If I were in charge

If I were charge, I would raise taxes.  And yes, primarily on the wealthy.  The fact is that we enjoy an amazing amount of freedom in the US, and that simply doesn't come cheap.  The wealthier you are, the more you benefit from living here.  Don't get me wrong, I think we should also cut spending, but the reality is that both the marginal and actual tax rates are crazy low.  So low, in fact, that we're heading down the same path as countries like Spain, Portugal, and Greece.  If that's not a wake up call, I don't know what is. 

The one thing the charts below don't show is that some 50% of Americans don't pay any taxes.  At all.  I also think that's unacceptable.  Everyone should have to pay something, even if it's just a little tiny bit -- a symbolic amount.

 

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/06/low_tax.html