[Captain Kirk]

I’d put it differently: we cannot no longer afford the welfare AND warfare (world policing) state. Butter AND guns are bankrupting us. Let’s cut both. Conservatives only undermine their cause when they make one of the two a sacred cow.

[MrB]

I think it only appears that conservatives want to only cut butter spending.

That’s because conservatism is inherently reactive in response to those who would EXPAND butter spending and cut to the core, if not eliminate, guns spending.

[kabar]

We really won't have a choice. We will have to cut both. When you borrow 43 cents of every federal dollar spent, something has to give. We are on an unsustainable path. The US is in decline and I don't think the politicians or the people want to give up their entitlement programs. With almost 50% of the people not paying income tax and 80% of the people paying more in payroll taxes than income taxes, the welfare state is firmly embedded into the culture.

And we are bringing in 1.2 million legal immigrants a year, most of whom are poor and undeduccated. Add to that another 500,000 to a million more illegals and you have a demographic nightmare.