of themselves. no one wants higher taxes, because, hey, taxes are awesome. no. taxes are a means by which government pays for goods. they get us roads, parks, schools, sewers and running water. if you stop paying for the government to provide public goods, then not surprisingly what tends to happen is the quality of the public goods decline. you get public mess and with this deal, republicans say hey we will destroy the economy and democrats say we will give it to you how you like it and republicans say good negotiating with you. this deal calls in to question whether our political system has totally lost the capacity to raise revenue to pay for the vital public good. if you think i'm being hyperbolic here, hold on there is a chart coming up with your name on it. in the beltway of bipartisanship