82R3838 CBE-D     By: Elkins H.C.R. No. 39       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, Federal spending continues to outpace revenues, and   for the third consecutive year, the United States is expected to   post a budget deficit of more than $1 trillion; and          WHEREAS, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike   Mullen, has called the national debt "our biggest national security   threat"; crushing debt not only diminishes America's role in the   world and its ability to solve global problems, it threatens the   American way of life and limits the future of our children; and          WHEREAS, The issue must be addressed, but not through higher   taxes; although it has been argued that added tax revenues would be   used to reduce the deficit, research shows that, in fact, every   dollar of new taxes leads to more than one dollar of new spending by   Congress; and          WHEREAS, It is imperative that the United States restore   fiscal responsibility, but without strict guidelines, Congress is   unlikely to make the tough choices that are necessary to control   spending; the time has come to require the government not to spend   more than it receives in revenues, and the most effective way to do   that is through a federal balanced budget amendment; now,   therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to   propose and submit to the states for ratification an amendment to   the United States Constitution to provide for a federal balanced   budget; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the legislature urge Congress to cap the   maximum income tax rate at 15 percent so that all federal taxes   withheld from an individual's wages, including Social Security and   Medicare, cannot exceed 15 percent; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official   copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to   the president of the Senate and speaker of the House of   Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the   members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that   this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a   memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.