One would be hard-pressed looking for someone who does not believe the U.S. economy is headed in the wrong direction. Despite this unanimity, there is not a clear consensus to get our economy back on track. Between economists and politicians, everyone seems to have their own idea of what the best strategy is, but until there is a strong consensus behind one movement, significant results will never take place.

If Americans want to get a handle on the enormous debt already piled up, they must be committed to stopping the habit of running deficits year after year. The only way to do this is by establishing a zero-tolerance for deficit spending. When a spending bill is passed it needs to clearly state where the money will come from to fund the projects inside of the bill. If the money is not there, the bill becomes void. Consider your own home: if you want to buy a television, you have to be willing to cut back on other spending to be able to afford that TV. We should look at government spending the same way. By establishing a record of zero-tolerance, the country will be able to get back on track. But this alone is not enough.

Since having a balanced budget will not affect the debt that was already created, something has to give to pay off the current national debt. While no politician will stand much of a chance running a campaign based on raising taxes, Americans must be willing to accept such a scenario if needed. While I like the tax return I get after filing my federal taxes, I would not mind not receiving it if I knew Social Security would be there for me in the future. The prospect of Social Security running out should not be viewed as a scare tactic, however frightening it might be to people. The reality is that if we do not start reducing our national debt immediately, the social programs that are parents and grandparents took advantage of may not be there for younger generations.