Muscatine

No, I can't tell you what the current crop of republicans would do to deal with the deficit.  I can tell you this though,  if something isn't done darn soon, we're going to have a revolution.  You see, we have a one hundred TRILLION dollar unfunded liability to the soon to be retired boomers.  The TOTAL value of the nation today is only fifty TRILLION.  Obviously, something's going to give.  The first thing is the retirement age.  It has only been raised very slightly since S.S. was started in 1935.  Then it was 65 which exceeded the average life expectancy.  In other words, most people never lived to see a benefit.  Today, it should probably be somewhere between 75 and 80.  Same goes for medicare.  Also, some means testing will have to be employed.  Raising the withholding percentage should be done only as a last resort due to the negative impact on jobs that will result.  Ofcourse, that's only a start.  It's not a pretty picture but we have only ourselves to blame.  We have the government we deserve.  We elected them.  Both parties share the responsibility.  The day of reconning has finally arrived and, we have a very bitter pill to swallow.

Would you go along with paying into social security on All earned income, not just the first $80,000 or $100,000 or whatever it is?   What about those multi-million dollar bunuses too?

Hi GoH

It's been a tough pill for this great nation, but a spade is a spade. At the risk of living in the past, I still say we have yet to learn the lessons of the past. Especially since it's blazingly obvious just how recent that was. Just as the 1929 devastation took place so did this one. So:::term limits, reestablish the dissolved banking and SEC controls that took us back to 29', close the loopholes set within those job killer free trade deals, and put those free ride corporate tax vanishing acts back in place. Focus on jobs and education again, and slowly, but surely we will get back to cranking out smarter people and building and manufacturing again in America. We were discussing a couple days ago, how great things were between 1948 and 1969. What happened to that country? Jobs everywhere, the American dream wasn't just a dream? All that we were, we are no more and no matter how it happened, IT DID. So what ever was done between then and now should be undone. Simple? Of course not , but we have got to start somewhere. If dumping those old familiar faces in congress isn't the answer, it's at least a good start.

Warnings galore were ignored, year after year. Even Bush saw some familiar behavior due to deregulation. He just didn't move quickly enough perhaps. I agree with you too that we put them there and we need to understand that although we seem to like OUR rep. it's not just ours, it's all of them that designed this disaster. It's ridiculous how these foolish hand fulls of so called "leaders" decide for 300 million plus, how poorly a business/nation should be run. No business run like our government would last a fiscal year the way these fools manage things. Why not try an oust the incumbent move at least once, no exceptions, and perhaps there might be some message these jokers truly understand. They need to stop being pals to Corporations-X and Joe the Lobbyist, and immediately put our country ahead of the under the table and backroom deals. We are infected with a breed of profiteers and power hoarders who say they speak for US but by God they do not. Time to say NO MORE.

Lucy

"They need to stop being pals to Corporation-X and Joe the Lobbgyist, and immediately put our country ahead of the under the table and backroom deals" AMEN! Please include the unions in that sorry lot since they appear to be getting some sweetheart deal in Obamacare.

Another thought - why would 'we' put someone in charge of running the most powerful nation on earth who has never run even a popcorn stand?

My greatest pet peeve is incompetance - whether it be at the fast food joint or the oval office!