A Balanced Budget Amendment would Solve Nearly All of America's Problems

As Trump, Musk and DOGE continue to reveal how wasteful our government is with our tax dollars, we are reminded (again!) of the need for our government to live within its means.

It is a truism that people don’t change until they have to. Even then, some don’t even change then! What is true of people is surely even more so of institutions. There must be a force that mandates change, or the church, government, or business at issue will continue to operate as it always has out of inertia, if nothing else.

It would be preferable for this not be the case, of course. The Bible teaches us that we are to have self-control. But we sin, sometimes habitually and recklessly, and it is often the loss of a job, marriage, children, or home that forces our change.

The United States government is profligate in every way. Because we “print” our own money (fiat currency) thanks to central banking, the government never needs to exercise self-control. Even when faced with dire warnings like insolvency or depression, Congress refuses to reign in the spending. Both Republicans and Democrats are guilty, agreeing to finance military spending in exchange for social programs. Each side claims a victory, but as taxes or borrowing end up paying for all the goodies, it is ultimately the taxpayer and consumer that pays the price.

Mere inflation is the best possible outcome of such profligacy. Inflation is the relatively modest tax we pay for never forcing our government to exercise control. So far, inflation has been the worst consequence of our lack of self-control. It could be worse. We could see total collapse if and when the world calls our bluff and gets tired of being paid in American dollars that continue to lose value.

The good news is that there are very simple solutions to the vexing problems of America, and the solution is extremely popular. It is a familiar solution, as every business and family makes use of it. It’s called a balanced budget. In political terms, it’s referred to as a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA), where basically the Constitution is amended, forcing Congress to live within its means.

The alleviation or curtailment of debt alone would have the wonderful benefit of reducing inflation and keeping the America dollar as the world reserve currency. But it would have untold other benefits, mainly the defunding and destruction of the wasteful and unconstitutional Leviathan that our federal government has become. Perhaps in the long run, it will also result in a much leaner government, the reduction or elimination of the IRS, and eventually, Americans looking forward to prosperity once again.

If ever there was a time and a person to push this through, it is now, and the person is President Trump. This change would represent the ultimate nuclear option of “common sense” changes. Leveraging Trump’s historically unparalleled momentum, why not continue to give the people what they want: a government that is “of, by, and for” the people, and therefore required to operate within its means, just as the people do.

Let’s just consider five vexing problems of our time and think of how a balanced budget might force a solution quickly, and organically.

Immigration

It is estimated that we spend about $150 billion/year on immigration. Granted, much of that is absorbed by the states who actually do have to balance their budget and thanks to Trump, this should be much less of a festering sore. But, make no mistake: so long as we have a labor shortage and the dream of converting immigrants into voters, there will always be the desire to import individuals into America. But when money gets tight, the associated costs with importing the world to our shores will be much harder to justify. When resources become scarce, either Party will be forced to put American citizens first, or risk political defeat.

Paying People Not to Work

Intimately related to the issue of immigration is our national problem of paying people not to work. Yes, some people need and should receive help. But everyone who can be employed should be employed or face the consequences. Those simply unwilling to work will end up at the end of the line for help when we have to make hard choices due to a constricted budget. Perhaps this might have the benefit of forcing younger generations today to make better choices for tomorrow. You know, don’t have sex indiscriminately, learn a trade or obtain an education, avoid committing crimes, etc.

The War Machine

It could be - and has been - argued that central banks exist to fund wars. Certainly, if every king or president was limited in warfare by how much gold he had on hand, wars would be scarce. But if it can be financed today and paid back later, the immediate gains of resources or land make such a debt look like a wise investment. So long as money can be created out of thin air, the War Machine will never cease. Cut off the money and we will be a lot more circumspect about what country we invade, fight, or occupy. And, by the way, there are cheaper ways to fight wars these days, namely through economic and cyber warfare.

Old Fashioned Waste, Fraud, and Abuse

When I was a kid, I remember some kind of scandal where the government paid something like $500 for toilets, as a recent article points out and exposes many more examples. Obviously, DOGE exists to find and eradicate this kind of waste. But DOGE feels like a fun project now. Wait till we have a BBA! At that point, DOGE will exist by necessity in perpetuity.

Agencies that are not Constitutional go Bye-Bye

What percentage of our federal government is unconstitutional? Well, almost all of the alphabet soup agencies are arguably unconstitutional, having been created thanks to wide latitude in interpretation being given to “commerce” and “general welfare” clauses in the Constitution. But when money is tight, maybe economic and the constitutional interests will align, and such agencies will have to go. “Maybe they are in fact constitutional, but even so, we can’t afford them.” Or, “We can’t really afford them, and as it turns out they probably aren’t constitutional anyway, so no love lost.” The fishermen will just have to catch their fish without the EPA.

And so on and so forth. The point is that DOGE will only be able to tinker at the edges until we have an administration that forces the federal government to live like every family: within its means. Best of all, today we find that a whopping eighty percent of Americans currently desire a balanced budget! This ultimate populist move will serve to give the people what they require of their government.

If Trump can succeed in giving America a BBA, maybe it will become his greatest achievement of all.