Why do we elect leaders?

I voted to elect legislators and a president to protect our economy and make reasonable decisions on my behalf, not to conduct political theatre. The entertainment has gone on much too long and it's time for business. Does anyone else have another purpose for their elected officials?

Eliminate tax expendures

Tax expenditures are spending items which should not be in the tax code. They disguise and cover up spending and distort the overall government budget. They are very popular with politicians because they escape notice: they can be narrowly focused to favor their benefactors while making it seem like government is smaller. Government spending should be out in the open, not hidden behind endless pages in the tax code. Unfortunately, these include homeowner deductions like mortgage interestand are very popular

Cash out of the stock market, the GOP is taking us back into a recession

I'm cashed out and just in time. The markets are reacting to the lack of a deal on the debt limit. We need spending cuts, a small tax increase and lots of tax loopholes closed - and the GOP is stonewalling on the tax issue. So, where do their supporters benefit from this? Are all Republicans like Joe the Plumber and (wish that they were) making over $250k a year?
If we'd all taken our IRA/401k losses over the past two days and used it as a tax increase, we'd be done by now.

Raising the age for Medicare

So, what's wrong with raising the age to qualify for Medicare? The Social Security age has gone up, people are working longer and often covered by employer's insurance. Exceptions (unemployed, illness, etc.) can be dealt with separately.