It's not class warfare to suggest that we shouldn't look to seniors and the less fortunate to bear the brunt of deficit reduction. I believe America needs to understand there needs to be a sense of fairness.

But the debt limit obviously is something that needs to and will be passed. That is not inconsistent with a process and a belief that we have to get significant deficit reduction.

Mr. Obama's choices show how fundamentally unserious he is about deficit reduction and spending restraint.

I believe that we should allow younger workers to contribute toward a personal account that they own, as long as it is coupled with deficit reduction measures that enhance the long-term condition of Social Security.

Deficit reduction is not an end in itself. It is the means to an end. Canadians must now decide what kind of country they want to build with the hard-won dividend.

When Republicans used reconciliation in 2001 for the Bush tax cuts, they used it to increase the deficit. The whole purpose of reconciliation is for deficit reduction!