I don't want cuts to defense. Yes, there is a lot of waste, but simply saying "we'll just cut the waste!" is, of course, naive. "Cutting the waste" would involve cutting bureaucracy and other entrenched interest groups that few in this country have the awareness and determination to fight. (Concentrated benefits versus dispersed costs- it's always hard to fight that battle.)
However, I'll accept defense cuts because our government needs to be smaller. No, that's not right. Our COUNTRY needs our government to be smaller, our ECONOMY needs our country to be smaller, and our FUTURE needs our government to be smaller. The government has no needs. If it takes cuts across the board to get there, so be it.
As to the higher taxes, I would, in principle be willing to shoulder that burden. Unfortunately, in practice what has happened for the entirety of my lifetime is "We'll raise taxes now and cut spending over time"... and the spending never gets cut.
As a result, I'm not willing to make that stupid bargain. Cuts first. Show me the actual cuts in programs, not "planned cuts", not "cuts" that are cuts to the rate of growth, but actual cuts that have existed for 5 years- THEN I'll be willing to discuss higher taxes. Democrats' bad faith in the past gets them no faith from me today.