It does not take a genius to fix the deficit and drastically improve the economyu

[ThomWV]

Its pretty simple actually. First, repeal the Bush Tax Cuts, then remove the cap on paying into Social Security completely for every one and then use the excess funds that come in to pay for Medicare for everyone. Finally, tax capital gains as regular income and use the money it generates to pay down the debt and provide free education for every citizen from pre-school to the PhD level. Then stand back and watch our economy grow at a rate that would make Brazil blush.

[hifiguy]

1. It IS simple. That is what is so infuriating.

If it were me, I would

Reduce "defense" and intelligence budgets by an initial 40-50% (end wars, close overseas bases, abandon imperial dreams, etc)

Reinstate pre-Raygun tax rates and tax capital gains at the same rate as all other forms of income

Lift the FICA cap entirely

Eliminate corporate welfare in all its forms

Reduce corporate tax rates but eliminate all loopholes in their entirety

Boom. Balanced budget and likely a substantial surplus.

[Scuba]

15. I'm close to you....

...but I would eliminate corporate taxes altogether in favor of a progressive capital gains tax.

I would also continue "corporate welfare" selectively to try to stimulate needed tech... new energy innovation, medical innovation, etc. But certainly no negative taxes for the GE's and Exxons.

I'd also ban derivatives and heavily regulate hedge funds. No more John Paulsons.

[montanacowboy]

2. You are right, it does not

but it does take a leader with guts, vision, leadership and balls

and we are sadly lacking in the one we have

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

11. All the leadership in the world won't change the fact that Republicans control

the U.S. House of Representatives. They have told you in no uncertain terms that they want this president to fail and will do everything in their power to have us blame HIM, not THEM!!

[tridim]

3. It's simple in a perfect world with no Republicans.

[cbdo2007]

4. While I think you may have been dreaming when you wrote this....I'll still give it a Rec

[TheKentuckian]

5. Don't forget the crucial massive infrastructure investment.

If we don't get on the stick with that it won't much matter what else we do.

We've got a multi-trillion dollar hole just to get our old stuff up to code and then really need to modernize if we wish to be competitive and self sustaining.

Even things as monumental as health care, Social Security, and sanity to tax code won't mean much if most people either can't get water or it is poisoned by mixing with the sewage.

[The Magistrate]

6. Hear Hear, Sir!

[spin]

7. K&R (n/t)

[girl gone mad]

8. The deficit doesn't need to be fixed.

Shrinking the deficit can only be accomplished by reducing private sector savings (increasing private sector debt). Is that really smart economics at present?

[MadHound]

9. Oh, and while we're at it, cut military spending in half,

Military spending is the largest consumer of our tax money going.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. Those things MUST take place in Congress! So, no! It's not rocket science.

You're right about that. But, the president cannot repeal anything. That action takes place in Congress.

Rocket science? No! Civics 101? Absolutely!!

[bvar22]

17. ?

"Strong and successful presidents (meaning those who get what they want - whether that happens to be good for the country or not) do not accept "the best deal on the table". They take out their carpentry tools and the build the goddam piece of furniture themselves. Strong and successful presidents do not get dictated to by the political environment. They reshape the environment into one that is conducive to their political aspirations."

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/07/17

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

19. The LBJ fallacy is getting pretty old. He had 67 Democratic Senators and some

reasonably liberal Republicans!

No comparison!

[bvar22]

21. ?

"Johnson was the catalyst, the cajoler in chief. History records him as the nation's greatest legislative politician. In a great piece on the Daily Beast website, LBJ aide Tom Johnson, writes about how his old boss would have gotten a health care reform bill through the current congress. It's worth reading to understand the full impact of the "Johnson treatment" and how effective LBJ could be in winning votes for his legislation."

http://thejohnsonpost.blogspot.com/2009/08/johnson-treatment.html

[Initech]

12. It's way past time to make 'em pay!

[valerief]

13. It just means taking on the Billionaire Mafia. nt

[Motown_Johnny]

14. True, but in our system just one idiot can ruin the economy

and we have no shortage of those

[fascisthunter]

16. you have my vote

[Riftaxe]

18. Well we certainly have not been electing Geniuses

So the voters have certainly been doing their part.

[Elwood P Dowd]

20. Go back to what worked from the mid 1930s up until Reagan.

Go back to the tax, trade, and regulatory policies of that era. Oh, and throw a few hundred bankster crooks and politicians in the slammer along with kicking 30,000 corporate lobbyists out of Washington. After Washington gets fixed we can then start doing the same with the states.