Raise taxes and make sensible cuts

Richard J. Mundy, Las Vegas

Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011 | 2:02 a.m.

I’m getting tired of people constantly complaining about the lack of action by Congress. If they want someone to blame, they should look in the mirror.

The solution for America’s financial problems is simple: Raise taxes and make judicious cuts in spending. But if a member of Congress stood in front of his or her constituents and told them they’d have to pay more in taxes while seeing their benefits reduced, that politician would be lucky not to be run out of town, let alone worrying about being re-elected.

Don’t believe politicians who tell you that taxes don’t have to be raised, and that cutting spending can balance the budget.

That may have been possible during good times, but with the severe recession we’re experiencing, the U.S. Treasury is not getting enough money to pay the bills. Bold action is needed, but most Americans don’t want to pay the price needed, so the America we claim to love will go down the tubes.