Representative Mike Gallagher went on a Green Bay-based talk show. The host asked him why would anyone say that cutting Social Security and Medicare is on the table when it's political suicide.

Gallagher agreed, saying "That's the issue." Gallagher then whined that the minute they start talking about it, people slam them for it. Then he tried to reassure people that nobody wanted to cut benefits to anyone near or at the age of retirement.

It has never occurred to Gallagher - or any other Republican, for that matter - that people might immediately get upset and accusing them of wanting to cut benefits because that's the only solution they have offered for decades. Never once did it occur to them that simply removing the salary cap for Social Security and Medicare would keep them solvent. Or if it had occurred to them, they are not going to dare upset their wealthy campaign donors. For Republicans, that's the real third rail.

I'm sure that if they had their way, Gallagher and his fellow Republicans would rather just go ahead and steal the money rather than all that dreary, monotonous talking about doing it.