start actually doing something about it. The senators who have committed to supporting this amendment are clearly committed to fixing our country’s finances and preserving it for future generations. So ACTION of PA will continue to urge Sen. Casey to get on board with this important bill that will impact not only Pennsylvania but the nation as a whole."
The federal budget deficit for 2011 alone is expected to total more than $1.3 trillion and the national debt is approaching $15 trillion, threatening the country’s economic opportunities and the position within a global market.

This summer, Standard & Poor’s, a U.S.-based financial services company and credit-rating agency, downgraded the U.S. "because of the rising public debt burden" and its perception of "greater policy making uncertainty." Standard & Poor’s also believes the Budget Control Act of 2011 "falls short of the amount necessary to stabilize the general government debt burden by the middle of the next decade."

Because Congress and the Obama Administration have been unable to agree on a plan to balance the federal budget, one must be forced through a Constitutional amendment.

In addition to the economic reasons, ACTION of PA supports a Balanced Budget Amendment because it is consistent with the Judeo-Christian values upon which the nation was founded. The Bible encourages balanced budgeting and discourages debt. In fact, ACTION of PA believes it is immoral to incur debt without a plan to pay off both the interest and the principle.

The country’s Founding Fathers—Thomas Jefferson and George Washington—believed that wars, economic problems and public debt of one generation should be paid for by that generation, not the next. Jefferson said, "We are morally bound to pay (Revolutionary War debts) ourselves." And President Washington told Congress, "No pecuniary consideration is more urgent than the regular redemption and discharge of public debt."

ACTION of PA will continue to petition Casey to join Toomey and his fellow U.S. senators in supporting a Balanced Budget Amendment.

ACTION of PA, a new organization in Pennsylvania with chapters in four counties, works to engage Pennsylvanians in the issues that affect the state. A main goal of the new group is to elect candidates with traditional values and high integrity to office, especially as the election season approaches. The group will also bring to light issues ranging from budgets and spending to education and government reform.

For more information on ACTION of PA, visit www.actionofpa.org/.

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To interview a representative from ACTION of PA, contact Deborah Hamilton at [email protected], 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096.

ACTION of PA, or Americans For Christian Traditions In Our Nation, is an organization that focuses on electing conservatives to office. With four chapters in Lancaster, Chester, York and Adams counties, ACTION engages people to become more involved in politics at the local, state and federal levels, and encourages debate on issues affecting every Pennsylvanian and American.