[MontaniSemperLiberi]

Yes, really Chris.

"The only way to reduce the debt is to do something on entitlements."

But reducing entitlements is necessary but not sufficient.

[ngat]

The Republican leadership has made a huge mistake by conflating discretionary spending with social security retirement and medicare and pretending to try to solve both problems at the same time. This is all part of the program to confuse the people and to resist actually downsizing the federal government.

[Jim Scott]

Krauthammer has a point. Entitlements must be cut and the Democrats have lulled many Americans into either receiving them or thinking that they are some sort of constitutional right as an American. Republicans cannot seriously attempt to lower the national debt without cutting entitlements, and the Democrats know it. Of course there are other budget items that can be cut but as Krauthammer stated, entitlements are crucial and this is the Democrats ace in the hole. The next move will be up to the Republicans and I'm not as optimistic as I would like to be regarding the outcome.

[Glenn]

But they are going to work ALL NIGHT to get to an agreement!

Such hard working people, they are.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Why wait.

Crash the trains now and be done with it.

Gotta start somewhere. Might as well be right here, and right now.

Crash ‘em.

[greeneyes]

While “something” must be done to reduce entitlements, the Republicans are fumbling the ball yet again IMO. I think most Americans would like to have seen a big roll back of all the new government agencies and Czars. Reverse all the new spending programs.

Then reduce the size of Government. Start by combining each department with another. Eliminate the heads of these agencies (50% reduction). Eliminate staff, cut benefits, and freeze or reduce salaries. This is what private enterprise has to do when they have financial trouble.

Cut congressional staff and salaries wages and benefits. No special retirement for Congresscritters - let them depend on Social Security too. Betcha they can “fix” it then.

By attacking entitlements first, they are handing the advantage back to the Democrats.

[eaglestar]

Simply retort with the Weiner pie analogy.

Or simply retort with a story about Chicken Little.