Modest Proposals

I've begun to lose count of all our wars and covert actions. Phillippines, Colombia, Mexico, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen and covert actions in Iran, Venezuela and the Sahara. It's silly to debate the merits of these adventures because our military-terrorism complex is really not responsible even to the President of the United States. However, we know from the $1 trillion spent in Iraq that expenditures on war without revenues can lead to some bad stuff at home. President Obama's escalation in Afghanistan will cost $30-40 billion more than has been allocated in the recent Defense Budget. It's time we should get our $1 trillion National Security enterprise on sound fiscal footing. I would propose raising the top income tax level to 50% where it was at the beginning of President Reagan's term. In that way we can go to war whenever and wherever we want without breaking the American economy.

We've all heard how Social Security has a $2.5 trillion surplus but that has long been spent by the US Government to make up for seasonal shortfalls. First, let's make Social Security and Medicare means-tested. Second, let's adopt a VAT tax to pay for our safety net of retirement and health care benefits. This also might help trim our own consumerism.