U.S. budget deficit

If the government budget follows popular sentiment, education, social security and Medicare are safe. Those are the areas where fewest Americans want to see government spending cuts, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.

Apparently, lots of voters think it's healthy for neither party to have the votes in Congress to impose its will. But investors need to keep in mind the giant problems that need solving and that can get solved only if the Democrats and Republicans somehow learn to work together.