Does anyone else see the irony?
On the one hand, you say we need to stop governments out of control growth and resultant debt... On the other hand, you don't think government be should held to its Constitutional limits... limits which were specifically designed to prevent out of control growth of government and its resultant debt.
You are right, I do represent the interests of a small minority, the individual, the smallest of all minorities. And you are also wrong, the group of individuals who also support capitalism, limited government, minimal taxes, fiscal responsibility, respect for individual rights and adherence to the constitution, make up a very large portion of the population... and we are probably a majority here on the forum.
First, they aren't just "my" rights, they are individual rights, rights that belong to every individual, rights which our government was specifically created to protect. The best way to protect our individual rights is by eliminating laws that violate them.... and there are a lot of them.
The FDIC went from a surplus to a 4 trillion dollar deficit in order to secure those funds and prevent a run on the banks. You think that's pragmatic. Ergo, you think the FDIC deficit is pragmatic so long as it stopped a run on the banks.
Who's exaggerating? We have 12 trillion due right now, there's another 92 trillion or so in unfunded debt obligations, the first of which will be coming due starting around 2010/2012.
You talked about our debt being like a Mastercard... that's a good analogy. We rack up debt and we have to make payments immediately. Currently, we are making interest only payments while continuing to rack up debt.
Now you've likely heard about "buy now pay later" financing, where you can buy something on credit, with no money down, and no payments and no interest for a year. Well, that's a good analogy for our unfunded debt obligations.
When those bills start coming in, it will dwarf the 12 trillion we currently owe, the same 12 trillion that we have to make interest only payments on because we can't afford to pay down the principle.
First off, you were the one saying I must want people dying in the streets because I want to end the welfare state. Then you stated, "Let's stop using the funds for welfare for people who haven't paid in." Which is why I made my comment about you now wanting people to die in the streets... what are they going to do when you cut off their welfare?
Then we're all screwed, current and future generations alike. There will likely be a revolution that may, or may not, be preceded by another civil war.
The longer we wait, the greater the pain.
There's no reason to believe government will "fix" the problem of skyrocketing healthcare.
We need tax cuts, not higher taxes. Higher taxes will only serve to stifle economic activity. As for budget cuts... Everyone thinks their cow is sacred and above cuts. We have a tough road ahead.
