Oddly enough, there are plenty of European countries with lower taxes holistically, higher entitlements, and lower debt / deficit levels.

As far as I can tell, the solution isn't nearly that hamfisted. It requires:

- Reinstituting rule-of-law (not just Trump; the whole system)

- Instituting basic proper management of funds

In Europe, I can walk into a government agency and be done in 15 minutes, with a smile from the administrator, for what would take months of fighting in the US. If a part of the government is breaking a rule, I can point them to it, and they'll follow it. Courts are slow, but follow clear laws; I don't see black robe syndrome. And police follow and enforce laws.

US used to be closer to that too; it actually led the world in good governance for much of history.

That's hard work of diving in and cleaning up every piece of the administration. There's no stomach for that. Until there is, the deficit will keep going up.

> Reinstituting rule-of-law (not just Trump; the whole system)

It's probably more correct to just say instituting. While Trump has certainly turned the rule of law on its head, it's a not-so-secret secret that the law has never really applied to the rich and powerful. If we're already going to be making fixes, we should make a real effort to honor the rule of law.

That would necessarily include things like reforming bail and fines so they scale properly with ability to pay, especially in the case of corporate fines.