Letter: Make tough choices about U.S. debt

Diogenes is still searching for some brave members of Congress who will make the tough choices ["Difficulties of cutting debt," News, Dec. 4].

For starters, any exempted increases in spending or reduction in taxes should be covered by "pay as you go" financing. Failure to come up with cuts should automatically result in the adoption of 2008 spending levels for the agencies in question. Go back to adopting the budget agency by agency, rather than the midnight omnibus bill. This legislation rolls everything up for all agencies and provides no time for anyone to read and understand the fine print in the bill.

There should also be means testing for all government assistance programs, and sunset provisions for agencies and programs that have completed their missions. End pork-barrel member-item spending and stop paying farmers to not grow crops. Abolish corporate welfare subsides via favorable tax code deductions. Start a real campaign against waste, fraud and abuse.

The IRS needs to go after both individual and corporate delinquent taxpayers, along with overdue student loans. These combined owe hundreds of billions of dollars in uncollected debts. Create one-time-only tax amnesty for corporations hiding profits abroad, and bring these dollars back home for investment here.

Close down obsolete military bases abroad and reduce United Nations and foreign aid to those who offer us no support when needed. Ask our European and Arab friends to reimburse the costs of our military adventure in Libya. End the wasteful war in Afghanistan.

Kicking the can for making difficult choices today to future generations could result in America going from the Super Power today to the Super Debtor and second-rate nation tomorrow.

Larry Penner, Great Neck