All US states other than Vermont run balanced budgets, so those same politicians could do the same when they move to Washington.
Have you seen Illinois (or many other states for that matter)? Most have no idea what a balanced budget is. Here's an excerpt from some random google search:
Top 5 State Debt Per Capita
Alaska $40,714
Hawaii $33,111
Connecticut $31,298
Ohio $27,836
Illinois $24,959
Personally I find Illinois a bit amazing, since it is also the fifth most populous state based on the 2010 census.
Contact me if interested
John (at) AltSlashdot (dot) org
"I've seen it. It's rubbish." -- Marvin the Paranoid Android