for those who understand this stuff better than I do, please explain?

[mickeym]

This whole deficit/tax mess that the people we've elected to take care of, *can't*...

We send billions of dollars every year overseas to different countries. Is that money that the government could use against the deficit? I understand that we should help those less fortunate...but there are a lot of people in our country who are going to be way less fortunate than they are now, since the deficit problem can't seem to be solved.

Anyway. If someone wants to try to explain this to me in small words, I'd be ever so grateful.

Comments

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Like I said to someone else upthread, this is why I asked. Because I don't know what percentage of the US budget is discretionary spending and so on.

Y'know, it's funny. I won't have an issue if (assuming I had a job *g*) my taxes were raised, if the money was going to increase the budget for things like defense, Medicare, and Social Security. Or for the aforementioned roads, bridges, education grants, etc. I won't care if taxes were raised if it meant that teachers were paid better.

What I can't understand is the people who have millions, and don't feel they should have to pay more taxes. If the 'little people', the middle-and-lower classes, can/would do it...what's their problem?