Americans for a Balanced Budget Amendment is a grassroots non-partisan organization dedicated to ending America’s unsustainable deficit spending. Please find more information below:

A Message From The Founder >>
ABBA's Philosophy>>
ABBA's Strategy >>
How You Can Help >>
Resources For More Information >>

A Message from Dr. Alan Parks, Founder of ABBA

My name is Alan Parks. I live in Texas, where I’ve been a board-certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist for 21 years. I care so deeply about this issue, which has the potential to so greatly affect our future and our children’s future, that I recently left my medical practice to found Americans for a Balanced Budget Amendment (ABBA), an organization which will fight from the grassroots level upward to help dig our children’s generation out of the hole that year after year of deficit spending has created.

I hope you will read more about our organization and the importance of passing a balanced budget amendment. Please join us if you believe as I do that we must act now.

Philosophy

What is a balanced budget amendment?

Simply put, a balanced budget amendment would limit the spending of the federal government to be equal or less than the revenue it collects each year. We support an amendment which allows Congress to deficit spend in times of war, severe recession, or other emergency if 60% of both houses of Congress approved. To prevent misuse of the clause, Congress would have to renew this emergency allowance each year and the deficit spending should be limited to the amount needed to deal with the national emergency or war only.

What do you support, and why?

We believe that passage of a balanced budget amendment will be one of the greatest, most meaningful achievements of our generation. It is the best way to control government spending, keep our country out of debt, and help the economy when we need it most.

Americans for a Balanced Budget advocates grassroots action because recent years have demonstrated that politicians in Washington are out of control. They continue to add unprecedented levels of debt to each and every American, and it is up to us to stop them before it's too late. Our national debt is already over $15 trillion, which amounts to nearly $194,000 for a family of four. This year the federal government will increase our deficit almost $1.5 trillion. That's $1,500,000,000,000 of extra debt.

A balanced budget amendment is the best way to control government spending because it is the only method that is fail-safe, unlike other schemes (such as Pay-Go, Gramm-Rudman, etc) that are easily abused by budget gimmicks and political maneuvering. The emergency provision will also ensure that our government can respond to crises like the tough times we are experiencing today.

Forty-nine of the fifty states' constitutions require a balanced budget, and we should demand the same from our federal government. If you believe as we do, please join us.

Strategy

Our first goal is to raise awareness of this issue throughout the country. We hope to compel the leadership in Congress to bring this issue up for a vote by showing overwhelming support from the American people, which begins with educating and motivating Americans. We will add to our membership roll by word-of-mouth, email, and targeted mailings. Other means to raise awareness include editorials, billboards, newspaper, radio and TV ads.

Americans for a Balanced Budget Amendment is also working to meet with like-minded elected officials and recruit endorsements. We will use the power of our grassroots network to influence legislators until we pass a balanced budget amendment.

How You Can Help

Americans for a Balanced Budget Amendment offers an opportunity for everyone who believes in the need for a balanced budget to help. For those who wish to get involved, we welcome members across the country to take action by speaking with their representatives and writing editorials. If you would like to help in a smaller way, you can sign our petition and join the organization's mailing list. Every contribution helps!!

Resources for More Information

• More on a balanced budget amendment.
• Track the US Deficit.
• Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis