The new year is a time to make resolutions to improve your life over the next 12 months. The problem is that people often try to make massive, sweeping changes — a tactic more likely to yield failure and frustration than success. It is better to make smaller promises that you know you can keep than major ones that are doomed to fail.

The same principle is true for the federal government, and their inevitable “New Year, New Washington!” promises to get spending under control. I propose three resolutions for fiscal responsibility that could actually receive enough support to be enacted quickly, and would be beneficial for taxpayers and the economy alike.