WE, your Memorialists, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Maine now assembled in the First Regular Session, most respectfully present and petition the President of the United States and the United States Congress as follows:

WHEREAS,  controlling our debt and passing balanced budgets is a matter of great moral and economic significance; and

WHEREAS,  since the year 2000 our national debt has more than doubled and the United States Government borrows on average $5,000,000,000 for each business day; and

WHEREAS,  the national debt on January 1, 1791 was $75,000,000 and currently the national debt rises by that amount every hour; and

WHEREAS,  our out-of-control debt not only endangers our standing as the leading economy in the world but was characterized as a national security threat by Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton on September 8, 2010; and

WHEREAS,  49 of the 50 states are required by law to pass balanced budgets; and

WHEREAS,  our nation's debt is being passed on to future generations, who have no say in the decision‑making process; and

WHEREAS,  passing our debt to the next generation is contradictory to the American principle of leaving our nation, states and local communities in better shape than we found them; now, therefore, be it