Talking about cuts

I actually met someone who (partially) thought that the current round of cuts are a good idea.  Usually I suppose I'm mixing with people who think like me, so it was good to get the chance to talk to someone with different opinions.  Basically, their position was - we spent too much, we should get out of debt quickly, perhaps it will make people think twice about spending on credit.

I introduced some other ideas, I hope in a non dogmatic way, and hope that it will encourage more thinking about the wider picture:

• Government's job is not just to save money, but to optimise the smooth running of society - this might include things like jobs, social services etc as well as debt / taxation.
• If everyone's income was reduced slightly that might not be a bad thing (to discourage needless consumption), but we will end up with a large number of very poor unemployed - balance / fairness?
• The prospects for younger people are bleak - education costs, poor quality or no jobs - shouldn't we invest in engaging younger people in our society?

I wonder how many people still support the government's strategy - it's so frustrating not being able to engage many people in discussion about more measured and fairer ways of saving costs...