Why do we keep upping the Debt Ceiling? Are our leaders effing blind?

Obviously, the process known as "sequestration" doesn't make spending cuts deep enough.  We cannot blindly proceed with willy-nilly spending and continue to saddle future generations of Americans with our debt.  I don't give a rat's ass about political positioning here... we're all in the same boat... STOP THE RED INK... NOW, dammit!

Yeah, it is going to hurt, and it is going to hurt bad and affect a lot of people that depend upon government jobs, along with handouts, incentives, subsidies, and whatever else you want to call it that affect the national budget.

It is nice to have Presidential Libraries, National Museums, PBS, National Parks, various foundations for art and theater, aid to other countries, etc., but, if we do it at all, let's do it with a balanced budget that ACTUALLY reduces the National Debt.  For too long, we have played a cat-and-mouse game with paying off the National Debt "on paper" then spewing spin on why those goals were, unfortunately, not met.

The spineless politicians are only playing partisan games at our expense. This crap makes me sick!

My solution?  I'm certainly no genius at this budget stuff... but here goes.

* Spending cuts (whodathunk?).  

* New taxes, or maybe (GASP) elimination of loopholes enjoyed by the 1 Percenters... actual tax reform.  

* No new programs unless they are supported by user fees.  

* How about making it illegal to lobby in Washington,  D.C.?  

* How about eliminating First Class travel for our elected officials? Mandate teleconferences instead of junkets all over the globe.  

* How about making them kowtow to the same retirements, medical costs, and restrictions they put upon the general populace?  

* How about a real pork reduction program... (Presidential line-item veto?). No more bridges to nowhere.

* Prohibition for elected officials becoming lobbyists.

* Prohibition for reelection if watchdog groups rank elected officials in a high percentile for sponsoring pork-projects.

* Eliminate Oil and big farm subsidies.

This list can go on and on, ad nauseum

An example of spending we cannot afford...

I read a long article a few days back that talks about how Detroit continued to spend BIG for decades after knowing that their finances were not there to support it.  (Sounds like the U.S.A., doesn't it) I cannot find the exact article, but this is similar http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2013/09/how_detroit_went_broke_report.html

And now the Federal Government comes in riding on the proverbial white horse with a fist full of cash to reward Detroit for 60 years of deceit, mismanagement, and corruption.

Eric wrote:

An example of spending we cannot afford...

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And now the Federal Government comes in riding on the proverbial white horse with a fist full of cash to reward Detroit for 60 years of deceit, mismanagement, and corruption.

Isn't it great??? Similar to handing billions of tax dollars over to corrupt Mideast and African governments. Detroit is the cesspool of the North and will steal or waste $300M in no time.

Lets get serious about the crime in Detroit. Declare martial law, send in the Nat. Guard, enforce a curfew and basically declare Detroit to be a protected territory. Raze a staggering number of damaged or abandoned properties and establish a business zone with incentives to relocate and revitalize. In other words, treat Detroit like a 3rd World Nation/State in need of a structured occupation.