Everybody I speak with on both sides of the aisle agrees that we need to get our spending down to 3% of GDP. But politics is standing in the way of making good decisions. The idea of compromise is out. 
 I think we all agree that we’re in need of a big renovation. The question is how that renovation gets done — and there’s a lot of fighting over what that renovation might look like.  My advice: Politicians on both sides need to agree on a mutually acceptable “worst case scenario” that cuts spending to the level we need, if a broader agreement can’t be reached in the near future.