The simplest way for the federal government to restrain Medicaid would be to end the current system of matching state spending and replace this with block grants, which would give the states an incentive to focus on cost-control.

ECONOMIST: America's budget deficit

Establishes a voluntary personal account option aimed at matching or exceeding scheduled benefits under current law.

NPR: Bush Eyes Privatizing Social Security in Second Term

Ideally this would be done by reforming Medicaid financing to provide the federal assistance to the states for the program through fixed, finite block grants, which do not vary by matching increased state Medicaid spending as under the current system.

FORBES: Universal Health Care With No Mandates

Under current rules, employees often have to forfeit some matching funds if they leave before the end of the year.

FORBES: Taxing Matters: Saving to the max

The U.S. has had a trade and current account deficit for many years, so the matching of jobs created and lost through international trade may not have resulted in a perfect match because of export and import equality.

FORBES: Exports Create Better Jobs, But Not Necessarily More Jobs

The current profitability of shipowning is a symptom of the difficulty in matching supply and demand in an industry where investment must be planned many years in advance.

ECONOMIST: Shipping