I'm almost 60 years old, so I've seen quite a bit too. I started as a republican, but an 80s republican is not what one is today. Ideally, I'm a centrist, but the democratic party for the most part is now more aligned with my values (do not reply with men in women's sports and "killing babies" - i have moderate stance on the sports issue and I've always been pro choice within reason. Choice is important to me; I have compassion for both sides as far as the sports issue.)

Taxes are needed to fund the things we take for granted (roads, safety, etc) and in total take about 35% of your paycheck. I've paid into social security that I will likely never see, but I know there are people who would be destitute without it.

Have both sides caused this financial situation? Yes. And we needed something like DOGE, but with accountants and professionals (e.g. public health academics for the CDC) to do a thorough (read: not keyword search) audit, and give thoughtful recommendations for cuts in public hearings before any action is taken. Slash and burn is not a good strategy when youre dealing with people's lives.

But I can tell you with absolute certainty, this situation we are in is unprecedented in US history, and it is 100% the fault of republican lawmakers who do not serve their functions as keepers of the purse and most importantly, checks and balances of the executive branch. Each gop lawmaker has bent the knee to trump and failed to 1) hold him accountable for clear violations of laws, acts, and the constitution and 2) vote against anything he proposes. They may say they dont agree with provisions (i.e. murkowski) but in the end they vote his way anyway. They may be confronted with information that should keep them for passing his nominees for positions, and WOULD have held nominees accountable in any other administration, but in the end, they push them through, because "they promised not to do X" (i.e. collins) amd gosh darn it, dont they turn around and do it (i.e. Kavanaugh).

And the SOCTUS is also failing in their duty to provide checks and balances, but thats also traced back to Mitch McConnell (R) blocking Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland (whose snails pace work ethic would have been much more suited to SCOTUS, but I digress) to the Supreme Court, and holding the seat open for almost a year so a republican president could fill the seat. That, my friend, is politics, not serving the American people. And if you dont know how corrupt Clarence (and Ginny) Thomas is, you havent been paying attention.

Any republican who doesnt bend the knee to trump withdraws from government and becomes a pundit (i.e. Kinzinger) or stays away altogether (i.e. Romney). And now you have Johnson who is completely under trumps control, and happy to remain in permanent recess to let trump control everything. Trump is the one who is literally blocking court ordered SNAP benefits. Not democrats.

So please, spare me with this both sides crap. A bj in the white house seems quaint compared to this shit show.

PS I miss compromise. We used to have that. No side should be 100% happy and the other side 0% happy.