Constitutional Amendment to Remove the Balanced Budget Requirement

[Sam Spade]

Actually no mention is made of a minimum time; the procedural thing says "This vote shall last for a maximum of seven (7) days". If the intention was to make it so that a vote has to last for 7 days or until all Senators have voted, it isn't written down.
I could be misreading things though.

I believe his point is that the vote could still be 6-4-0, which is obviously not a two-thirds majority. The general workings of the Senate have been that a vote stays open until it is absolutely guaranteed passage (in this case, has 7 votes) or its maximum duration expires (in this case, 7 days).

Correct.

[Јas]

Sorry to inconvenience, but could someone lay out the amendment in full here, for clarification. Thank you.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I believe his point is that the vote could still be 6-4-0, which is obviously not a two-thirds majority.

True; I was just fooling around

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Looking back at older votes, that does seem to be the way that things have usually been done, yes. It would have been helpful if it had been written down somewhere though.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Sorry to inconvenience, but could someone lay out the amendment in full here, for clarification. Thank you.

Amendment to Remove the Balanced Budget Requirement

§1. Clauses 8-10 of Article I, Section 8 in the Constitution are hereby stricken.

[Joe Republic]

Uh, do I need to sign this?

[Јas]

Sorry to inconvenience, but could someone lay out the amendment in full here, for clarification. Thank you.

Amendment to Remove the Balanced Budget Requirement

§1. Clauses 8-10 of Article I, Section 8 in the Constitution are hereby stricken.

Thanks.

[Sam Spade]

Uh, do I need to sign this?

The President has nothing to do with the process concerning Amendments or Senate Resolutions. 

If you wish to change the Constitution to make that possible, please go on ahead.

[Joe Republic]

Uh, do I need to sign this?

The President has nothing to do with the process concerning Amendments or Senate Resolutions. 

If you wish to change the Constitution to make that possible, please go on ahead.

It was a genuine question, and I didn't need the snide response.  Thanks anyway.

[Sam Spade]

Uh, do I need to sign this?

The President has nothing to do with the process concerning Amendments or Senate Resolutions. 

If you wish to change the Constitution to make that possible, please go on ahead.

It was a genuine question, and I didn't need the snide response.  Thanks anyway.

My snide responses are generally to make a point.

I was hoping the President might have taken the time to read the Constitution.  But as in the good ol' US of A, I can see that hasn't happened.

[Joe Republic]

Actually, I've read the Constitution many, many times over, and hold it in much higher regard than you seem to give me credit for.  I merely asked my question because I felt it would take somebody who already knew the answer a few seconds to tell me, instead of me trawling through the entire document myself. 

The snide remark was actually quite insulting - regardless of the point you were making.

[MasterJedi]

Ok can we get a revote on this now and if we can't there's room for another bill on the floor.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Technically as the previous vote is null and void, I don't think there's anything stopping such a vote.

I would think it's a good idea for all Senators to re-read the arguements for and against this proposed amendment. I will also point out that the removal of the requirement does not rule out the possibility of making further cuts into the deficit. This is not a vote for or against fiscal responsibility nor will this vote automatically change the situtation; it has to go to a public poll first. This is just a vote on whether or not we should ballot the public on this amendment to the Constitution. I will ask you all (and this includes non-Senators) not to snap at each other over this.

I hereby call another vote on this Amendment to the Constitution.

[MasterJedi]

Aye

[Ebowed]

After giving this some thought:

I never, in fact, supported a balanced budget requirement; I opposed the movement to repeal it to keep some strains of fiscal responsibility around here.  I still would support a large number of budget slashes, but I felt that my opposition to the repeal was not based in sound reasoning (i.e. I don't even support what I'm opposing the repeal of).  With this in mind, I vote Yea.

However, I may not vote the same way when it's time for the regional ratification.

[The Dowager Mod]

Nay

[Gabu]

Aye.

[Platypus]

Let the people decide.

Aye.

[MAS117]

I agree with Hugh on this.

Aye

[MasterJedi]

5 Aye
1 Nay
0 Abstain

One more Aye vote and this will have passed.

[Jake]

Aye

[Gabu]

5 Aye
1 Nay
0 Abstain

One more Aye vote and this will have passed.

No, we now have ten senators, so we need seven ayes.

[MasterJedi]

5 Aye
1 Nay
0 Abstain

One more Aye vote and this will have passed.

No, we now have ten senators, so we need seven ayes.

-_- I really shouldn't try to think when I'm tired.

[MasterJedi]

Just thinking about it for a second and now all we need to get this passed is Al's vote.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Aye

[MasterJedi]

Aye

Yay it's passed!