Actually the burden (the share of revenues paid) by the highest income earners increased throughout the 2000's. The rich paid more and poor paid less.
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www.irs.gov/taxstats/ind ··· ,00.htmlAnd you are right, the Neo-con jerkoffs ran deficits in the $200B range the entire decade but by 2006 they were decreasing and about $160B when the Pelosi Politburo took over. Then the deficits skyrocketed immediately to $400B. Now it is $1.8T with no end in sight.
Make ALL government spending discretionary.
Cut everything...non-so-so security entitlements, pentagon, eliminate ALL gov't pensions and let them slum it in the So-So security pool with the rest of us. To fix so-so security raise the retirement age to 70 for anyone under 60, eliminate so-so security payments to higher income retirees (anyone making more than $60K/yr) and eliminate the cap on So-so security contributions. Instant solvency for So-so security.
Across the board 25% cut (REAL cuts, not the bullshit Democrat cuts which are just cuts in increases) in EVERY portion of government including defense and social programs and then freeze that spending for 5 years. Strict means testing for ALL benefits. No cost of living increases, no increases period. Cut government worker pay by 15% across the board and no public employee pay increases for 5 years and after that index their increases to those in the private sector. Gov't hiring freeze for 5 years. Let the government roll back like American business and families have had to. Gov't union workers go on strike...fire them and replace them. With 18+% underemployment there are plenty who would love those jobs.
Make all tax increases require a super majority. All new programs with a CBO cost over $200B/yr require a super majority. Make it impossible to create titanic programs or raise taxes unless there is consensus of both parties.
Eliminate capital gains taxes and make those profits taxable as income at the earner's marginal rate, just like other sources of income.
Outlaw the deemed passed bull crap like that just used by Pelosi to get over a trillion without having to actually have a budget.
Lastly pass a Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment and get it ratified so that drunken sailors of any party can't get us in this mess again.