In part one I presented the best of ideas that would eliminate debt without raising taxes or cutting spending. Ideas like moving from a fraction reserve system to a full reserve system, eliminating intragovernmental debt, handing the debt back to the tax-payers many of which also own the debt, and increasing the value of the currency so that everyone becomes wealthier. Now lets talk about cutting spending and raising taxes. In order to cut spending to it’s max we need to have a discussion as to what the minimal role of government should be. What does a bare bones government look like? A minimal government has someone to govern and a people to be governed. The act of governing is one of laws and law enforcement/security. In short; leaders, law, law enforcement/security.  All else is extraneous and not a primary function of government. With respect to US Federal law a minimalist approach would be to limit Federal government and law to only that which is explicitly addressed in the constitution rather than to that which is not expressed. While a bare bones government may not be popular, it is an essential mental exercise necessary for determining spending priorities and the limits of scaling a government down. What is the minimal amount of leadership that we need? What is the minimal amount of law that we need? What is the minimal amount of law enforcement/security that we need? With respect to leaders in a representative government we need enough leaders to be represented well. We need enough leaders to oversee the government and keep it in check. The minimal amount of law enforcement/security is dependent upon the law that need enforcing, how they are enforced, the level of societal morality, and the external threat level. Determining the right amount of government is difficult and is a battle  that is waged everyday. Because of the controversy that surrounds it, it remains the most difficult way to pay off the debt as the country would have to run surpluses for a long time. For taxes Revenues to consistently be greater Government expenditure is nearly impossible with the interest of Politicians being as short-term as the next election cycle. Never the less it can be done and with a goal in mind it is important to work every angle.