“Would it not make more sense to dramatically reduce the size of government and radically cut government spending, cutting government programs at all levels, giving even the wealthy a break?”
Absolutel. And this time let’s not make our usual mistake of putting the cart before the horse and giving ourselves a tax break before we cut spending.
Number One:
Abolish the Dept. of Education
This should be left to the States.
Number Two:
The EPA should be cut in half at a minimum, again, back to the states.
Number Three:
Dept. of Labor should be abolished.
Number four:
Dept. of Health should be cut in half.
There is so much more.
Adopt a “fair tax” or “flat tax” and cut the IRS to the bone.
It's necessary that the tax break come first. Turning around the economy is an urgent priority and MUST be the first concern. Once the economy is growing again, more people will be employed and the tax base will expand with the economy.
Shrinking government and reducing spending will be the second job...and will necessarily require a longer time-frame.