The thing is, if you DO want to cut the budget, Social Security, Medicare and defense are where the savings will have to come (not "non-defense discretionary spending," where the Pledge promises to cut). Like you, I don't want the first two to be cut, but it's hard to have an honest argument about this stuff without a grounding in reality.

Nevertheless, I think you're right that we could remove SS and Medicare from the income tax "receipt." Put that way, national defense would become the most obvious target for budget-cutters.