[sing-song voice] Nailed it! [/sing-song voice]

So in response to your apples to oranges comment, I will say this: You are mostly correct. The difference between a household budget and the federal budget is vast, and not just in numbers. The key point here is, that is exactly the problem. The federal government loses money when it cuts spending because it has spent so many years spending on bloated, inefficient schemes trying to manufacture jobs when that is not the purpose of the federal government.

Rather than working within their means, which is what every family in America must do, lest they go into debt, they over-spend and then try to stick a band-aid on it later and wrap it up in some job creation bill to gloss over the bullshit. If they would simply use the tax revenue they have, and I assure you there are smart enough people to project an approximation of the annual tax revenue, and spend it on the things that the federal government is supposed to be responsible for then magically the spending deficit would disappear and the free market would keep making the country rich. As an aside, if you don't believe that the free market was the reason this country became so wealthy and powerful, I'd love to hear your opinion as to what that reason was.

As for your "turning down a raise" bit, I have to chuckle because I know this will not make sense to you. Comparing a tax break to a "raise" is exactly the sort of mindset that Jefferson and Tyler warned us about.

Originally Posted By: Thomas Jefferson
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.


Originally Posted By: Alexander Fraser Tyler
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury.

Last edited by Brutal; 12/30/12 10:33 AM.