Just to bloviate further, a crude-yet-eerily-accurate picture of our political parties shows that one side of the aisle is "Think of the Children" (do not want to cut expenditures) while the other is "Read My Lips" (do not want to raise revenue). All too often the 'compromise' is:

Hey, everybody (i.e. the electorate) likes services. Let's keep services!
Hey, everybody (i.e. the electorate) likes tax cuts. Let's cut taxes!

High fives all around the Capitol.