After a month of diving deep into the One Big Beautiful Bill, let’s take a breath.

A reprieve from the outrage and spin. Let’s talk about what we actually need. And one way I think we might start getting there.

The proposed 2026 federal budget, referred to as a “big beautiful plan“ by its supporters is anything but. It exposes a deeper rot in our economic priorities and an unwillingness to confront hard truths. It doubles down on unfairness, relies on magical thinking, and ensures that everyday Americans keep footing the bill for a system tilted toward the wealthy.

What We Actually Need

1. A More Fair Tax System
   We must stop pretending we can fund the world’s most expensive government on slogans like “lower taxes.” With a $37 trillion national debt and a $2 trillion annual deficit, it is pass time to admit that we need more revenue, especially from those most able to contribute.

   • Tax increases, particularly on higher incomes, should not be taboo.

   • Comprehensive reform is needed: close loopholes, eliminate wasteful exemptions, and overhaul corporate taxation.

2. Rework/Reimagine Healthcare
   We spend more per person on healthcare than any other country and we get some of the worst results. Our current system fails us both economically and morally.

   • Nationalized healthcare isn’t just about coverage, it’s about cost control, managing Medicare and Medicaid, and controlling medical inflation.

   • A unified system could save billions while delivering better outcomes.

3. Rework/reimagine Defense Spending
   We spend more on defense than the next ten countries combined. That’s nearly $1 trillion per year.

   • Where are the savings from “ending endless wars” or “stopping foreign nation-building”? We hear the promises, but the defense budget keeps growing.

   • We need a reconciled accounting of military spending and a serious reevaluation of our global commitments.

4. Start Paying Down the Debt
   Interest on the debt is now one of our largest federal expenses, competing with social services and investments in the future.

   • We cannot solve this by cuts alone. There’s simply not enough left to cut without hurting folks who rely on basic services.

   • To reduce debt we need increased revenue and smarter spending.

5. A Real Economic Growth Plan
   Right now, there is no documented, actionable plan to grow the economy. What we get instead is jargon, wishful thinking, and ideological fluff.

   • We need serious investment in infrastructure, education, green energy, and tech innovation

   • Growth won’t come from trickledown fantasies or buzzwords—we need planning, accountability, and public investment.

What We Actually Have

• A deep division in priorities between politicians and the public.

• A refusal to confront the revenue problem, admitting that yes, taxes must rise.

• Endless rhetoric about “cutting spending” while the biggest areas of the budget defense, healthcare, and interest remain off limits.

• No credible path to growth…just talk.

• A growing reliance on tariffs, which are taxes in disguise, often hurting working peoples more than the elites.

Conclusion: Stop Selling Hope—Start Selling Solutions

There is no free lunch. Pretending we can maintain global power, reform healthcare, low taxes, and a bloated military while also reducing the deficit is fantasy. The budget is a moral document, and right now, it’s telling us that our priorities are misplaced.

If we want to preserve a strong economy, support working Americans, and leave the next generation something better than mounting debt and deteriorating systems—we need structural reform, not slogans.