Poll: Americans Want Action on the Deficit, but Oppose Most Proposals to Cut It

What people don't understand is that cutting the budget will also make it possible to cut taxes. When that happens people will have more money to spend on goods and services, and businesses will have more money for payroll (hiring).

Cut the defense budget and Homeland Security budget in half. That should solve a lot of the problem. End the two current wars, should help with the rest.

Pew Poll 12/5/10
An overwhelming majority of Americans believe it is a major problem and almost none of the most widely mentioned proposals to cut the red ink by reducing spending or raising taxes get majority support from the public.

First thing we have to do is cut off the money going to Egypt and stay out of Egypt business.

What could possibly be next on our govenment's to do list that it needs to take more money from anyone? In fact the gov't should give less and get less. Just how much money went to states to put up those annoying signs informing us of Obamas puttin America back to work or whatever he called it. Stop spending money that it doesnt have, Republicans and Democrats alike, and then looking to spend money we as citizens don't have either, on things that we dont want.

There is some idiot named larry here that thinks only the wealthy are using the mortgage deduction and should have to give it up...I only make about 45k a year and that's not wealthy by any means and my mortgage deduction is very important to me as I try to survive the liberal destruction of America...all these people crying about lost jobs overseas, demanding high wages yet they are the very ones supporting and insisting on limitless low price goods from China, try to find wealthy people shopping at Walmart, you wont, just poor who want more...I'm afraid we are in deep trouble if the majority of people are as confused as this man!

Unfair trade and outsourcing is the biggest cause of deficits so they need top priority

Its very easy how to cut the deficit! If you remember the one key factor! The Federal Government was only suppose to 1) Provide the National Defense & Security 2) Maintain the Interstate freeways for transportation. 3) Control Commerce to and from forgein countries. With that said - Close, down all these departments - Energy, Education, D.E.M and any other useless department that can be turned over to a private company. We will save trillions and not have to raise one persons taxes or stop any services. Its all about the waste in Washington and crones jobs to their friends. Thats were you start not raising taxes. When your home or business is running out of money you cut spending and stop using things you no longer can afford. That's how you balance a budget. Not by asking your boss for a raise or tax your children!!!

There is a very good reason for the seeming "dichotomy" of the American people concerning cutting programs such as Social Security and Medicare or Medicaid. It has all to do with how the government will accomplish cutting the deficit by stopping NEW spending and cutting out the fraud and waste FIRST...then revamping these programs as needed to make them accomplish the REAL goals of the American people, BETTER government instead of MORE government; BETTER government instead of one set on USING these programs to manipulate how people vote; instead of holding American's hostage to their own government which is more and more like a dictatorship than a Democracy or a Republic. There is more to it than meets the eye of this journalist or many political talking heads...even than the politicians themselves. Stop making Americans look stupid...we vote according to our convictions, we are diverse in our world views and we are limited in our choices by the politics of our system, and the media who play their games. We don't have the platform the politicians and the media have, we only have the Constitutional rights we are willing to fight for, including all out rebellion. However, as long as we can get our votes counted, and that is becoming very hard and questionable, we will try our best to exercise our rights in the voting booths or our country.

This poll doesn't surprise me at all. It's the old NIMBY reaponse, Not In My Backyard. I'm retired and not wealthy by any means. I am willing to have my taxes raised, lose the mortgage deduct on my home and willing to have my social security cut by 5%. As far as the other suggestions go, yes on most of them Why? Well we can't have our cake and eat it.