STOP US BEFORE WE DO IT AGAIN:

Sound-Biting the Deficit (NY Times, October 4, 2003)

For all these clear alarms about the fiscal shape of things to come, House Republican leaders are still happily working for more than $100 billion more in deficit-feeding tax cuts for corporations. This makes all the more ludicrous the news from the once-vaunted "deficit hawk" wing of the Congressional G.O.P. that it has received a commitment from the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, to allow debate on a constitutional amendment to mandate balancing the federal budget. That's right, Mr. DeLay, who is busy scolding any moderate Republican daring to question the wisdom of the tax cuts, is licensing an exercise in self-parody.

Most of the hawks have exulted in the tax-cutting binge that is speeding the deficit hemorrhage. The years-consuming constitutional-amendment process is shabby cover for a political gambit designed to produce balanced-budget sound bites for next year's election season.

Who cares if it takes a couple years to be ratified?

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 4, 2003 6:28 AM