In reading the news, I keep seeing two patterns repeating themselves. One of course is that several federal programs are running out of money. The second is the misbehavior and antics of current politicians, particularly those running for president. So why not use the one to help solve the other?

Many people are familiar with the concept of the swear jar. If you say a swear word at work or at home, you put some money in the swear jar. We can adapt this principle to raise money for the federal treasury. We compile a list of offenses and charge candidates a fine each time they commit one of these offenses. We might even have a budget surplus by the time of the 2016 election!

Here are some ideas:

Giving out an opponent’s private phone number: $10,000

Flip-flopping on a position for political gain: $20,000

Blatant acts/statements of hypocrisy: $25,000

Lying about own record: $30,000

Lying about an opponents record: $40,000

Comparing anyone or any policy to Hitler or the Holocaust: $50,000

Nominating Sarah Plain as vice president: 1 million

Other suggestions? Feel free to put them below!