There is plenty of money.

I agree. Simplification can go in both or many directions. We as a nation need to decide for each significant issue what that/those direction(s) is/are.

 

Total government spending is 6.3 trillion.

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/

The US GDP is about 14.5 trillion.

The size of the non-government economy is 8.2.

So we have 8.2 trillion non-government economy activity supporting 6.2 trillion in government. The total amount spent on the military is less than 20%.

You want to know where that 6.2 trillion is going? It's going to SS checks. It's going to Medicare. It's going to education. It's going to police officer pensions.

Yes, you do need to feel pain. Anyone who promises you they can solve problems at no pain is lying to you. The problem is, most people like the OP are so grossly uninformed they have no idea where our money is going and buy into snake oil and demagoguery.

 

The US no longer generates the excess wealth necessary to maintain the entitlement state. This is because America is losing its grip on the fulcrum of power. The first stage of grief is anger. The last stage is acceptance.