BOND WARNS ABOUT DEFICIT; STUDENTS TOLD THEY WILL PAY SOMEDAY

Today's young people will get stuck with the bill for their elders' spending sprees if the federal budget isn't brought under control, U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond told Notre Dame High School students Friday.

A constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget is vital to ensure future fiscal responsibility, Bond said.

The senator from Missouri met with about two dozen students, parents and faculty at the Cape Girardeau school to discuss the need to rein in government spending.

The national debt is currently $5.3 trillion, making each American's share about $20,000. The federal government continues to run yearly deficits in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Bond warned that the day will come when interest alone on the federal debt will eat up every cent of tax revenue."You will be working just to pay the interest on the debt we've run up," Bond said.

Notre Dame senior Nick Watts told Bond that he and his friends are concerned about the future of government spending. "We don't like where things are going and the money they are spending," Watts said.

Natalie LeGrand, a junior, echoed his concerns and expressed confusion at how the government conducts its financial affairs. "I'm just trying to understand the mathematics of how the government can spend so much and still balance the budget," LeGrand said.

She was particularly concerned about spending at the behest of special-interest groups.

Said Bond: "My son Sam's generation will be forced to pay over $6 trillion in debt our generation has run up. That's just plain wrong.""It is our moral obligation to the next generation to balance the budget and keep it balanced," Bond said. "The only way we can make sure the budget stays balanced is to add a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution."Bond called President Clinton's balanced-budget proposals a "sham." He said 75 percent of Clinton's proposed cuts would take affect after he is out of office.

Future presidents and congresses are not required to follow current budget recommendations.

Putting off tough choices on the budget only exacerbates the situation, Bond said. A balanced-budget amendment would force Congress and the president to practice fiscal control."Too often we see a Congress on one hand and a president on the other hand not want to make the tough choices to balance the budget," Bond said.

Clinton opposes a balanced-budget amendment.

Two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress and the consent of two-thirds of state legislatures are required to pass constitutional amendments.

Bond believes amendment supporters can come close to mustering the needed 67 votes for Senate approval but is skeptical about chances for passage.

Bond said appropriations are under control, but entitlement spending is not. Spending for entitlements, which include Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, is automatic and does not require yearly congressional approval.

Cutting back on entitlements is tricky business. "Entitlements are very popular; a lot of people go ballistic if you say you want to reform it," Bond said.