AARP has a can you reduce the deficit excersise

[Liberalynn]

http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-01-2011/deficit-calculator.html

It can't change anything and its not realistic because no one is fighting you on your choices, but it is interesting to see if the ideas you have actually would work in a perfect world. Mine did, but I know we live in anything but a perfect world.

[katnapped]

1. Got rid of most of it

Without even touching anything sacred (well I *did* raise the cap on SS)

[Liberalynn]

2. I raised the cap on SS too which is the only change I think would be fair.

I reached their cut goal without touching SS in any other way or cutting anything else important.

I did it mostly by troop withdrawl, defense cuts, asking more from the wealthy, ending subsidies,etc.

[PVnRT]

5. As did I

[denverbill]

3. That was easy.

Of course, my masters won't allow us to do it the easy way - end the wars and raise taxes.

[Liberalynn]

4. It is that simple

but TPTB refuse to do it because the corporations don't want it that way.

[jtown1123]

6. I got there too...pretty surprised actually. Awesome!

[hifiguy]

7. Fourteen changes and I balanced the budget

All the offered military cuts, gas tax hike, end of LittleBoots' millionaires' relief act and a few other things. Easy as pie.

[bhcodem]

8. Besides raising the SS cap...

Allow folks under 65 to buy into Medicare. It would add income, increase the pool of insured to included younger, healthier people which would bring down the cost.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Got rid of all of it

but of course I touched heavily on the US Military...

Oh and caps on SS up, and get rid of bush tax cuts, oh wait, progressive policies.