Americans, would you support a "balance budget amendment"?

[Cubus]

So basically: national debt cannot be above some % of GDP.

For example: in my country, Constitution says that national debt cannot be higher than 60% of the GDP (in real life it's 55%, because politicians do not want to get too close and accidentaly overreach it).

[normalice]

No. It is a bandaid on a fracture. Ultimately, the idea behind debt is the things we buy now are for the benefit of future generations, so those future generations can help pay for it. This is perfectly fine in theory but of course falls apart because the things we buy now are not, in fact, for the benefit of future generations but are instead for the benefit of a handful of billionaires we keep buying useless cheap crap from so they can keep being billionaires without doing any work.

[Cubus]

Future generations are not happy

[normalice]

Future generations don't exist yet.

[OlderAndWiser]

Absolutely. Such an amendment wouldn't cure everything, but it would be a good start!

[Cubus]

How would you lower the current debt to meet the standards, if it was 60%?

[OlderAndWiser]

I would not cut defense spending but would phase out some entitlement programs. At the moment, controlling illegal immigration would greatly reduce government spending.

[TrueConfection]

It sounds like a great idea, but one party tends to shrug off our constitution without consequences.

[Cubus]

Do you think its doable in American reality?

[docster]

Yes, I would support it. The problem is that the politicians would work around it. We have, or had, a debt ceiling but whenever they approach it, they vote to raise it. It's meaningless.

[Cubus]

Thats why it would be an amendment. It would be harder to change it than bill

[exitseven]

Yes, if things keep going the way they are going the economy will collapse.

[jahaims]

We have plenty of money through our current system if corrupt politicians weren't stealing it.

[ApplePie409]

It will never happen in America.

[Cubus]

Because of Republicans or Democrats?

[ApplePie409]

Both.