The story always starts out the same.  The budget is a wreck.  Red ink everywhere.  It will require sacrifice and hard work to fix.  We can resolve things the hard way.  Less police officers.  Less firefighters.  Less education funding.  Starve the children.  Or, we can resolve things the "easy" way.  TAX!  The concept of a government budget at ANY level that cannot be cut another dollar is simply laughable.  Government is all about waste.  Just look here, here, here, here, here, here, etc...  I am just a hack blogger and found millions of dollars in government waste/abuse in a few short minutes.  I even talk here about how wasteful spending such as the previous examples magically become viable when attached to "must pass" legislation.  Remember the days of spending bills with 5,000 or 10,000 or 20,000 earmarks attached?  All waste.  The Constitution clearly states that the Congress is to consider the common good.  Not the good of one crony who needs $1 million to finish a sidewalk in front of his barbershop.  There should be a new required class in K-12 education called "Government Funding and Spending."  A class infinitely more useful than any Global Warming hoax curriculum.  I think Warren Buffet has succinctly summed up things here.  The US economy is in horrible shambles.  Not to the extent it was during the Great Depression, but we haven't even begun to see the wrath brewing via massive spending, debt, and inflation.  The federal budget has gone from $2 trillion to $4 trillion in less than eight years.  Just try to tell me every penny of that dough is irreplaceable.  Not!  The USA is beginning to burn.  Don't let the government bureaucrats scare you into more taxes such that one extra firefighter will be there to put out the flames.  Make them CUT spending and the flames will go out by themselves.