PLATTS ACKNOWLEDGES HIS OWN FAILURE

I read Todd Platts' piece in last week's edition of The York Sunday News regarding the proposed balanced budget constitutional amendment, and quite frankly, I'm a bit surprised that Todd would publicly admit to his own failure as a congressional representative a mere twelve months before he stands for reelection. You see, the logic behind the balanced budget measure is that leaders like Platts are totally inept when it comes to reaching sound fiscal decisions about government spending and taxation, so they want a balanced budget amendment to do the work for them. Never mind that we're paying Todd and his colleagues $174,000 per year to make the tough choices; now he wants those taken off his plate too.

I'm not against the principle of a balanced budget, but there are times other than wartime when the government needs to step in to stimulate economic growth and those steps frequently require periods of deficit spending. The proposed amendment Platts is sponsoring does not address those situations and effectively hamstrings our Nation's ability to address future economic crises.

What our country needs today is not another constitutional amendment. What our country needs are leaders; men and women with integrity who are not afraid to bear witness to the inequities that exist in this nation and are steadfast in demanding sacrifices from every sector of our population, including their own constituents. If Todd Platts is unwilling or unable to be one of those leaders, it's time we take our $174,000 and look for one elsewhere.