Americans' 'fiscal cliff' fix? Cut government spending – but not Medicare.

As politicians bargain over how to deal with the nation's "fiscal cliff," a new poll hints at why the talks are so difficult: The American public is wary of both broad tax hikes and spending cuts to entitlement programs such as Medicare, which account for about two-thirds of all federal spending.
In fact, "cutting Medicare spending" ranked last with the public among a dozen specific fiscal proposals, in the Christian Science Monitor/TIPP poll, conducted over the past week.
At the same time, Americans are concerned about the size of budget deficits and about the rising national debt. The poll results also suggest some openness to a possible bargain between Republican and Democratic leaders, which would would involve both spending cuts and new tax revenue.

Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2012/1210/Americans-fiscal-cliff-fix-Cut-government-spending-but-not-Medicare?nav=87-frontpage-entryLeadStory