Drowning in Debt: We Can Fix It Without Gutting Grandma’s Social Security or Your Paycheck
The problem isn’t the debt. It’s who we let off the hook for the bill.
I bet you’ve heard that the U.S. debt is out of control, and we’re heading for an economic apocalypse. I bet your members of Congress beat you almost to death with the message that they must slash Social Security, gut Medicare, and raise taxes on working people, or we’re doomed.
That’s not economics. That’s a shakedown.
The truth is, we can reduce the national debt without financially mugging 90 percent of Americans. You know, the people who do the actual work in this country. What we can’t afford is another round of austerity f*ckery brought to you by the same circus clowns that gave billionaires a tax cut and said it would “trickle down.”
So here’s the recipe for five fixes:
No pain, and some gain, for working families.
A pinch of fairness, and a generous measure of common sense.
1. Tax the Rich Like They Live in Your House
Let’s stop treating the ultra-wealthy like economic guests who don’t eat our food, drink our beer and poop in our bathrooms. They’re human, they’re hoarding, and they live here. My economist father always said, “The wealthy don’t stay rich by eating at their own table.” It’s time to make them pay for eating at ours.
America’s billionaires made $1.8 trillion during the pandemic. Meanwhile, your rent went up, your eggs got expensive, and your paycheck barely budged (see BLS data).
A modest wealth tax — just 2% on fortunes over $50 million — could bring in over $250 billion in a decade. That’s without touching your paycheck, house, or small business.
Oh, and while we’re at it? Close the frickin’ loopholes for Pete’s sake and our sake too. The U.S. loses $100 billion a year to offshore tax dodging. Let’s end the corporate tax Whack-a-Mole and make big business pay for the civilization they enjoy.
This isn’t punishment. It’s patriotic.
2. Target the Real Welfare Queens: War Machines and Mega Corporations
Who’s really slopping at the government trough? Hint: It ain’t poor people.
The Pentagon sits like a fat turkey vulture on a budget of $886 billion for FY2024 — more than the following 10 countries combined. And they still can’t pass a full financial audit.
Cut just 10 percent — $85 billion — and you could fund universal pre-K, fix lead pipes, or make a serious dent in the debt.
The same goes for fossil fuel subsidies ($20–50 billion/year), Big Ag bailouts, and corporate tax credits that somehow never reach small businesses.
We’re not broke. We’ve been robbed in broad daylight.
3. Invest in the People Who Make the Economy Work
The best way to reduce debt? Stop firing everyone, and grow the damn economy.
Not with stock buybacks or crypto dreams, but with real investments: roads, bridges, broadband, clean energy, childcare, and education.
Every $1 spent on infrastructure returns up to $3 in GDP. That’s not spending. That’s smart.
It creates jobs, expands the tax base, and lifts communities. If you want a balanced budget, start with balanced opportunities.
4. End Racketeering in American Health Care
The U.S. pays nearly twice as much as other wealthy countries for health care and gets worse outcomes. Life expectancy is lower, maternal mortality is higher, and medical bankruptcy is a uniquely American shame.
Expanding Medicare drug negotiations and ending monopoly pricing across the system could save $500 billion over a decade.
Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, Medicare can now negotiate prices for a limited set of drugs, saving about $160 billion over 10 years. Let’s build on that.
No one should have to crowdsource insulin or skip chemo to make rent.
5. Make the Tax Code Smarter, Not Meaner
We don’t need higher taxes on working families — we need a 21st-century tax system that can walk, chew gum, and remember who built this country.
Let’s:
- Add automatic surtaxes on windfall profits during booms (looking at you, oil companies).
- Implement progressive consumption taxes that exempt necessities.
- Create carbon dividends from polluters and return the money to you.
This ain’t woke policy. It’s a “you want to breathe clean air and drink clean water” policy.
In other words: be fair, be flexible, and stop pretending the economy is a slot machine that only hits for the top 10%.
Fact!
We don’t have a debt problem.
We have a fairness problem.
And a political problem.
And, frankly, a backbone of integrity problem in D.C.
We don’t need to raise the retirement age. We need to raise expectations of who pays their share.
We don’t need to cut public services. We need to cut through the bullsh*t that says billionaires are untouchable.
If we can spend billions to bail out banks and defense contractors, we can damn well protect working families and the talent that actually makes our country great.
Let’s stop pretending debt reduction is only possible if 90% of us bleed for it. That’s not fiscal responsibility. That’s class warfare dressed in a navy suit, a red tie, and a whiteboard with a deficit chart.
It’s time to do what matters. Red, Blue, and you need to call your Congressional delegation and let them know adding to the national debt by subtracting from your paycheck is NOT AN OPTION.
