There's one item curiously let out of the Cut the Budget Mania

INTEREST ON THE NATIONAL DEBT.

If poor people can shiver in the dark and we all are supposed to "share in the sacrifice" then why shouldn't T-Bill, T-Bond and T-Note holders have to sacrifice too?

I know the answer but I just want to put the lie to the "across-the board" cuts meme.

Also, the farm subsidies aren't mentioned; probably because numerous Congress critters and/or their families benefit from this such as Bachman, Grassley, and others.

Also, hardly any mention of the Congress critters own staffs, budgets, and pensions. Look at exSenator to be Kyl who will garner $139,000 for life once he leaves in two years.

The damage to the national and world economies that could follow from the US defaulting on interest payments of its T-bills is potentially, well, apocalyptic.

Apocalypse now. Hmm.

You destroy T-bills and you destroy Social Security in very short order.
You destroy SS and you take down a huge traditionally stable revenue stream in the US economy.

If you think it's only the rich and undeserving that will be hurt if T-bills lost their value you are over-looking some potentially very important collateral damage.

Read the OP. Perhaps it wasn't articulated well, but my point was that if not everything is on the table for cuts, then other items can be taken off too.

Do you have any concept of what the the repercussions of a Treasury default would be?

First. US borrowing rates would skyrocket to junkbond status. Future borrowing would command junk bond yields; 10% to 15% or higher. This would make borrowing prohibitively expensive. The US would instantly (not in a decade, not in a year, not in a week but instantly) match revenue with expenditures.

That would mean cutting $1.5 trillion in spending and/or raising taxes $1.5 trillion. Either way a massive hit to GDP enough to push us into a depression and collapse the world economy also. The dollar would devalue massively so expect some fun hyperinflation. Dollar falls in value by 50% then gasoline for example doubles.

Business borrowing rates float above Treasury rates (they both compete for same money) so liquidity for business capital expansions, mortgages, auto financing etc would dry up or command insane premiums (in 1982 30 year mortgage had a 18% APR).

Lastly Social Security depends on repayment of Treasury bonds so SS as we know it is dead or at best significantly scaled back. The single largest private holding of Treasury bonds are pension funds which would be hurt even more (SS can at least depend on current year payroll taxes) so expect widespread pension defaults.

Nobody except those hoping for the complete destruction of the United States should be advocating for a general default on Treasury obligations.

It stops spinning on its axis. I know the consequences of default. I said in the OP I know the answer why this is not on the table.

Only people who can't read fail to grasp my point. Let me try to make more plainly. My point was that not everything is on the table so some other items can be taken off the table.