One of the only ways to fix the economy is to sacrifice something large. One of the ways you can fix the economy is by letting the government indirectly kill off portions of our population by imposing certain things (while not imposing others) that would end up forcing citizens to try really hard to survive, and those who can't do it will not make it (no welfare). A flat tax rate can do the job, as you would end up making no loopholes for anyone and you'll end up collecting more money, while spending less. It's a cruel method, but it would be one of the only. A result of doing this may create a revolution, though. Perhaps a socialist or communist one like Russia had experienced. Honestly, there aren't very many answers to these questions. Tariffs can work, but they can work against you, just like how Free Trade (and certain trading laws enforced by the WTO) can have negative effects. It may benefit one country much more than another.
However, our economy is wholly based on our belief that the currency has value. Since this currency thing is outpacing our actual production, it creates debt. We're producing less than what we consume. Those who are saying that we need to get rid of the machines that do the labor, you're effectively lowering our production while increasing our consumption. The concept looks good on paper, but you realize that you're actually making it worse. Creating jobs isn't always the right answer.
