I tried to stay out of this, but. . .

I keep hearing all the talk about raising the debt ceiling.  Of course we have to raise it so America does not default, cause a financial crisis, and effectively destroy the human race!  But raise it at what cost?  I like to use analogies to make sense of complicated issues.  I relate the country's finances to those of the average household.  If you get in trouble with your credit card and hit the limit you can easily contact the bank and ask them to raise your debt ceiling.  Usually they'll be more than happy to do so. 

Is that going to solve your household budgeting problem?  No.  Most families cannot appreciably raise the amount of revenue they bring in (especially in this economy) so what to do, what to do.  To solve the problem you have to cut spending and actually live below your means.

The government has the unique opportunity to raise more revenue (in theory) by raising taxes.  (I tend to believe this actually does not raise revenue but I'll save that for another post)  But should they?  Isn't that like giving more crack to the addict?  We have to break the cycle of outrageous over spending.  Both parties have contributed to this in the past so there is plenty of blame to go around.  But now one party is saying No - we are not going to give you more revenue, just make the necessary cuts. 

In the end I believe a deal will be struck and, yes, the Republicans will have to give a little, but hold firm to your principles people and let's get our fiscal household under control.