The disgraceful bipartisan “debt ceiling” charade exposes a basic truth that Washington’s ruling elite prefers a permanent war economy that guarantees unlimited wealth to the top 1% while denying a living wage or a decent universal health care system for the vast majority of the other 99%.

Instead, let’s envision a simple three-step solution to this fraudulent charade:

1. Stop the salary paychecks to the three branches of the federal government, starting at the White House and all 535 members of Congress.

2. Put a mandatory six-month hold on payments to all weapons contractors until a thorough independent audit is done at the Pentagon.

3. Repeal immediately all the Trump-era tax giveaways to the top billionaires that were passed by both Wall-Street-coddling political parties.

Voila! The debt-ceiling deadlock will be resolved in record time.

Danny H.C. Li

Keaau, Hawaii island

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