A VAT can work, true, but you would have to craft it carefully, and knowing the climate, and business of congress, I doubt it would be done right. I fear it would be just more funneling of wealth to the top 2%.

Why do you say the tax system hasn't worked? There is a cut off below which poorer people don't pay federal tax. But they still get shafted by state taxes, and payroll taxes. I thought we were just discussing federal taxes, but if you want to talk over all taxes then, yeah, poorer people still pay a higher percentage of their money in taxes. Or rather it affects their bottom line more. (ok I'm lumping payroll taxes with state taxes here, I know) It's a fallacy that some in our society pay no taxes, but it makes for a good talking point if you want to wage class warfare dividing society into 'makers and takers' as a recent candidate did.
I still think the real problem lies in loopholes. Whatever the tax rate on paper says, the actual taxes paid is the real world figures we have to work with. Unfortunately, the real power of congress, and party/individuals is in taxation, and 'gifts' of loopholes/deductions/etc... I really don't see congress giving up that power for a simple flat tax, or VAT system. Too simple without the wiggle room to gift favored donors/industry.

The real problem, which no one wants to face is, we like our lives. We like how our country is structured and runs. We like our good roads, schools, library systems. We want our food inspected, and our water to be clean and safe. And we want our homes, cities, and rural areas to be protected by police and fire. And we really don't want the return of The Poor House, so we want our grandparents to be able to live simple, but affordable lives through SS and Medicare. And even on the local level, we want to know our kids school buildings have been inspected and meet all the requirements where the inspectors haven't been simply 'paid off' on the inspection, as I suspect happened in Brazil with that nightclub, if an inspection was even required. There are a million things, large and small, that we use the government for.

It all costs money. Every bit of it. And it must come from somewhere. If not from state taxes then federal taxes. But it must come from somewhere. And it must meet our costs, and yes those costs rise just as surely as our personal costs of running our households rises.

Are their ways to trim the budget? Sure there are, but no one wants to actually talk about those things. And congress surely doesn't want to tell a favored industry/donor that their personal gravy train is stopping. So what do they say? They stand up and make pretty speeches about 'cutting the budget', chest beating and all, but the only thing they mention is entitlements, and even there won't go into specifics. Just vague mumbling. Why don't they mention specifics? When Paul Ryan was asked for specifics of his 'cutting' he said nothing. Crickets.....Here is a guy hailed as some saviour of the budget with his hard charging budget cuts...yet would not say what those cuts were.

Here's a start, and one I don't think you will hear from congress. Stop subsidizing the oil industry. Stop the corn subsidies. Stop honey and milk producers subsidies. Stop all those 'favored industries' subsidies. Of course our food prices will go up, but that is expected. For every action there is a reaction.
Let every church/temple apply for non-profit status. Each one, individually, and stop 'subsidising' churches with no taxes.

Actually, as an aside, I wonder where the Libertarians stand on oil/milk/honey/corn/etc...subsidies? I guess I don't remember them talking about that.