Responsible budget from congress.

Social Security / Medicare need to reduce benefits and increase taxation. Let's start with the easy one; social security taxes. Make every dollar of income be taxed for social security. If you make over $150k (pick a number, I don't care where it is), then 100% of your social security is taxed as income. Or maybe tax it a little more.

Cut the federal government. (mini-doge, for lack of a better term). Stop the growth in the budget of each department. Pull back 10%; done sanely by assessing what the department is doing, what it is required to do, and what it doesn't need to do.

Cut the military. Do we need both a land based and sea based nuclear deterrent? Get rid of 1 of them. Cut active duty strength 10%. Stop ridiculous projects like "B-52 Re-engine and Radar update". (So, I am going to put money into my 1950 ford, when I can buy a 2026 model (B21) at a reasonable price... this is absurd)

Raise taxes. Not a lot, but raise them. Bring in more revenue. You don't have to eat the rich, just reach a little deeper into their pockets. (also, I don't care how you define rich. Pick a number)

Do all of these in a moderate amount, and you will be OK. The yearly deficit will shrink, and some of the outstanding bonds will be paid. It doesn't have to be fixed in a year; a 20 year plan, executed, is fine.

You can fix a deficit by reducing spending or increasing income.

Things like not cutting taxes when or letting tax cuts expire would help.

Ending programs can help, but not when it's done in unconstitutional ways that result in court expense, the program being reinstated, and backpay for no work. I'm sure some programs have fraud and waste, too; but the fiscally optimal amount of fraud and waste is not usually 0%.

Related: government shutdowns are also a big waste of money. You can blame those on whoever you like, but having them regularly is not fiscally responsible.

Most spending is legislated and can’t be cut without congressional approval.

Where does all the wealth come from? I remeber, as a small boy, i learned Bill Gates was the richest man on earth with 8bn$. Today, Alon is ~120x that much. Where did all this came from?

"Money printer" is usually used negatively by right wingers to argue against debt driven social spending. The point missing in economics and politics is, that this money printer never stopped and it doesnt work for the many but for privileged elites. The superficial right wing response is just a reminder, whos in charge of their world view and fiscal policy.

The distortion of the public debate is reflected in your lopsided stance too, that you think you need DOGE to tackle the problem by cutting spending. There is another way.

Think about it this way, you have a money source, thus you should have a money sink, otherwise it migho get out of hand [1]. What could such a sink be? (i know you know it too.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financialization

EDIT: I want to hint at modern monetary theory, very "controversial".

> I'm not a psychopath but how are we supposed to fix the deficit without something like DOGE that can cut programs.

Reverse the taxes of Trump and Bush to start. Then perhaps reverse the tax cuts of Reagan.

A major plank of the GOP's game plan has long been cutting taxes and then complain about too much spending:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starve_the_beast

Another plank has been voter suppression:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REDMAP

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_strategy

Behold, the sea lion in its natural habitat.

You can’t be serious.