You would need Spock and Yoda to pull this off...

Simon Johnson and James Kwak, co-authors of "13 Bankers" came up with some suggestions to restore the fiscal health of the United States that would probably be as popular as wearing a wet T-shirt at the North Pole on December 21st. However, if you really think about it, there is some merit to their suggestions. The writers think the United States should:

1. Introduce a Value-Added Tax (VAT) and eliminate the tax deduction for mortgage interest
2. Introduce Carbon Pricing
3. Introduce a Financial Activities Tax
4. Phase out the tax exclusion for employer sponsored health plans

Now Republicans would be against all four of these ideas because they are all tax increases in some way, shape, or form. Democrats would be against these because the tax deduction for mortgage interest is a sacred cow and many would also be against a financial activities tax and phasing out the tax exclusion on health plans.

However, if you put partisan politics aside and think about it, it does make sense, especially if you reduce or, if possible, can eliminate income taxes altogether and can generate enough revenues through these proposals alone. I even blogged recently, where I mentioned a column by Fareed Zakaria in the Washington Post where he says, "I don't like our current tax system. It's unwieldy, it taxes the wrong things (income instead of consumption) and its loopholes are legalized corruption." However, any radical change is met with skepticism from the side opposing the one that proposes it. If a Republican proposes these, Democrats will scream tax cuts for the rich on the backs of the poor. If Democrats propose the exact same proposals, Republicans will scream socialism for the exact same proposals.

As I said, to get people on board with these, you would need Spock from Star Trek to use his Vulcan Mind-Meld with some combination of the Star Wars Jedi Mind Trick by Yoda, Mace Windu, or Obi-wan Kenobi (but not Ki-Adi-Mundi, who in spite of being the 3rd ranking Master on the Jedi Council still didn't have enough knowledge of the Force to foresee his own clone troopers shoot him in the back.)