What’s interesting about the current deficit debate, is that the same set of Republican pushing to eliminate social programs in order to reduce the deficit, are the same people clamoring for lower taxes. Enlightened people, of course, understand that both large deficits and tax policies have zero effect on the fiscal strength of the US Government (remember the government prints the money, and is never really in “debt” to anyone). Nevertheless, if you are going to preach money myths like deficit reduction, as the Republicans are, you might as well at least pretend to be consistent. If you care about eliminating social programs in the name of deficit reduction, you need to also favor higher taxes, which would, if you buy into the deficit myth, do wonders to reduce the deficit. To favor one policy over the other, indicates complete hypocrisy or worse signals a more sinister motive behind the push to abandon those in financial trouble via deficit reduction.