In his commentary ("Difficult choices await on spending, debt," June 15) Sen. Mitch McConnell talks of the "need to develop a plan that reins in our debt without raising taxes …" Well, since about a third of the federal budget is on borrowed money, the only way we can stop increasing debt without increasing taxes is to cut the federal budget by a third: defense, Medicare, Social Security, subsidies, all cut by a third.

Mike Brown, Columbia