We are going about this in totally the wrong way. If we spend all of our time asking “What can we cut?” we will never cut anything significant. We need to approach from the other direction.
Let’s start by asking ourselves, “How much do we have do spend?” Start with the income from last year. Actually we could use that as the number to work with. No family plans their year on what they want to bring in or on the belief that they are going to win the lottery. Let us start with what is.
Then go to the Constitution. I know it is a strange idea, but bear with me. What is specifically listed in the Constitution that is the responsibility of the Federal Government? By that I mean what it lists not such generic terms as “the General Welfare.” Some things are obvious. National defense comes to mind. That does not mean it can’t be reduced but it is a clear expectation. Coining money would be on the list. We make a list of what is required, jot down the totals for those and see where we are. Then we can move to our wish list and fight it out.
The wish list is everything else, no matter how worthy or important. The wish list should have every item with a sunset clause of no more than six years so that everyone elected is forced to make a public declaration of what they want the tax payers to fund. If we were asking the voters if they want their taxes raised to fund NEA you might find out that there would be no backlash for doing away with it.
Each item would need to be voted on individually to reduce back scratching.
When you run out of money, stop spending. If the income goes up, pay off the debt or take another look at your favorite program.
You might want a 10 year adjustment period in which no government employee below a certain pay grade is fired. Of course, no one is hired either until the numbers are down. Attrition would take care of the extra workers and the ten years would give them time to make plans.
There are ways out of this mess but everyone thinks someone else should pay the bill.
homo unius libri
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Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.