Senator Kerry has

solicited from his constituents a request for ideas to "reduce the deficit".
This is of course, Kerry at his best, fostering dialogue, creating debate etc etc etc. However I'm not sure it comes to a Hill of Beans in the current political environment, we seem to have stopped listening as a republic.
Of course the last time we stopped listening for a prolonged period...the Civil War was the result.
So lets not "borrow trouble" to quote my white haired old father.
It goes without saying that I like John Kerry, he means well.  Anyone with the undying emnity of Joan Vennochi can't be all bad in my books.
But this deficit reduction stuff is doomed to failure...Its a world wide recession, the spender and hirer of last choice is always the government. And if it isn't then what is stopping the private sector from touching off a big economic revival? Taxes, they've never been lower, regulations, didn't bother anyone when Bush was abusing the White House...the deficit?
The deficit quadrupled in four years under Bush and you'd have to penetrate the seventh circle of hell before you found a tea partei stalwart who spoke up about any of it before election night 2008.
Still, John Kerry is a statesman, and I'd hate to leave him cold.
So how about this:
Jack up the top rate to fifty percent in this country, end the oil depreciation allowance, end farm subsidies for factory farms and cut the military budget twenty five percent. And if corporations are people let them ALL be liable for 15% off the top to the Social Security trust fund.
Just those five alone brought to debate in the US Senate could probably fracture the Federal Union.
Or else JK could just go down to the well of the Senate and in a short speech announce that the USA is now a miserable & squalid oligarchy that would shame the Rome of Commodus Caesar.
Might be quicker that way....