so cut spending or raise taxes, both very unpopular choices in washington where there is an election cycle around every corner. the last time we cut the debt was in the 90s under former president clinton. that was the last time we actually had a budget surplus, and some say the economy was going in the right direction to help that along. the reason tough spending rules also require congress to pay for things as they go, also known as paygo. there are two different types of categories and budget tools that can really help fix the situation. there is one category that helps fix budget rules. there is paygo. for discretionary programs, there are spending cuts. i have long been an advocate for pay-go.