Lamar AlexanderToday is Tax Day, and that means most Tennesseans have filed their federal tax returns, and many are eagerly awaiting their refund. But filing your tax return is about more than getting your money back from Uncle Sam — it’s a reminder of Washington’s out-of-control spending and overreach.
Our federal government’s largest problem is its $17 trillion debt, $55,000 for every Tennessean. But we can fix the debt and solve other problems by making tough decisions now and getting Washington out of the way.
Here’s what I believe we should do about them:
• 1. $17 trillion in debt, and growing: If we don’t fix the debt now, we’ll have let America slip from the “greatest generation” to the debt-paying generation.
Our skyrocketing debt wastes taxpayer money on interest payments and translates into higher taxes. Its main driver is out-of-control entitlement spending. The Medicare trustees tell us in 12 years Medicare won’t have enough money to pay all of seniors’ hospital bills.