No doubt this has been a messy process, as stated in the article.  I found these words to be of sound reasoning..."Some Republicans, meanwhile, are unwilling to vote for the legislation without deeper budget cuts."  I continue to look to those we have elected (eg. Those who should have seen this shortfall coming long ago) to find slush in the budget and make some reasonable cuts.  There are, no doubt, numerous fluffy programs that may need to be defunded.  The days of warm and fuzzy programs are gone.  We simply can't afford it at this juncture.

Rep. Sadler of Eagle River is on to something when he states that..."Until you get that social permission, that public permission, you're ignoring one of the most important elements of you job as a representative, which is to represent your constituents." After all, aren't WE the voices of reason, in some cases, calling out to our representatives to listen to our concerns.  You didn't run for a posh position, you ran to serve your public!