The only way a balanced budget amendment will be feasible is by limiting Congress's ability to use the tax payer's money to increase its own power, prestige, authority, and personal fortune. You have to limit the size of the budget they will balance to get the federal government off the backs of productive Americans.
How would you accomplish this?
You pass a Constitutional Amendment or something just as iron clad prohibiting Congress or the White House to use the people's money for their own health care, retirement, or to benefit any person, group, or entity that does not benefit all, rich and poor, equally. You make them fund their own 401ks and healthcare plans. No more would a six or twelve year 'career' in government net somebody a lucrative lifetime retirement at the people's expense.
And you take away their ability to buy votes. Entitlements would need to be phased out slowly so as not to break faith with those made dependent on them, but by 5 or 10% or whatever increments, they would be transferred to the states to manage. Federal taxes would be reduced to the amount needed for Congress to fufill its constitutionally mandated responsibilities and nothing else and that would free up cash the states could then use for their increased responsibilities.
The states will do it a far sight more economically than the feds do or the people will revolt there and put in people who will be fiscally responsible.
When our fearless leaders and their constituencies found they could vote themselves money, the system became hopelessly corrupt both in government and among those who are beneficiaries of government charity.