Eliminate deficit in 5 easy steps

Here is an idea to relieve our $15 trillion deficit.

We have been supporting the Middle East regimes for at least 30 years with our military. Let’s send them a reasonable bill, factoring in inflation, for $200 billion a year. That would reduce our deficit by $6 trillion.

We have been protecting Europe for 60 years. Let’s send them a reasonable bill for just $20 billion/year. That reduces our deficit another $1 trillion. The Chinese have been manipulating their currency for at least 20 years causing a $250 billion annual trade deficit. Let’s bill them a retroactive bill for a 25-percent tariff on those goods, which reduces our deficit another $1 trillion.

Let’s not leave out all of the countries that have shipped their citizens here illegally since the mid-80s. A bill for $5 trillion for educational and health care costs along with the resultant depression of wages and unemployment costs seems reasonable.

We also can bill the corporations for the incentives and tax breaks for moving their factories overseas. We pair that with the taxes they have hidden by using offshore accounts, and I’m thinking $2 trillion seems like a reasonable number. That takes care of the $15 trillion. Not bad. No more deficit.

But let’s not stop there. While we are at it, let’s call in all of the foreign aid we have given all of these other countries, which I’m sure we could show is worth a couple trillion. Holy Moley! We have a budget surplus!

Dan Kairis

South Elgin