Each taxpayer in this country owes about $139,000 of our federal debt.  And it is only going to get worse if we don’t take corrective action now.  As a father, I want to make sure we don’t leave a mountain of debt to the next generation.  Last month’s federal deficit [February 2012] was over $231 billion—the highest single-month shortfall in U.S. history.  Every Congressman elected in 2012 must be dedicated to being a fiscal watchdog, because our fiscal house is in undeniable crisis.  That’s why I am announcing 25 ways to control federal spending.  Without immediate re-direction, our mounting debt service will eventually take "all the oxygen out of the room," leaving us nothing to fuel American growth and prosperity.

1. Fix our political process by instituting Independent State Redistricting Commissions to put an end to Gerrymandering
2. Reform Medicare and Social Security with up or down votes on comprehensive sustainability packages submitted by bi-partisan commissions
3. Apply “Chained” Consumer Price Index government-wide for inflation adjustments
4. Give Congress 45 day Authority to vote on line item budget rescissions proposed by the President
5. Limit the mortgage interest deduction to 100% deductibility on the first $250K of a primary residence mortgage, 50% on the next $250K. Phase in changes and grandfather current mortgages
6. Eliminate backlog of Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs) for Supplemental Security Income (SSI, aka “Disability”) recipients— Every dollar spent gleans over $8 in savings
7. Repair Affordable Care Act  
8. Pass the comprehensive immigration reform bill currently before Congress
9. Embrace North American energy, building interstate energy infrastructure, while surging scientific research on renewable energies and ending energy production tax credits
10. Extend the tax favored exclusion for health insurance “consumption” to small business owners, and raise the deductibility cap on health savings accounts
11. Index Alternative Minimum Tax brackets to inflation
12. Replace unlimited federal matching funding of state Medicaid benefits with block grants— This incentivizes states to weed out fraud, i.e. stop paying dead people & illegals
13. Reduce corporate tax rate by 20% (to 28%) to make U.S. corporations more competitive in the global economy
14. Build infrastructure that lowers transaction costs, i.e. deeper ports, railroad tunnels that accommodate double-stacked rail-cars, rural broadband networks, etc.
15. End tax subsidies for oil companies, ethanol manufacturers, and hedge fund managers
16. “Sunset” most all subsidies, as a rule, so they will be subject to automatic future costs-benefits review
17. Eliminate assorted 20 year Tax Exemptions granted to TARP Bailout Recipients (GM, AIG, and Citigroup)
18. Make charitable giving 110% deductible (although not “refundable”)
19. Audit Pentagon & Federal Reserve
20. Sell excess government real estate and buildings— See Map
21. Repair Davis-Bacon Act— Project labor agreements raise government contractor wages by 22%
22. Tax corporate income earned abroad at 50% (instead of current 100%) as an incentive for American corporations to re-invest their foreign profits in America
23.  Promote high quality preschool
24.  Require those unemployed >52 weeks to enroll in community college or online education courses in order to continue receiving benefits
25. Do the “Little” Things:  Permit Corporation for Public Broadcasting to Advertise (End its 15% federal subsidy); limit U.S. Postal Service mail delivery to Mon-Wed-Fri
26. Provide Option to Pay More— Congress should allow taxpayers who want to pay more income taxes an option to do so on their 1040 forms

We have come to a new era when we must all begin differentiating between what we want and what we need.  By instituting these reforms, we can cut our debt and control our deficit.

Congress must reduce federal spending by about $4.9 trillion over the coming decade in order to reverse America’s disastrous fiscal course.  This is my blue print for reforming government spending.  There's plenty of other good ideas out there too.  All we need now are people in Washington willing to lead on implementing them.