Congress is over-thinking deficit

Is Congress taking a simple problem, our deficit/debt, and making it complex? Perhaps I’m blissfully ignorant, but I offer this solution:

• Reduce spending equal to 10 percent of national debt, per year, for 10 years.

• Install a flat federal income tax rate of 20 percent.

• Freeze federal hiring (excluding military) for 10 years.

• Abolish 10 percent of federal agencies.

• Abolish, over 10 years, two cabinet level departments.

• Reduce civil service employee count (all cabinet level departments) 10 percent.

• Reduce taxpayer support of the United Nations by 10 percent every 5 years until zero.

• Cease taxpayer foreign aid to enemies and/or those who harbor the enemy.

• Reduce Medicare premiums 10 percent.

• Increase Medicare individual (means tested) financial share up to 10 percent.

• Reduce the number of federal holidays 10 percent.

• Repeal 10 percent of federal regulations over 10 years.

• Require congressional approval of new regulations. Doesn’t make any less sense than what the president and Congress is offering, does it? Back to the first bullet ... after 10 years our national debt would be a manageable $5.6 trillion.

God bless America, and God bless our military.

STEVE BRIXEN

Sandpoint