1. In 1976 you stated, "A senator who was serious about cutting inflation and balancing budgets could have made things better," and made the pledge, "to slow down the Senate's spending increases. If I don't vote that way ... I'll resign!" Over your 30 years in office the deficit has grown to record levels and the debt ceiling is $9 trillion. Why have you not resigned?

I'm as committed now to driving down government spending as I was in 1976. And an honest look at my voting record proves it. In fact, I championed efforts to enact a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment, which helped Congress and the president balance the budget in 1997 for the first time in more than 30 years and led to an unprecedented federal budget surplus.

True, we're in a short-term deficit because we're climbing out of a recession, fighting a war, and recovering from a devastating hurricane. But thanks to pro-growth tax policies I helped push through Congress, tax revenue is surging and our current deficit is less than 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product — a lower rate than deficits from 1980 to 1995.

2. You often proclaim your love and respect for the U.S. Constitution. Why is it that you have proposed and supported more than 70 amendments to it?

Eliminating duplication, I have sponsored only eight different amendments and co-sponsored four others. They are used as a last resort, dealing with matters that can only be successfully addressed by a Constitutional amendment rather than ordinary legislation. The vast majority of my amendments restore the Constitution to the Framers' intent after a misguided ruling by the Supreme Court, and a few propose changing the structure of government. They have wider support than most proposed amendments — I have introduced six of the 10 most widely co-sponsored amendment proposals in the last 30 years.

I believe that the Constitution belongs to the people, not unelected jurists. The people have the authority to change it, and I trust them to do so properly.