GOP Aiming to Cut $4 Trillion

[Gadawg73]

The U.S. should cut foreign aid to countries that we have no strategic interest in:

"American foreign aid appropriations have escalated from about $20 billion in 2000 to $50 billion today.

"Almost every single nation on earth gets our foreign aid. The major recipients of the $35 billion in economic aid we dispense are: Afghanistan, $2.6 billion; Israel, $3 billion; Iraq, $766 million; and Egypt, $1.6 billion. But beyond these aid packages, we give Africa $7 billion in economic aid each year. We donate $2 billion to the Western Hemisphere (only about $400 million of it to Haiti). We give Asia, apart from Afghanistan, $2 billion. And we give Europe almost $1 billion.

"Foreign aid has never been politically popular in the United States, and now is the time to put it on the table in the budget talks. If the Democrats want to shut down the government so that we can give more money in foreign aid, let them do it."

More: CUT FOREIGN AID BUDGET NOW at DickMorris.com

Foreign aid is less than 1% of the budget. I am for that but that would not make a dent.
Cutting 1% of the budget would not do anything tosolve the problems we face.
Medicare and all health care with Medicaid and Gramps Dope Plan is almost 1 trillion a damn year.

Yeah and PBS is about .000000001 % of the budget but it has to die according to some to cut spending.

Government should not be in public radio or the arts.
Forcing citizens to fund those things is not a function of governing.

 

[Greenbeard]

I can see democrats didn't grow up believing "a penny saved is a penny earned" with each proposal for budget cuts their stock answer is yeah but that's only 1%.. All those little pennies add up..

If the discussion has indeed turned to pulling $4 trillion out of Medicare and Medicaid over the next decade, the penny-counting phase of the debate has ended.

 

[WillowTree]

I can see democrats didn't grow up believing "a penny saved is a penny earned" with each proposal for budget cuts their stock answer is yeah but that's only 1%.. All those little pennies add up..

If the discussion has indeed turned to pulling $4 trillion out of Medicare and Medicaid over the next decade, the penny-counting phase of the debate has ended.

have you forgotten obie wan took 960 Billion out of medicare to pay for his cram down your throats legislation, that didn't upset you then why would you be upset now? doyathink? so threatening seniors with medicare cuts won't was in the fear factor.

 

[rightwinger]

Were you in a coma during the housing meltdown?

How were those houses free?

Not having a down payment, and then not paying the mortgage during months and months, if not years of protracted foreclosure proceedings is pretty much free - temporarily.

The government sponsoring programs such as "everybody DESERVES to own a house" distort the economy, and always blow up in an ugly mess.

Those people lost their life savings....where did the government give them free houses?

 

[Truthmatters]

Willow he got that buy ending overlap and fraud.

Do you suggest it should have been left to be wasted?

 

[Truthmatters]

Foreign aid is less than 1% of the budget. I am for that but that would not make a dent.
Cutting 1% of the budget would not do anything tosolve the problems we face.
Medicare and all health care with Medicaid and Gramps Dope Plan is almost 1 trillion a damn year.

Yeah and PBS is about .000000001 % of the budget but it has to die according to some to cut spending.

Government should not be in public radio or the arts.
Forcing citizens to fund those things is not a function of governing.

its a democracy you dont get a veto vote on what the peoples reps do

 

[WillowTree]

Willow he got that buy ending overlap and fraud.

Do you suggest it should have been left to be wasted?

bullshit. did you miss the video where Sebilius testified before a congressional panel that they double fucking counted???? you freak?

 

[rightwinger]

Foreign aid is less than 1% of the budget. I am for that but that would not make a dent.
Cutting 1% of the budget would not do anything tosolve the problems we face.
Medicare and all health care with Medicaid and Gramps Dope Plan is almost 1 trillion a damn year.

Yeah and PBS is about .000000001 % of the budget but it has to die according to some to cut spending.

Government should not be in public radio or the arts.
Forcing citizens to fund those things is not a function of governing.

I agree....but selling it as a budget necessity is deceptive.

It was a pet peeve of the GOP

 

[boedicca]

Yeah and PBS is about .000000001 % of the budget but it has to die according to some to cut spending.

Government should not be in public radio or the arts.
Forcing citizens to fund those things is not a function of governing.

its a democracy you dont get a veto vote on what the peoples reps do

Now this is pretty danged funny.

Carry on.

 

[Truthmatters]

Tell me when in this country has the average citizen had a veto vote ?

 

[Truthmatters]

Yeah and PBS is about .000000001 % of the budget but it has to die according to some to cut spending.

Government should not be in public radio or the arts.
Forcing citizens to fund those things is not a function of governing.

I agree....but selling it as a budget necessity is deceptive.

It was a pet peeve of the GOP

They want it silent.

It tells the truth and the truth has a liberal bias

 

[boedicca]

You nattering nabob of nonsense.

A citizen expressing an opinion regarding what is appropriate for government funding is not a VETO ON THE PEOPLE'S REPS.

But I don't expect you to grok any Constitutional Principles.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Tell me when in this country has the average citizen had a veto vote ?

Wisconsin. How soon you forget.

 

[Truthmatters]

Government should not be in public radio or the arts.
Forcing citizens to fund those things is not a function of governing.

There is no reason the Gov cant fund this under the constitution

 

[LordBrownTrout]

P

It's pretty simple. Start giving everyone free houses, cars, groceries,.....like the government and it's endless charity entitlements right now, put it to a vote and it will not go away. This is what we were warned about by those angry white men who founded the country AKA----- sacking the treasury....and it's not sustainable. Combine endless entitlements with perpetual wars and....voila, we have a government in its death throes.

