David Brooks may not have been specifically thinking of Facing Up to the Nation's Finances when he referred to "Entitlement People [1]" in today's column, but he was certainly talking about people we know. His column is today's best budget story, and if anything, underscores our belief that the way to block the "Mardi Gras" thinking he criticizes is to bring the public into the process [1]. Politicians won't slip into a "different reality" on this issue if the public is unwilling to join them there.