There may be hope after all

"What explains this huge gulf between what members of the the public see as common sense and what their democratically-elected representatives impose on them?

"A lot of it can be explained by money. It's not a coincidence that elected officials support more defense spending, given the size and influence of the military-industrial lobby. Nor is it surprising that they are wary of increasing taxes on the people who pay for their campaigns.

"By contrast, most of the things the public wants to spend more on -- job training, education, humanitarian aid, energy conservation and pollution control among them -- don't have wealthy corporate constituencies."

Study: Public Sees Both Parties Cutting Deficits the Wrong Way - Huffington Post