Public opinion on defict reduction

[CARLHAYDEN]

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Bill McInturff (R). Dec. 9-13, 2010.

"Now, as you may know, the U.S. government is facing a large budget deficit. Would you prefer that government reduce the deficit by increasing taxes, although this could slow the economic recovery; reduce the deficit by cutting spending, although this could affect important education and health care programs; or let the deficit increase now to try to boost the economy, although this could lead to even higher taxes or larger spending cuts later?"

                      Increase taxes   Cut spending   Let deficit increase  
                              %                         %                          %                          
12/9-13/10            19                        53                          19          

http://www.pollingreport.com/budget.htm                  

[opebo]

Yes.  Until people accept that raising taxes is the only way to cut the deficit, it won't be cut.

[Marokai Backbeat]

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/if-a-deficit-falls-in-the-forest/

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/no-people-really-dont-care-about-the-deficit/

[Landslide Lyndon]

Cutting spending sounds good till the moment you start thinking what exactly to cut.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Most people don't understand or care about it.

[memphis]

Cutting spending sounds good till the moment you start thinking what exactly to cut.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Just try cutting Medicare, Social Security, or defense. You won't be very popular.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Cutting spending sounds good till the moment you start thinking what exactly to cut.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Just try cutting Medicare, Social Security, or defense. You won't be very popular.

Do you really think cutting defense spending is unpopular?

[Hash]

Cutting spending sounds good till the moment you start thinking what exactly to cut.

^^^^^^^^^^

Exactly. Voters are stupid. They want and expect a magic solution to all economic woes which would not entail any cuts to them and would allow them to keep on spendin' on credit like crazy. When they find out that in the real world it doesn't work like that, they get pissed and blame the government.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Cutting spending sounds good till the moment you start thinking what exactly to cut.

^^^^^^^^^^

Exactly. Voters are stupid. They want and expect a magic solution to all economic woes which would not entail any cuts to them and would allow them to keep on spendin' on credit like crazy. When they find out that in the real world it doesn't work like that, they get pissed and blame the government.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Of course nobody wants a cut in their program. Because they always don't understand the gravity of the cost situation involved with their program or thing that someone else should take the hit. It takes leadership. You need to convince people that althought they may not like it, it is for the best of the country. It is not something that people are going to magically say they support or a poll says that 2/3rd's are in favor of doing.

[CultureKing]

Well I would be fine and dandy if we halved military spending. After that...

[Torie]

The cold shower is coming. And the tax increases will be mostly on the middle class (say the folks from the 40% to 85% median income ranking). Those in that category who want a more robust social safety net for themselves, or to maintain the social safety net they have now for that matter, along with all the other goodies, will be taking money out of one pocket to put it in another, with actually a net loss as they contribute to the the kitty for transfer payments to the bottom 40%. And hopefully the top 15% or so, will be cut off from most subsidies all together on the spending/risk exposure due to government guarantees side. Just why am I getting subsidies?

[memphis]

Cutting spending sounds good till the moment you start thinking what exactly to cut.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Just try cutting Medicare, Social Security, or defense. You won't be very popular.

Do you really think cutting defense spending is unpopular?

OMGZ. Support teh trooops!!!1111

[Ban my account ffs!]

Cutting spending sounds good till the moment you start thinking what exactly to cut.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Just try cutting Medicare, Social Security, or defense. You won't be very popular.

Do you really think cutting defense spending is unpopular?

OMGZ. Support teh trooops!!!1111

I do support them!  I have a ribbon magnet to prove it!

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Cutting spending sounds good till the moment you start thinking what exactly to cut.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Just try cutting Medicare, Social Security, or defense. You won't be very popular.

Do you really think cutting defense spending is unpopular?

OMGZ. Support teh trooops!!!1111

Yes, that will be the clarion call of those who oppose a reduction or a reduced rate of increase (which is a cut according to some), but no matter.......a lot can be cut without jeopardizing one hair on their heads.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Secretary Gates seems onboard with trimming the budget some.....

[Badger]

Secretary Gates seems onboard with trimming the budget some.....

And reportedly faces GOP opposition in Congress.

The self-proclaimed "fiscally conservative deficit hawks" brought in by the last election have uniformly put military spending cuts off the table. "Government waste", you see, is entirely a result of government domestic spending.

[Redalgo]

Cuts in defense spending would be nice, and then whatever is needed to get into black ink and pay down the debt can come from ratcheting up the steepness of progressive income taxes accordingly. It wouldn't really be the end of the world as we know it to have to go back to rates more akin to those of the mid-1980s or perhaps even the 1970s until the problem is resolved.