cut spending on military and reform the welfare system to be more effective.

Cut spending, and if necessary, raise taxes. Institute tough litmus tests for welfare recipients to ensure that those that need help receive it and those that take advantage of taxpayer generousity aren't rewarded.

As for welfare I would like to resurrect the AFDC and allow the federal government to run the program rather than the states. The states just don't do a good job for caring for our poor mothers with children. We can't force mothers to work while their children are helpless. We have to give them money to them. ... As for the budget deficit, I could care less. The only way to balance the budget is cut those billions from our military. I would never cut social programs to reduce the deficit.

Budget deficits and spending in general are indeed a major national issue. This is one that no one really wants to touch, for the political solutions aren't really palatable. Alan Greenspan has warned that the government has already promised more than it can deliver with regards to the Baby boomer generation's retirement. The bottom line is that federal deficits cannot be sustained; the solution may indeed include both cutting spending and increasing taxes. High deficits means that the government has to borrow in order to cover its debt, which ends up resulting in higher interest rates. Raising taxes stifles much needed economy growth. Then we can cut spending, but lets face it; there has been very little political willingness in Washington to do this. Guns and Butter economics does not work in the long run (high spending and low taxes and interest rates). If the 1960's and the 1970's taught us anything, it is that high government spending and tax cuts leads to inflation, which creates a highly unstable economy. The solution is a bitter pill to swallow, but ultimately the correct economic solution is to cut spending.

Though welfare payments have been proven to have a negative impact on those who they attempt to help these are actually a small percentage of our budget. If the payments did what they intended I would support them. In reality however they reward individuals for anti-social and self destructive behavior while locking them in a dependency cycle that has destroyed generation after generation.