Corporate taxes are an easy place for people to look for ideas to reduce our deficit and debt. Corporations can feel abstract—large, distant, and often associated with profits and executive pay. That makes them a politically safe target. But corporations are also employers, investors, and the main vehicle through which
It’s an appealing idea. The numbers at the top are large, the need is large, and the logic feels straightforward: raise taxes on the wealthy and close the gap. But when you walk through the math, it doesn’t work. There might be an argument to be made that the wealthy
Why Different Philosophies Lead to Different Answers Arguments about taxes usually stay on the surface—rates, loopholes, and who pays how much. Below this debate are moral assumptions about different types of taxation. People often talk past each other because they are starting from different assumptions about the relative morality of
In a well-run nonprofit organization, a board of directors is a made up of trustees, expected to act as stewards. The board’s job is to protect the mission of the organization, preserve financial health, and make decisions that ensure the organization remains strong over time. The focus is not on
The conversation about U.S. debt often gets pulled into extremes—either dismissing it because the U.S. is still dominant, or treating it as an imminent collapse. China’s view is more disciplined than either of those. It does not expect the United States to fail suddenly. It does, however, see persistent deficits
A Different Kind of Federal Responsibility In our view, national defense is different from most other major areas of government spending because it is one of the few things only the federal government can truly provide. States cannot maintain fleets, nuclear deterrence, global intelligence systems, treaty commitments, or unified command
A brief history America’s healthcare system was not built as a single national program. Instead, it developed over time in layers. Employer-sponsored insurance grew during and after World War II, supported by tax policy. In 1965, Medicare and Medicaid were created to cover the elderly, the disabled, and many low-income
National defense spending funds: The military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force) Operations, training, and readiness Weapons systems and equipment Intelligence and national security support It is one of the core and uniquely federal functions of government. Scale Current Spending: ~$917 billion (~13% of total federal spending; fourth largest
Social Security is a federal program that provides retirement income, disability benefits, and survivor benefits (for families of deceased workers). It is primarily funded through payroll taxes paid by workers. Scale Total Spending: ~$1.65 trillion (~24% of total federal spending; largest federal program) Per person: ~$4,940 Per household: ~$12,200 Covers
Interest on the debt is the cost of borrowing money to fund past deficits. When the government runs deficits, it issues debt. Over time, it must pay interest on that debt to investors. This spending does not fund programs or services. It is the cost of prior decisions. Scale Total
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