Try to be realistic though, so don't just go halving the defense budget or maxing out tax rates for everyone... :P
Here's my 1st go at it:
[SPOILER="Spoiler"]
[Image: http://i.min.us/ijocvU.png]
And that's with maintaining over 400b in military, raising science and medicine funding, raising medicare benefits, not cutting education, and some other stuff... Figures below...
[SPOILER="Spoiler"]52
2
8
20
9
15
1
15
8
40
3
400
8
1
30
3
5
2
3
2
2
1
10
15
50
47
125
10
2
6
30
_
taxes:
10%
10%
10%
20%
20%
20%
20%
20%
_
medicare:
75%
75%
50%
-25%[/SPOILER]
edit: Damn it... they rearrange the figures every time it loads...
[/SPOILER]
edit: Here's my second attempt...
[SPOILER="Spoiler"]Budget deficit for 2015: $-603.7 B
Long-term SS deficit solved: 100%
Choices: http://min.us/mcIpRgJ[/SPOILER]
edit: Attempt #3...
[SPOILER="Spoiler"]Budget deficit for 2015: $-196.8 B
Long-term SS deficit solved: 100%
Choices: http://min.us/mem9Ewx
That one was pretty good I think... except snuffing vets. But I don't really think vets need special treatment like housing loans or education. Medical, yeah... but, this doesn't let me separate those things.
There were pretty massive changes across the board, and military spending even actually went up. All of our research went way, way up, and education would be practically free for everyone, and much better funded.
Elementary/secondary education: 30 -> 60 B
Higher education (aid for college): 5 -> 50 B
I cut down on international aid, cause... well, **** other countries. We have our own problems to deal with first.
Renewable energy research: 3 -> 30 B
Medical research: 36 -> 75 B
Scientific research: 17 > 50 B
In transportation...
Mass transit: 14>15
Highways: 54>60
Air/rails: 27>28
Homeland Security went up from 47 to 50 B. And in Defense...
Regular operations: 601 > 605
Nuke development: 11 > 20
Afgan/Iraq: 50 > 0 (Yeah. We're pulling out.)
Space program... 19 B to 1 B... Honestly, we have problems here on Earth before we need to worry about space.
etc...
I like my changes overall.[/SPOILER]
edit: Just with some taxes, no other changes...
[SPOILER="Spoiler"]Interestingly... just with some tax increases and no other changes whatsoever, we can get the deficit into a surplus...
[spoiler]10% tax increase for $75,000 - $500,000*
20% tax increase for $500,000+*
20% corporate profits*
carried interest
crisis fee
carbon tax
alc tax
soda tax
5% VAT
return estate tax to 2001
RESULT: $-13.4 B
* = not actual percentages, just the "options" on the site. In reality, they're only like 3-4% increases.[/spoiler]
Of course, this route is just for show... Obviously that won't work very well with the carbon tax unless we also invest in renewable energy, but if we, say, cut the war in Afgan/Iraq off entirely, there's $50B free that we can put into that research.
So easy...
Of course... I'd be *****ing about the tax increase, but... there's no reason the wealthy should live so comfortably when others in the country are suffering. We can make some sacrifices so the middle and lower classes have it easier.
But still... Even doing that, I think I'd probably cut military spending by about $50B or so, and split it into medical and science research.
Not as pretty as my attempt above, but... I think that would go a great way to improving our country without anything too incredibly sweeping. And investing $50B into renewable energy... we would quickly become the world leader in renewable energy, and once we come up with a great solution (which would be inevitable pumping in that much money), then we'd look to make a great deal of money selling it to other countries as well.[/spoiler]