Typical rightwing overreaction

Helping those less fortunate becomes give everyone everything for free

Meanwhile....the rich accumulate more wealth

You still trying to tug on those heart strings, rw? Tell me where I'm wrong. Entitlements and perpetual war will be the death of this country. It is NOT sustainable.

 

[Truthmatters]

its the wars of Bush and his let them do what they want attitude in the lending industry that made this mess.

 

[Charles_Main]

"A Massachusetts Republican, on Thursday denounced GOP suggestions to cut social and cultural programs as “irresponsible,” In a Thursday floor speech and in a letter to Senate leaders, Brown said that while cuts “reducing and eliminating needless spending and programs are appropriate … a wholesale reduction in spending, without considering economic, cultural, and social impacts is simply irresponsible."

- Scott Brown

Gotta cut something. Or raise taxes.

Correction, We have to cut spending, or Raise Revenues. Which can be achieved with out raising taxes by increasing the tax base through economic expansion.

The biggest misconception about Revenue and taxes is the idea that Lowering taxes automatically equals less revenue and Raising them automatically means more Revenue. There is ample evidence of times in the past where cuts to the tax rate lead to more revenues coming in, and the opposite. Just ask NYC how their millionaire Tax worked out. They put a tax on Millionaires expecting to increase revenue, only so many of them fled the city to live outside it, they actually saw a substantial drop in revenue.

 

[Trajan]

"A Massachusetts Republican, on Thursday denounced GOP suggestions to cut social and cultural programs as “irresponsible,” In a Thursday floor speech and in a letter to Senate leaders, Brown said that while cuts “reducing and eliminating needless spending and programs are appropriate … a wholesale reduction in spending, without considering economic, cultural, and social impacts is simply irresponsible."

- Scott Brown

Gotta cut something. Or raise taxes. By a lot, a whole lot. Pick one or the other. Or both. But America is living in a surreal world right now, racking up an enormous amount of debt while covering its eyes and shutting its hears trying to ignore the ramifications of its reckless ways.

I agree, I also have no qualms as to throwing more defense cuts on the table, I read the The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), the nuts and bolts are not as difficult because they are familiar to me unlike say healthcare, but one overall point for brevity's sake;

once out of iraq and Afghan. I am on board with a more flexible posture allowing us to drop several heavy units, ala another amoured div, and infantry div. at least, using that savings to keep the carrier air grps at 12 ( I would prefer 13 but ) and ordering more F-22's and scraping the F-35 entirely and bulking up Missile defense.

As much as I reflexively want a strong and stronger def. everyone has to give, there cannot be ANY sacred cows, we are at a tipping point. One of the reasons is simply, politically no sacred cow can be allowed to escape scrutiny, bite the bullet and get it done.

We've got to have an adult conversation about taxes and spending. This is part of that conversation.

 

[Charles_Main]

its the wars of Bush

OMG shut the hell up you idiot. Obama and the Democrat Congress spent more in 3 months than the entire 8 Year cost of Both WARS!!!!!

 

[Trajan]

Now THAT is a budget plan.

Republicans will present this week a 2012 budget proposal that would cut more than $4 trillion from federal spending projected over the next decade and transform the Medicare health program for the elderly, a move that will dramatically reshape the budget debate in Washington. ...

The plan would essentially end Medicare, which now pays most of the health-care bills for 48 million elderly and disabled Americans, as a program that directly pays those bills. Mr. Ryan and other conservatives say this is necessary because of the program's soaring costs. Medicare cost $396.5 billion in 2010 and is projected to rise to $502.8 billion in 2016. At that pace, spending on the program would have doubled between 2002 and 2016.

Mr. Ryan's proposal would apply to those currently under the age of 55, and, for those Americans would convert Medicare into a "premium support" system. Participants from that group would choose from an array of private insurance plans when they reach 65 and become eligible, and the government would pay about the first $15,000 in premiums. Those who are poorer or less healthy would receive bigger payments than others. ...

The proposal would also convert Medicaid, the health program for the poor, into a series of block grants to give states more flexibility. And it is expected to suggest significant cuts in Social Security, while proposing fewer details on how to achieve them. ...

Conservative activists who are familiar with the Ryan plan said they expect it to call for a fundamental overhaul of the tax system, with a 25% top rate for both individuals and corporations, compared to the current 35% top rate. It is expected to raise about the same amount of money as the current system, however. Lawmakers already are considering ways to accomplish that by reducing or eliminating some deductions and other tax breaks.

Some conservatives also expected the budget plan to tout a temporary tax change that would let U.S. multinationals bring home as much as $1 trillion in profits at a greatly reduced tax rate. That money currently is parked overseas, beyond the reach of U.S. corporate taxation.

...

GOP Budget Aim: Cut $4 Trillion From Spending - WSJ.com

The Republicans have been acting like pussies for some time, saying they want to cut the deficit but not cut anything that actually matters. This actually matters. Good for them for having some cahones and laying things on the line. This is a conversation America has to have.

LMAO. They think the privatization of Medicare will save money?

Damn plenty of fools around I suppose.
It will just route tax money (read Profits) thru anothe level of beaucracy before being paid to the medical industry.

Medicare has a much lower level of administrative costs than private insurance companies do.

we've tried the governments way for over 40 years, time to change tack. And it didn't even take 10 years to see what a money pit medicare had become, change is way past due, I don't know yet of this is the way to go, but we need as Toro said, to have the conversation, this is what should have taken place 2 years ago, now we are in a presidential reelection cycle, which will and already has gum up the works.

Obama has sat back and waited for the reps. to make the first move so he can shape his position, so, here we goooooooo, he'll have a lot to say now.