The posturing continues in Washington:
@RepHartzler Rep. Vicky Hartzler
Just made a historic vote for the good people of MO-4: voted for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution! Must get 2/3. 6 hours ago
@RepHartzler Rep. Vicky Hartzler
Final vote-261 to 165. 29 votes short of 2/3. A sad day. Mostly democrats blocked an opportunity to force Washington to live within means. 5 hours ago
Means? Really? And dubya’s tax windfall for millionaires and billionaires has nothing to do with that?
The resolution failed, it needed two thirds of the House:
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 858
H J RES 2 2/3 YEA-AND-NAY 18-Nov-2011 1:58 PM
QUESTION: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended
BILL TITLE: Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States—- YEAS 261 —
Akin
Emerson
Graves (MO)
Hartzler
Long
Luetkemeyer—- NAYS 165 —
Carnahan
Clay
Cleaver
The concept doesn’t get rave reviews from certain circles:
Dopiest Constitutional Amendment of All Time?
31 Mar 2011
Posted by Bruce Bartlett….In short, this is quite possibly the stupidest constitutional amendment I think I have ever seen. It looks like it was drafted by a couple of interns on the back of a napkin. Every senator cosponsoring this POS should be ashamed of themselves….
[emphasis added]
…Bartlett‘s work is informed by many years in government, including service on the staffs of Congressmen Ron Paul and Jack Kemp and Senator Roger Jepsen; as staff director of the Joint Economic Committee of Congress; senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House; and deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at the Treasury Department during the George H.W. Bush administration….
[emphasis added]
Fancy that.