CPI-X: A sensible solution to the nation’s budget woes: We need a comprehensive plan to put our nation’s fiscal house back in order

American Thinker ^ | 01/18/2024 | Chris Talgo

[SeekAndFind]

Since 2000, U.S. government spending has increased from $1.7 trillion to more than $6 trillion, the national debt has surged from $5.6 trillion to $34 trillion, annual interest payments on the debt have climbed from $350 billion to $1 trillion, and the national budget has gone from a $240 billion surplus to a $1.7 trillion deficit. In other words, over the span of nearly two decades, the U.S. government’s fiscal situation has gone from good to bad; however, it will only get worse unless drastic changes are made sooner rather than later.

The primary reason for the rapidly deteriorating fiscal state of the U.S. government is simple: too much reckless deficit spending. The good news is that this can be solved over a relatively short period of time.

The even better news is that if and when the spending problem is solved, the U.S. economy would be in position to grow at a swift rate, the dollar would likely remain the world’s reserve currency for the foreseeable future, inflation would ease, living standards would improve, prosperity would bloom, and opportunities to achieve the American Dream would abound.

In “CPI-X: A Novel Method to Decrease Spending and the National Debt,” economist Darren Brady Nelson provides a blueprint for an objective and politically feasible plan to reduce federal spending back to 2008 levels.

In a nutshell, CPI-X would tether federal spending to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), using the CPI as a baseline, and accomplishing actual spending cuts via the “X” in the equation. The X-factors in CPI-X are derived from benchmarking the spending of the U.S. federal government, states, and other countries along 10 basic policy areas, such as defense, health, education, etc.

[SeekAndFind]

Unlike other so-called spending reductions proposed by Congress in recent years, which only reduce the rate of spending growth, the plan outlined in CPI-X produces real reductions in spending.

For instance, under the plan, “the biggest overall cuts in terms of U.S. dollars ($) under CPI-X would be to welfare, health, and defense from $2.93 trillion to $1.6 trillion, $1.94 trillion to $648 billion, and $807 billion to $653 billion, respectively.”

Importantly, the cuts proposed under CPI-X are not across-the-board. Instead, they are tactical and policy-based.

For example, “in terms of relative ratios (%) to the total of 100 percent, welfare and defense increase from 37 percent to 44 percent and 10 percent to 18 percent, respectively, while health decreases from 25 percent to 18 percent.”

[PGR88]

LOL - “we just need a comprehensive plan”

Its a joke.

Neo-marxist ideologues are in power in Washington DC and they have organized the federal bureaucracy and intelligence to serve them and protect their power. Debt is their oxygen

You can do all the “comprehensive planning” and “voting” you want - it won’t matter as long as they can print money and use it to monetize debt

[eyeamok]

Anything short of abolishing the 3rd Central Bank( The Federal Reserve Corporation) is just plain folly.

[delta7]

There is no putting our “ house in order” with the size of our debt. It is UNPAYABLE. There is no “ fixing” it without debt default or “ forgiveness “.

History records this is how nations die.

[Eagles6]

Over a trillion $ a year to illegals.

I have a very quick fix.

[DennisR]

Welfare should be reduced to zero. Let state and local governments provide what is necessary.

[Eagles6]

$1,000,000,000+ to illegals, every year.

Probably, that much to "legal" immigrants.

I have a very quick fix.