State Representative Jim Buchy
States Can Lead the Way in Reducing the National Debt

Here in the state of Ohio, we are required to balance our two-year budget, which means there are many difficult decisions that have to be made by lawmakers in order to comply with the Ohio Constitution. But because of this requirement, we are forced to sit down and seriously consider what things need funding and what things don’t.

It is the same way for Ohio families. They understand that responsible budgeting requires smart decisions and balances between what they take in and what they spend.

If you haven’t noticed, this is not exactly the case in Washington DC, where the national debt has ballooned to more than $17 trillion. That’s “17” with 12 zeroes and four commas behind it.

Some leaders in Washington understand the problems involved with piling up those kinds of deficits year after year. Some others clearly do not. Since Washington has given no indication that it will get its budgets under control, several individual states have begun to step in and take action.

In Ohio, State Representative Matt Huffman, of Lima, introduced a measure that ultimately hopes to put a balanced budget amendment into the US Constitution. The process for amending the Constitution is rightly complex. Rep. Huffman’s resolution calls for a constitutional convention.

If similar resolutions passed in at least 34 other states, then the convention would be held, where each state would send delegates to discuss and debate the language for the amendment. Once that happens, the amendment would need approval from at least 38 states in order to be ratified. The last I saw, at least 17 states have already passed resolutions calling for the same thing.

Along with families all over Ohio I have great appreciation for the constitution. This resolution was not introduced in response to a failure of our Constitution, but rather a failure of leadership by both parties over many years.

Rep. Huffman is a friend and someone I have great respect for. He has been a great leader on this issue for several years now in Ohio. When I was informed of his idea and learned more about how the states can lead the way on this, I was eager to sign on as a cosponsor. The beauty of Federalism is that the states have the constitutional ability to keep the federal government in check.

This issue is a cause worth pursuing because the more we rack up the debt today, the more our children and grandchildren will have to pay for it tomorrow.

I am interested to hear from you. Please provide feedback on this and other issues in the news this month by completing my survey at tinyurl.com/buchynov