Ideas for U.S. fiscal policy

I think what Romney said "off the cuff" was refreshing. To hear a politician speak his mind instead of demonizing his adversary's supposed motives, character or closeness to the Lord makes sense.

Here's my point: We need a budget without gimmicks or this country is in for another downgrade of our credit score.

Democrats shouldn't feed us that higher taxes for the rich are going to solve our fiscal problems.

The Republicans need to stop refusing to pay the national tab on money we've already borrowed.

They also could identify what their entitlement reducing plan is and who it affects.

Our military spending has gone up by 50 percent since 9/11, and they want to keep that level; but we have no country to send our trillion-dollar machine to. There are only hundreds of small groups of militants. Don't we need more group infiltration? Drones don't cost a billion a plane and have been effective in this new type of battle.

These are just a couple of ideas, but if we at the national level go anywhere, the sacred filibuster has got to go! Those "eloquently talking dudes" shouldn't have such an easy tool to kick the can down the road.

PAUL HERZBERGER, Cape Girardeau