I agree that across the board cuts are lazy.  But I don't think our leaders have what it takes to go program by program for cuts, instead they'll do nothing or start an income tax.  When corporations need radial change they bring in an ax man to let people go and lean up, then they get rid of the ax man and the new "good cop" shows up.  That is what we need here, our leaders need to do what is right which means we'll hate them for it in the short run and they'll be fired.