[CaptainHaplo]

Simply put, allowing the deficit to grow at ALL is asking for a monetary collapse. The nations of the world are already agitating for a new base currency rather than the dollar. If that happens - and it will if our debt is allowed to continue to grow, then the dollar will collapse.

Platapus is right on one thing - when you spend more than you take in, you have to stop spending. So, right now we need to make THIS budget year (2011-2012) balance - interest payments all all. Sure its gonna suck, sure there will be cuts where we don't like it. But we can't sit by and say "well we are cutting back" while the debt continues to grow. Its like a stab wound victim, you can stop the bleeding, but you only choose to "slow it down".... is that really going to save his life? This is the country's fiscal life we are talking about. Slowing the bleeding isn't going to save it.

1 year to balance the budget. Then, the next year we start paying down the debt. Even if its only 100 Billion a year to start with (meaning at that rate your looking at 150 years to pay it all off) you start paying it back.

Now - I am going to be rather cold about this. Total Revenue in 2010 was 2.16 Trillion. We need to be spending no more than what we make. That means drastic cuts to a lot of things. Yes - even Defense. Yes, changes to the SS infrastructure will be needed. Changes across the board.

What needs to happen is the entire budget process needs to be changed. Its handled backwards right now. The politicians (on both sides) figure out what they want to spend, then forget about what they make.

Wan't to solve the budget issues? Limit the government spending to its total reciepts for the previous year.