Once again, the liberal leadership of the House of Representatives has thumbed its collective nose at the American people and fiscal integrity in defeating the balanced-budget amendment.

The vote last Thursday was 280-153, a solid majority in support of the measure, but one that fell nine votes short of the two-thirds needed to send the measure to the Senate.

The defeat was a frustrating one, made more so by the fact that only a few weeks ago it appeared the measure had a good chance of passage.

Opponents argued that passage of such an amendment and ratification by the states would result in higher taxes and smaller Social Security checks. Ironically, that argument was pushed by the same liberal Democrats who have year after year pushed for higher taxes not to reduce the deficit but to provide more and more money for run-away government programs.

In truth, a balanced-budget amendment would have forced lawmakers to make the tough decisions to rein in government spending and the spiraling federal deficit.

The way to do that, as Congressman Bill Emerson has rightly pointed out, is to cut back on federal spending.

Americans are fed up with congressmen who show no fiscal restraint and continue to saddle the current and future generations with ever-mounting federal debt. Even some liberal lawmakers, like Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois, realize there's a desperate need for a balanced budget.

The federal deficit is expected to hit a record $400 billion this year and the gross federal debt continues to climb. In 1986, the gross federal debt was a little over $2 trillion. Now, it is about to pass the $4 trillion mark.

The nation will be paying $315 billion just in interest on the federal debt in the coming fiscal year, making it the top spending item in the budget.

Think about it. More money will be spent in the coming fiscal year on interest payments on the debt than on either defense or Social Security.

The recent vote is an indication that as long as liberal Democrats continue to control America's purse strings, the nation will be saddled with ever-rising debt. And although President Bush supported the balanced budget amendment, we've been very unhappy with the weakness of his positions on federal spending. "Good politics" has brought us bad government.

Only by electing fiscally prudent congressmen can we hope to bring federal finances under control.