U.S. public on balancing the budget: Cuts to Medicare, Social Security and defense? Not so much... Raising taxes on the rich? Ya'betcha!

Poll: Americans strongly oppose some deficit proposals (Jon Cohen and Dan Balz – Wed Apr 20, 3:00 pm ET)
From the article:
The survey finds that Americans prefer to keep Medicare just the way it is. Most also oppose cuts in Medicaid and the defense budget. More than half say they are against small, across-the-board tax increases combined with modest reductions in Medicare and Social Security benefits. Only President Obama’s call to raise tax rates on the wealthiest Americans enjoys solid support.

On Monday, Standard & Poor’s, for the first time, shifted its outlook on U.S. creditworthiness to “negative” because of the nation’s accumulating debt. The announcement rattled investors and could increase pressure on both sides in Washington to work out a broader deal as part of the upcoming vote over increasing the government’s