It's clear--both from Wisconsin and the looming shutdown of the federal government--that Republicans could care less about deficits. Stripping unions of collective bargaining rights had NOTHING to do with the budget, just as ending Planned Parenthood and the EPA have NOTHING to do with the budget. That Republicans have said these "policy riders" are non-negotiable tells you that they are not serious about cutting spending.
It's time someone told these petulant whining Republican babies that they are but a little more than half of one half of one third of the federal government (about one-twelfth, in other words) and they have already gotten more than their share at the dinner table. It is time someone told them, "No." In fact, it's long past time.