Early in President Reagans administration when there was hope for ending the long string of federal budget deficits. many lawmakers vigorously condemned red ink spending at a congressional hearing on a new raise of the debt limit so the government could pay its bilz “The plain fact is that we vnminust pay the bill for extravagance ” ‘the past,” declared Sen. William Roth, R- . Sen. David Boran, D-Okla., quoted economist Richard Rusell as saying: “If the U.S. govanmant were a corporation nt would be bankrupt” Ami Sen. Strom Tlrun-nornd, RSC. said: “We must move with unwavering discipline toward a balanced budget. The nation’s futnnre economic survival depmtds upon nt.” But hopes of Congress and the president for balanced budgets soon cooled Now. five years later, the debt has more than doubled the level at the close of 1981. Fiscal 1986, which ended Sept. 30, brought a record deficit of $220.7 billion that pushed the total obligation to $2.2 trillion, Annual interest on the debt rose to $1117.1 billion. Just the interest alone costs, taxpayers morethan $512 milliona day. The history of the natiornal debt underlinu this fact: Massive spending beyond income in modern times is responsible for ;.he awsome borrowing dilemma we now A few historical highlights: The government was debt-free in 1 5, but the Civil War uml-E5) incurred a feiural debt of $2.7 billion. Suzceedlng administrations had cut the obligation to $1.23 billion by 1916. Our World War I involvement boosted it to $25.5 billion by 1919. Eleven years of budget surpluses reducsi the debt to the 1900 level of $16.2 billion noted in my previous column. However, deficit qnmding during the Great Depression and World War ll caused a surge to $271 billion by 1946, a mindboggling and unprecented figure at tlnat time. With four balanced budgets, President Tnnman and Congress cut the debt back to $59 billion by the close of 1952, President Eisenhower’s three balanced budgets helped hold the total to $291 billion as of 1960. The fiscal record in the Truman and Eisennhower years was all the more commendable because the Korean War and heavy postwar aid came during that period. The national debt moved upward consistently after that. except for a balanced budget in 19H, and reached $544 billnon in 1975. The Vietnam War contributed significantly to the deficits in much of that era. Now the almost-unbelievable capper: Since 1975. the debt has quadrupled to the present $2.2 trillion! Democrats and Republicans from time to time have accused each other of being the “big spenders.” The time for political blamefixing should be over now The urgent thing is for the two sidm to jointly get us out of the debt quagmu-e – wnth the public’s cooperation, of course. 1.4et’s recall some previous unsuccessful efforts: – A dozen years ago Congress. with good intentions, passed the Bndget Act of 1974, but this did nothing to control the debt. – in 1978 lawmakers adopted a statute tPublt Law 95-4351 requiring that beginning with the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. 1980, total budget outlays “shall not exe ceed receipts.” President Jimmy Carter signed the measure into law but neither he. his successor nor Congress have abided by it. – A strong attempt was made in 1912 to enact a constitutional ammdmunt to insure a balanced budget. Sen. Orrin 1-latch, R-Utah, was the principal author. President Reagan endorsed the move. The legislation cleared the Senate 69-31, two votes more than the necessary two-thirds. But it lost in the 1-louse, the 236-180 vote being less thann a twothirds majority. Countlas factors contribute to our annual deficits but in asence it’s a case of just too much modern-day spending. Consider this: it took 173 years – from the founding of the Republic in 17 to 1962 during the John F. Kennedy presidancy for annual spending to exceed $100 bnllion. Not evan during World War 11 did we spmd that mnnch in a year. But in the past 24 years, federal outlays have skyrocketed all the way to the $989.8 billion spent in fical ‘B6. The new Gramm-Rudman deficit reduction act is an excellent step toward controlling excas spending. Even so, 1 be lieve the record speaks loudly for a strong mandate from the people to provide the needed fiscal discipline. l hope Senator Hatch and his colleagues will initiate new legislation for a constitutional amendment in the 100th Congress which convenes Jan. 3 – one similar to the previous version which would require a balanced budget but with leeway in case of war or otha serious emergency. Maybe this time lawmakers would be ready lu clear the musure for consideration by the states,