I just called Speaker Boehner office and, after a significant wait, tried to impress that there should be no tax increase and that if Republicans back down on this, in the slightest way, they will lose their new-found majority and, certainly, the Presidential race.
I may be extreme but probably not nearly so extreme as I think. We doubled the size of government in the last ten years and there is NO REASON WE CAN'T HALF IT IN TH NEXT TEN DAYS. Personally I'm even against making a "deal" to -- supposedly --reduce spending over ten years (when Obama is, conveniently, out of office). The US is the world's JUNKIE and it needs to go cold turkey on its addiction and the sooner the better. Hell, lay off 90% of the Federal government tomorrow and I will rejoice -- only those slurping at the teat of government will be affected...and they NEED to be affected.
There is plenty of money, many times over, to pay ALL principal and interest. There is plenty enough left over, after that, to continue Social security and medicare payments. There is even enough, after that, to continue to run the necessities of government, starting with the prison, police, and court systems. There is enough left over after that to bring all our soldiers home.
And then let those junkie monkey shakes and shivers come on. The sooner the better. The idea that you are going to "cure" a junkie-prostitute by giving him/her more drugs is absurd ... and way beyond absurd. Obama increased the deficit by 1.5 trillion and more ... let him show some leadership in shrinking it 1.5 Trillion and more now, this year, during HIS watch!
Those of you who think this would be too painful for the US to endure need to review your history and, in particular, do some research on how ICELAND did it -- and is now thriving again while the EU hasn't even begun to deal with its withdrawal and payback.
I have come to realize that men are not born to be free. Liberty is a need felt by a small class of people whom nature has endowed with nobler minds than the mass of men. -Napoleon