Voting Ourselves into Debt

Kevin Hassett writes for Bloomberg:

...a president could always demand that spending be capped and that discretionary spending be reduced to offset unexpected increases in mandatory outlays. Social Security might be the third rail of American politics, but it might not be. It has been changed before. Why couldn't it be changed again? Families do that all the time. If Johnny needs braces, then you take fewer trips to the restaurant.

Because Johnny votes, and Johnny wants both.