Government Budget

With the average American so heavily in debt that they can't save enough- or any- money for retirement, it's a small wonder that the government who represents those people has the same problem. The federal government, like most American's, is barely making ends meet due to their lack of fiscal responsibility when it comes to spending.

When some people can't afford something they want, they go without it. They focus on what is truly essential and leave the "I Wants" for times when they have a windfall. All too many people, though, are allured with the prospect of having something NOW, and pay for it on credit. The government has been doing the same thing.

It would be nice for the government to provide free health care for everyone, but we can't afford it. It would be nice to finance a complete shift to renewable energy, but we can't afford it. It would be nice to replace all the states' infrastructure, but we can't afford it. Yet, we try.

The government should do what personal financial advisors recommend for those in debt: stop spending money on things that aren't essential. If the government allocated some money, say $10 billion, for just one year to pay towards the national debt, they would save hundreds of millions of dollars the next year in interest payment. This money could then be used to further reduce the debt, and the saved interest used the year afterwards. The debt would, essentially, pay itself off after one initial investment, provided the government stayed within it's means otherwise.

The problem, though, is it would require fortitude not to spend that extra money on something else, the way most people and governments are prone to.