Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

[MrRubix]

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...s-graphic.html

[MrRubix]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

My answers in terms of fewest overall cuts:

In terms of minimal boxes checked, I did it in five:
Reduce troops in Iraq/Afghanistan to 30,000, Cap Medicare growth starting 2013, Raise SS retirement age to 68, Allow expiration for income above $250k, Eliminate loopholes but keep taxes slightly higher

My answers WITHOUT any cuts to Medicare or SS:
Doable in 8: Reduce troops in Iraq/Afghanistan to 30,000, Return the estate tax to Clinton-era levels, Allow expiration for income below $250,000 a year, Millionaire's tax on income above $1 million, Eliminate loopholes but keep taxes slightly higher, National sales tax, Carbon tax, and Bank tax

[AsphyxZero]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

Let's just get the Feds to print off 100 trillion dollars so they can pay themselves off.

[RobertsonaIsBack]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

ban mexicans

[Izzy]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

Take total control over all aspects of the united states and only distribute enough food to each citizen to keep them alive from 2011-2014 while still forcing them to work so that the government can take everyones money. Also take everyones valuable's and melt them down into sell able metals and sell them to china.

[darkshark]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

Bring back slavery.

fer rills though, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...oices=s7fk15n0

I feel these choices were the least likely to be detrimental to the well-being of the country. Capping medicare is debatable.

[Patashu]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

isn't the deficit an artificial money related construction and not, for instance, a measure that says we're forcing our country to do more work than it can do that would objectively indicate less needs to be done

[MrGiggles]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

My answers WITHOUT any cuts to Medicare or SS:
Doable in 8: Reduce troops in Iraq/Afghanistan to 30,000, Return the estate tax to Clinton-era levels, Allow expiration for income below $250,000 a year, Millionaire's tax on income above $1 million, Eliminate loopholes but keep taxes slightly higher, National sales tax, Carbon tax, and Bank tax

This isn't a terrible list. I'm especially fond of estate tax.

[Patashu]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

ps can I do this http://michael-hudson.com/2010/08/th...e-valuation-2/

[freekilltwo]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

drop a severe tax on all asian vehicles, because theyre the cheap vehicles everyone is buying, european vehicles arent quite as rare but they should get more of a tax than they have to get some money for us too, quit contracting all the militarys jobs to groups like blackwater and have our troops do the jobs theyre paid to do, stop sending our jobs out of country, drop another big tax on tobacco products because they do nothing but kill you and everyone around you, and i know somebody is gonna take this the wrong way but i dont smoke, but if we legalize marijuana with a sizable tax we stop sending illegal drug money to out of country cartels and such and that money goes to our government instead, and then up the meal tax at places like mcdonalds and burger king which also has the benefit of helping to lower our obesity rates, may not be enough to solve our problems but it should at least make a few dents

[Crashfan3]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

**** yeah put me in charge
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...oices=rl0mn151

I didn't make many cuts to the military, primarily because I want job security until I retire from the USAF in circa 2031, though I did reduce the nuclear warheads. I think we'll be perfectly capable of obliterating everything with a few hundred less nukes.
I tried to keep as much medicare programs as possible, but the 2013 cap was worth $562 billion, which was simply too big to ignore, and I would definitely vote in favor if I was a member of Congress.
I kept social security mostly unchanged. Raising the retirement age from 67 to 68 is a small deal worth $54 billion by 2030, though I know a million seniors would be at my throat for that one.

[Patashu]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

I^H this dude has a better answer

http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/2010/11/fix-the-deficit-cure-diabetes.html

[DotKritic]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

I buy everyone a beer with what money I saved.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...oices=u55ur53f

May not be in the best interest, but meh.

[All_That_Chaz]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

If it were only this easy. Proposing many of these solutions would be political suicide.

[devonin]

Re: Solve the deficit problem right here -- share your answers

What a shame, since so many of them are perfectly reasonable suggestions.