How much are we willing to sacrifice?

We'll hear a lot of talk about sacrifice on today's Veteran's Day observance, and with good reason. We hope you enjoy today's story about Sibby LeBeaux -- a Native American who fought for a country that had arguably mistreated his people to the point of genocide.

He and all other veterans of war deserve honor and respect for the sacrifices they made to ensure the continued existence of our nation.

We're thankful for their sacrifice, but how much are we willing to give up for the same cause?

We're about to find out.

The co-chairs of President Obama's bipartisan fiscal commission, Erskine Bowles, a Democrat and former Clinton White House Chief of Staff, and Alan Simpson, a Republican and former senator from Wyoming, have proposed a deficit reduction proposal that would give nearly everyone a chance to contribute to the future fiscal health of the United States.

We heard plenty of talk of "no more business as usual" at election time, but Bowles and Simpson are suggesting tax hikes and spending cuts that will give traditional politicians heartburn.

Their plan would cut total deficits by as much as $4 trillion over the next decade by doing things like gradually increasing the Social Security retirement age to 69 by 2075 and cutting payments, cutting $28 billion by improving efficiency in the Defense Department, cutting weapons purchases by 15 percent by eliminating the V-22 Osprey, ship-to-shore assault vehicles and buying fewer F-35 fighter jets and closing overseas bases; cutting $18 billion by eliminating 250,000 contractors for domestic agencies, $16 billion by eliminating earmarks -- there were more than 9,000 in 2010; $15 billion by imposing a three-year freeze on non-defense salaries, and $13 billion by cutting the federal workforce 10 percent by 2020 by hiring two workers for every three who leave the government.

The plan attaches $3 in spending cuts to every $1 in tax increases and leaves Obama's new health care overhaul in place while taxing employer-provided health benefits.

Besides the earmarks, which have made themselves felt in our state, the plan would slash farm subsidies -- probably including ethanol -- and impose a 15-cent tax on gasoline.

There's little chance that many of the proposals will make it into reality, let along all of them. In fact, 14 of the 18 members of Obama's fiscal commission must approve any part of the co-chairs' plan that is included in the final report, which is due Dec. 1.

But it is good Congress is finally talking about serious spending cuts -- cuts far lower, proportionately, than those many of us have had to make in our personal household budgets in the past years.

Talk of fiscal responsibility is cheap. Action is what will separate today's traditional pork-barrel politicians -- and the constituents they represent -- from the statesmen and responsible citizens of the future.

You can read the draft proposal here:

http://www.fiscalcommission.gov/sites/fiscalcommission.gov/files/documents/CoCha...