I am surprised that Steve has not locked this thread.

There are a lot of things that do not pass the smell test. Having been in private business for 31 years, I have seen my business rise and fall for years at a time by 10%, 20%, yes even 100%. To say that the government and the larger economy cannot live on a 2% cut is laughable. I am sorry if that 2% hurts George or any other loyal and good government employee. But what many of us see is waste on both sides of the aisle. No I am not a tea party person.

It would be interesting (but probably futile) to see if ones viewpoint could be explained by age, occupation, whether or not he or she ever slaughtered a pig, was thin or fat, straight or gay, actually worked with prisoners vs reading about them, went to college, had a two-parent family, lived in an Ivory Tower or a trailer park, worked in the non-profit sector, drove a truck, etc, etc.

I guess the only thing totally in common with all of us here is that we love the mountains. It has been said that at a family reunion, one should not talk about religion, politics, or child-rearing practices.

As for our various political leanings.... here comes a quote... one might paraphrase this one from religion to politics:

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."