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Keywords: congress; national debt; North America; United States; Government Finance; Government Borrowing; Economic News; Content Types; Commentaries/Opinions; Factiva FiltersPoliticians who propose new or higher taxes don't win their next elections.William Galston asks, "Why not level with the American people about the coming crisis and persuade them to begin phasing in the added revenues from taxes needed to forestall it?" ("A U.S. National Debt Crisis Is Coming," Politics & Ideas, Sept. 18). A reasonable question, but politicians who propose new or higher taxes don't win their next elections.Jim TullyCocoa, Fla. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the rising bipartisan support for a new fiscal commission to address the national debt problem in the United States. However, the failures of previous commissions, such as the Simpson-Bowles commission and the Super Committee, highlight the need for reforming entitlement spending, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. These entitlements already make up a significant portion of the federal budget and are projected to grow faster than the economy. The article argues that a new commission must prioritize slowing the rate of entitlement growth and focus on pro-growth policies and tax reform to raise revenues. [Extracted from the article]