Putting $61 Billion in Perspective.

The figure from the Cato Institute shows just how bizarre the outage over the proposed $61B cuts truly is: since 2001 the budget has increased $170B per year, over twice the proposed reduction for the 2011 budget.

If we can't summon the "courage" to cut a mere 3,5% of the increase of the last ten years, then we deserve to have our creditors force our hands and treat us no different than Greece, Portugal, and Ireland.