Re: "Pence & Hensarling: Time for a Spending Cap With Teeth"

At the blog LibertyPundits, there is a short article (here) about a proposed constitutional amendment to limit federal spending.  A brief quote:

"As with other constitutional amendments, Congress would be given the authority to enforce and implement it. But for the first time, the federal government would have a limit on its size and scope."

My comment there was:

"Congress can "enforce and implement" other amendments because they are enforced and implemented against others, not against itself. If Congress is left as its own watchdog, it will exhibit exactly the same amount of restraint that it would show in the absence of the amendment.

The Founders knew that only the balancing of powers against each other have the ability to restrain government. An amendment as described would be the equivalent of having Congress be the arbiter of the constitutionality of its own acts."

I thought it was an important enough criticism that it should be documented here.