First things first: scrap the current income tax (worked O.K. at the outset, but times and situations change) and replace it with a variable-rate consumption tax (no higher than 21% when times are good, no lower than 15% when things are bad). This will put the government on something it's DESPERATELY needed for close to 40 years (a budget). Next, raise the minimum wage to $10.00 an hour (this'll bring the working poor up to speed). Next, legalize prostitution (7 bil in tax revenue) and all drugs (3 bil in tax revenue) and dump that money into a national healthcare system (with people in better health, they'll live and WORK longer, earn more, buy more, and thus contribute more towards everything). Finally, wipe out all debt on BOTH sides (neither camp can afford to pay it off, and neither has any serious intention of following through); whatever it's been spent on is still in use, so write it off as a push and adapt stricter credit policies for the future. Is this a flawed plan? Sure, but nothing's written in stone; you can always tweak it to shake out the bugs. We can't keep going this way for more than another 20 years.
