Editor, Gazette-Journal:

At first blush, a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) outright or a petition for Congress to call a constitutional convention under the guise of proposing a BBA sounds like a good idea.

But, a BBA would actually increase the power of the federal government, because the only restriction on spending would be the amount of money to be spent on what is now unconstitutional rather than the restrictions of limiting spending to the listed actions authorized in the Constitution. A BBA would legitimize the longstanding usurpations of powers by federal officials.

If spending cuts could not be agreed upon, then it would be necessary to raise taxes or borrow or print more money.

Most BBAs have loopholes; exemptions could be allowed in the event of variously defined national emergencies. It could be a war or if our national security is threatened.

A Balanced Budget Amendment Article V Convention would be a threat to the Constitution because it would have the inherent power...