An interesting WaPo poll about cutting the deficit.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

The politicians must be sweating bullets on how to play this.

[denverbill]

1. Wow. 1/3 want a Medicare voucher. I say, let them have that option.

Why the heck not? If a third of Americans are willing to give up their Medicare to save taxpayers money, I say thank them and hand them their voucher. Just leave the rest of us alone.

[n2doc]

2. If they offer it I can guess at how many would actually take it

And I'll bet you can too!

[nykym]

3. Actually

that may be a brilliant compromise. Offer the choice. It may provide just the right drop in expenditures to quell the need for cuts.

[Jazz Ambassador]

4. Sweating Bullets? More like scratching their heads...

So 64% of all Americans are "greatly concerned" about the deficit and Federal spending (according to a Gallup poll last month), but a majority reject changes in Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, OR the Defense budget -- i.e., we've got to fix the budget, but between 2/3 and 3/4 of the Federal budget is off limits. No wonder the budget generates more viceral emotion than reasoned debate; if Americans tried to reconcile their opinions with some basic math, their collective heads would explode.

Edit - for the records, I'm all for raising taxes on the rich, slashing Defense, and not worrying all that much about the decifit or the debt.