You are on page 1of 2

The Union Leader, Manchester, N.H.

--- Saturday, February 13, 1988 Presidents Call, Politics Dictate Action By Donn Tibbets State House Bureau Chief CONCORD - A personal telephone call from the President Ronald Reagan and the political implications of this presidential primary year have caused key proponents to try to table an effort to rescind the state Legislatures 1979 call for a constitutional convention to mandate a balanced federal budget. The floor fight over House Concurrent Resolution 11 to reverse the Legislatures 9year-old effort to force an unwilling Congress hand and demand a balanced budget was put off last Tuesday and is a special order of business for this coming Wednesday. But the pressure against the resolution has been building and a key supporter, House Majority Leader Vincent Palumbo, R-Kingston, told the The Union Leader yesterday it culminated Thursday when President Reagan called and said he thinks the resolution sends the wrong message from the most Republican State in the Union to the Congress. He urged that HCR 11 not pass. I had received several calls from White House staffers earlier in the week and I had told them that the people seeking to rescind the 1979 action are not against a balanced federal budget and that New Hampshire is not against a balanced budget because we demand it in our own budget, said Palumbo. We just felt that having a constitutional amendment is not the way to achieve it. It looked like Washington State or Kentucky this week could become the 33rd of the 34 states necessary to require such a convention, but thats not the case now. Washington apparently wont pass it this year and its still up for debate in Kentucky, he explained Initially, Rep. Calvin Warburton, R-Raymond, was one of the few trying to oppose HCR 11, but this week Gov. John Sununu jumped into the fray and Republican State Party Chair Elsie Vartanian heightened the opposition. They echoed the message that such action by the New Hampshire lawmakers would send the wrong message, and they dismissed the fear of a runaway constitutional convention raised by proponents of rescinding the 1979 call. Palumbo says House Speaker Douglas Scamman, R-Stratham, feels if the issue gets tabled it will be in the best interests of the party, the House and New Hampshire at this time. Palumbo said there would be no attempt to take the resolution off the table if we send it there. A simple majority vote could remove it later but since deadlines would have been exceeded it would require a two-thirds majority to suspend the rules and get enactment. The sponsor of the resolution, Rep. William Riley, D-Marlborough, intends to pursue passage, but proponents of killing it are agreeable to tabling which would keep the House and Senates 1979 position intact. Palumbos switch indicates hes run by the people in Washington and not the people of New Hampshire charged Leroy Cramer of Merrimack, a member of an ad hoc conservative committee that fears a runaway convention.

Theres already a law on the books that says the federal budget should be balanced and Congress ignores it. Theres no reason to believe Congress would pay attention to a constitutional amendment, Cramer asserted. But Palumbo said hes been flooded with calls from everybody ranging from the Save the constitution groups to the No Tax organizations on both sides of the issue. Palumbo said the split on this resolution is weird with staunch conservative former Governor Mel Thompson and Claire Ebel of the Civil Liberties Union both wanting us to rescind and those two never agree. It would have been a tough fight, not essentially partisan Republican-Democrat, he said. Back in 1979, then House Speaker George Roberts left the chair to argue for the balanced budget call supported by John Tucker who later became speaker. Chris Spirou and Susan McLane argued against it. Current Speaker Scamman joined Spirou and McLane. But Palumbo who like Scamman supports Bob Dole for President said the floor fight was not put off Tuesday because it would have been an embarrassment to Dole who had just spoken to the Legislature on the importance of a balanced federal budget. But Palumbo admitted that the Dole people and top leadership in the Republican Party were concerned wed be sending a wrong message. We do understand the political implications in a presidential primary year in the most important primary state. Palumbo said Dole absolutely favors a balanced budget and if Congress doesnt send such an amendment to the states he would support going over its head for a convention to do that. Palumbo also insisted that Speaker Scamman has not been involved in the resolution this time and theres been no leadership position I emphasized that at the committee hearings. Nine years ago the House overturned a standing committee and adopted the call for a balanced federal budget 178-161 with final House approval 199-137. The Senate adopted it 16-7. Dear State Senator, Florida State Senator Jeff Atwater introduced SCR10 on March 1, 2010 which calls for an Article V Convention Call for the sole purpose of proposing a balanced budget amendment to the U. S. Constitution. In 1988 the Florida State Legislature rescinded their Con-Con call after research was provided by The John Birch Society and Norman Lears People For The American Way group as to the dangers of a Con-Con. Now Florida is urging New Hampshire to defeat HCR28. Please take a moment to view the video Beware of Article V and read Dangers of a Constitutional Convention by Larry Greenly. Yours for Americas future, Bill McNally 7 Blueberry Road Windham, NH 03087 HCR28 was introduced by Rep. Timothy Comerford for the 2010 session. HCR28 passed the House and Senate effective date 5/5/2010

You might also like