With no significant change to the tax code, federal receipts have completely recovered from the recession, but the spending levels have remained elevated by the 700 billion "one time" stimulus spending. Put a stop to that gravy train of pork and 3/4th of the budget problems vanish immediately.
Once that is done I am very willing to look at revenue increases (preferably by eliminating deductions, expanding the tax base, and lowering rates so that EVERYONE feels the pinch) in conjunction with additional spending cuts. However, until at least some semblance of financial sanity appears in DC, I am against giving them one single additional penny to play with.
you say this, but yet you fail to grasp that the US government has run deficits almost every year for 75+ years, but it was only when we started this failed "trickle down" policy in the 1980s that debt and deficit have grown past what we could feasibly hope to balance with revenue. over the last 5 years we're now back to deficits being less than GDP vs. the overall budget and what you are advocating would require the current recession to drag on longer than it needs to and do more long-term harm to the greater economy. what we need is to grow our way out of the recession first, then worry about how to keep the debt and deficit in check.
it would be nice if this could happen, but too many in Congress see SS and Medicare as their personal cookie jar. it's been that way since the 1980s and it would be a miracle if they could be separated but it will never happen, certainly not with the current partisan gridlock we've seen lately.
"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman