Now that the election is over, it is time for the president-elect and Congress to actually confront reality and stop all the pandering.

Cut taxes? The national debt is more than $19 trillion and growing, roughly doubling under each of the past two presidents. Interest on it is more than $400 billion per year and could easily hit a trillion dollars per year with more typical interest rates.

Increase defense spending? The U.S. is spending about $600 billion per year and spends more than the next seven nations combined, including China, which has four times the U.S. population and spends about a third of what the U.S. does. America has 725 military bases in 132 countries, with 234 military golf courses. The U.S. makes the Roman Empire look puny. Repeat that in your mind three or four times, or perhaps 10 times. Rational people could not possibly argue that the defense budget is in need of a boost — that is absurd.

Before cutting taxes and increasing defense spending yet again, the president-elect and Congress should create an independent commission to identify waste, redundancies and unnecessary defense spending to guide decision-making.

At the same time, a comprehensive national capital needs analysis is needed for the nation’s neglected infrastructure (highways, water/sewer systems, rail lines, housing, etc.).

Instead of constantly pandering for political gain at the country’s expense, ensuring some integrity in the political process would be nice for a change.

Rick Whiting, Auburn

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