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RE :”But a “clean” BBA would change that. It would create a constitutional command. A private party with standing could ask a federal judge to remedy a violation of a clean BBA by ordering increases in taxes to close budgetary gaps, instead of spending cuts. Advocates of a clean BBA point out that with every provision in a BBA, it becomes harder to find the votes for a two-thirds supermajority needed to vote the BBA out of Congress and propose it to the states, where it would very likely be ratified in short order....But to grant judges the power to raise taxes would be antithetical to the constitutional design of political accountability for taxes. It would create a perverse incentive for members of Congress who wanted to raise taxes but were politically vulnerable to foster gridlock on spending battles, then let the courts do their dirty work for them by increasing taxes to make up the shortfall. “

And how could a judge even decide what taxes to raise, or spending to cut?

Want to cut spending?? Tie the debt ceiling increases to highly visible tax increases on the majority of voters, many who pay NO Federal income taxes now (they are not overtaxed.) And send them a letter telling them why their taxes are going up, the same way Washington sent a letter to voters telling them a welfare check (that $800 ‘rebate’) was on the way.

Want to cut spending?? Tie the debt ceiling increases to highly visible tax increases on the majority of voters, many who pay NO Federal income taxes now (they are not overtaxed.)

That would be good, but do you really think it is politically possible? Dems and RINOs are going to continue to buy the cheapest (for themselves, not cheapest for future taxpayers) votes they can find.

Maybe no real solutions could be considered until we become Greece, and at that point I think it would be too late.

I hope I am am wrong, but hard experience tells me not to expect too much from human nature.

I don’t see a judge setting tax rates.

In Arkansas when Huckabee was Governor some judge said that education had to be funded more. The legislature choose to hike taxes to do that. Huckabee signed the bill. He then blamed the court. But the judge didn’t hike the taxes and sign the bill into law.