Poll: Nevadans favor balanced federal budget, let states repeal federal laws

WASHINGTON -- A majority of Nevadans say they believe it is time to revive a proposed constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget, according to a new poll.

And in a measure of how residents feel about Uncle Sam these days, a majority either support or would not rule out letting states repeal federal laws if two-thirds of the legislatures agree.

A so-called "repeal amendment" to the Constitution is an idea in its infancy. It has not been tested in debate but is compelling on its face to conservatives and Tea Party advocates in Virginia, where the House speaker says he might propose it in the next session.

Questions about selected structural changes in the Constitution that would affect the powers of the federal government were included in a random-sample survey conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and 8NewsNow. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

It showed 57 percent of Nevadans support a constitutional requirement that the government spend no more than it takes in. Most proposals of that nature include exceptions for times of war, and that allow excess spending approved by a three-fifths vote. Only 24 percent of respondents said they opposed the idea, and 19 percent said they were undecided.

"Support for a balanced budget amendment is fairly obvious given the deficits the government has run up, and a balanced budget has always been popular," said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research.

Balanced budget proposals have been advocated at various times since the presidency of Jimmy Carter, who left office in 1981.

An amendment failed by one Senate vote in 1995, but has not risen to equal prominence since then.

Critics have called it a rigid gimmick with little relation to the nation's economic health, and say it would prevent Congress from responding to crises.

Every state except Vermont has some form of balanced budget requirement, and most have struggled to comply with extraordinarily large shortfalls brought on by the recession. Most gaps have been closed through spending cuts, revenue increases, use of federal stimulus dollars and by tapping reserves, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

The federal government's budget deficit is expected to exceed $1.3 trillion this year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The budget was last in balance in 1999, and in 1969 before that.

As for the "repeal amendment" that would allow any federal law or provision to be scrapped if voted down by two-thirds of state legislatures, 49 percent of Nevadans said they would support the concept; 27 percent said they opposed the idea; and 24 percent said they were undecided.

Coker said the responses suggest Nevadans might be curious to learn more.

"You only have 27 percent saying no," Coker said, "which means 73 percent are either saying, 'Yes,' or, 'Hmmm ... I'm not sure but I'd think about it.' Undecided means they've got an open mind."

Coker attributed the reaction to strong feelings about the health care reform bill. While many people welcome improvements in insurance coverage, polls show it is unpopular with a majority.

Stephen Dodson, a 62-year-old Las Vegas retiree, was among the Nevadans who said he supports a repeal amendment.

"There has to be some ways to control what the government is doing," Dodson said. "It seems like right now they are not listening to what the voters are saying. It seems they are doing more things behind our backs and behind closed doors."

Dodson said the government is a runaway, "and it is our fault. We have stepped back and kept our mouths shut for so long."

The "repeal amendment" to the Constitution was among the ideas floated in an opinion piece on federalism written last year by Randy Barnett, a constitutional law professor at the Georgetown Law Center.

The amendment has been embraced by Tea Party activists in Virginia, and by William J. Howell, the Republican speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.

Howell said he will introduce the proposal in the upcoming session of his state's General Assembly.

"I think this is a good time for this kind of amendment," he told the Richmond Times-Dispatch last week. "What is going on is a complete breakdown of the separation of powers."

Under the proposal, Congress could re-enact a repealed bill if it felt strongly about it.

"In effect, with repeal power the states could force Congress to take a second look at a controversial law," Barnett and Howell said in an opinion piece published by the Wall Street Journal last week.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.