The Scientific American published a great article in April 2009 on how our government should develop a systematic long view on taxation rather than our present tax-and-spend policy.

We rate fairly low on the control of public social outlays of money as a percent of national income because Congress has failed to plan properly.

We have a chronic fiscal deficit because federal taxation covers only five types of federal programs -- retirement and disability, medical care, veterans programs, defense and homeland security and interest on federal debt. All else is funded by borrowing.

Obviously, much has changed since the article was published, but it predicted the government being unable to control the national debt. Our Congress and administration has blindly ignored the problem and even now is trodding a disaster path. Failure to plan and act intelligently are the hallmarks of our economy now.

-- JAMES C. LANGFORD, Richland