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Politics

House Pushes for Balanced Federal Budget

April 20, 2010 - 6:00pm

Spurred by leaders of both houses of the Legislature, the House passed measures Wednesday calling for the federal government to balance its budget.

Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, and Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, opened the session by calling for a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. To that end, Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, sponsored a measure calling for a constitutional convention to amend the U.S Constitution. The measure passed 70 to 42.

We are bankrupting our country both physically and morally, said Hasner. We are borrowing from countries who are hostile to our national interest.

A national convention can only be called when backed by 34 state legislatures. After a lengthy discussion on amendments, the measure was tabled for a few hours, during which both Republicans and Democrats warned that a new constitutional convention could undermine the right to keep arms.

While proponents of the measure could not answer if a convention could be limited to a single topic like balancing the budget, the House leadership brought the vote back later in the session.

Proponents hoped that a convention would be a last resort but warned that federal spending could leave the nation with no choice.

I do not want a constitutional convention, said Hasner. We do not need a convention if Congress will do the right thing.

It is the states that have to reign the federal government back in, said Republican Lake Ray of Jacksonville. These are incredibly dangerous times were in when the federal government has spent my childrens future.

Washington is broken, and our nation is on an unsustainable path to financial ruin, said John Wood, R-Winter Haven. We must be bold and change the path we're on.

Democrats warned that a constitutional convention could open up a Pandoras box. Jim Waldman of Coconut Creek read a letter from former Chief Justice Warren Burger stating that a constitutional convention could not be limited.

We are playing with our nations constitution and without an understanding of what were doing, said Democrat Richard Steinberg of Miami Beach. Whats the rush? We have a few more days, a little bit more than a week.

Once you open this convention up, anything can come to it, said incoming House Minority Leader Ron Saunders of Key West. Saunders said that the National Rifle Association told him they opposed a convention due to concerns that the Second Amendment would be drastically altered.

Wondering why self-described conservatives were toying with such a radical idea, Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota, warned, We are playing dangerous games with our political heritage.

Other efforts in the House calling for a federal balanced budget were also successful. Besides overwhelmingly passing a memorial to Congress supporting a balanced budget, the House debated a non-binding referendum on the November ballot giving Floridians the chance to ask the U.S. Congress to balance the budget. The House is likely to pass the referendum later in the session.

Were asking the citizens of Florida to opine on this measure, said Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel. Weatherford stressed that the measure was bipartisan. Republicans have overspent, Democrats have overspent, he said. Washington needs to change its ways.

Were not able to balance the budget this year in Florida without dollars from the federal government, said Democrat Janet Long of Seminole. Quite frankly, its disingenuous.

Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or (850) 727-0859.

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