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Originally Posted by hi_im_god
you're right that any serious effort to reduce deficits includes cutting defense spending but dealing with entitlements and raising revenues (taxes) also has to happen.
the really illustrative point about any of the budget discussions here is how everyone is in favor of the general idea of cutting spending but when you get down to specifics they're againt those. energy assistance and pell grants? no way!
everyone wants to blame the president and congress for the deficit but the truth is we just don't want to pay for what we get. it's a dysfunctional process that neither party really wants to deal with because they know they'll get voted out the minute they try.
the deficit commission put forth a serious plan that would begin to address the structural deficit. No ones going to touch it because the democrats will torch any republican effort to address entitlements and republicans will burn any democratic effort to cut defense or raise taxes.
The obvious answer to compromise and do some of each just isn't possible in a poisoned partisan atmosphere. So we'll cut good programs in the 13% of the federal budget that's discretionary and ignore the 87% where the real problems lie.
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and that's to jms as well. everyone is in favor of cuts til the scalpel comes out.