Debt ceiling does not work for U.S.

It nearly happened again! A government shutdown that would scare the daylights out of senior citizens believing they won't get their Social Security checks and Medicare payments and military personnel won't get paid. Both parties play political games with this issue.

Out of 110 Countries, only 2 have such a silly rule as spending limits. This rule has been violated at least 78 times with only a handful of times being shut down in my 85 years. This asinine rule should be repealed immediately. It serves no legitimate purpose.

I happen to have some credibility on this issue, having devoted 30 years of my life attempting to balance the budget as vice president of Iowans for Tax Relief from 1979-2009. We (ITR) failed to pass the Balanced Budget Amendment. President Clinton and Speaker Gingrich were the last administration to actually have a balanced budget.

I regret very much that I wasted my time all those years trying. When I started in 1979, we were $6 Trillion in debt. Now we are $33 Trillion. Obviously, spending limits do not work!

Cloyd "Robby" Robinson, Former State Senator

Cedar Rapids