There are 2 Main Reasons for the Deficit. Tax Cuts and Big War.

[grahamhgreen]

5. Since the Bush tax cuts of the early 2000s, the US federal government has taken in about 18 percent

while spending 25%, the numbers don't add up. Before that, we had a surplus. What changed? Bush tax cuts and unfunded wars and a massive increase in the Big War budget. And, oh yeah.... costly trade agreements began to show their effect!

If you want to get unemployment back to 5%, you're going to have to get rid of the costly trade agreements that moved our jobs overseas. And I don't see that happening in these talks.

It's not insane to talk about cutting Big War.

The money spent on war has a limited, one time benefit. When a bomb is built, once it blows up, it's economic impact is over. However, if we took that 'defense' money and say, built wind farms, or gave people a free education, that money would be returned into the economy in the form of 'free' electricity, or a more educated populace with higher earnings potential.

So big war, IMHO, is a huge part of our problem that must be cut before we can funnel the money into more productive areas.