What would you cut?

[PredFan]

1. Cut waste in the military, no one can tell me there isn't any, I was in the military, I know. Also, we don't need as many bases as we have.

2. STOP giving money to other countries. We simply can't afford it.

3. Eliminate the Department of education, as mentioned in the OP.

4. The FairTax

5. Stop government waste.

I like 1 and 2. Not so much on #3. What is the "fair tax" rate? #5 is something we can all agree upon however it's easier said than done.

What would help is if we stopped basing next year's budget on this year's spending. Start with a blank sheet of paper and anything that costs more than $50,000 a year has to be audited (or an amount to be determined). If you're the Secretary of Labor and you want to spend $50K on a program that has to be voted on by Congress. No "fire and forget" budgets for these departments.

Start with a blank sheet of paper every 10 years or so. Priorities change. We no longer need to have these DOT spots about wearing your seat belt for example. People know you need to buckle up. If you don't, well, you're stupid and it's not the government's role to fix stupid. Besides, it's almost a 1,000,000,000,000 percent guarantee that the driver's ed class will cover wearing the seat belt. Much like it's just that high a percentage that the CDC needn't cover washing your hands to prevent spreading disease...people know this (or should) and the States and entities like mine are covering it in every PIK (Patient information kit). Ten or twenty years ago, there may have been a need. Not any longer. So that doesn't make it on to the sheet of paper that will list what you want to buy each year.

The FairTax rate is like 27% I think. That is the only tax on them.

If they enacted the FairTax this year, by 2014 you would have to hide under a rock to avoid getting a job.

 

[Dubya]

What would you cut?

Getting Boner to cut out his cry baby act would be nice.

 

[Samson]

What would you cut?

Getting Boner to cut out his cry baby act would be nice.

Nothing whatsoever to do with the thread, but thanks for playing.

Its always good to reveal just how mentally handicapped you are before I waste much time reading your other posts.

 

[syrenn]

To save our country money?

First off, completely end the Federal Education Department, they've only been around since Carter and our schools are getting worse not better.

For Congress and our President to invest in their own retirement plan and go on social security like the rest of us. Make them go on Medicare...

Get rid of the TSA, they've done nothing to prevent another 9/11. Violating people so they FEEL safer just doesn't work.

Stop federal student loans until the ones out there are paid back, it's not like you can get a job with a college education today anyway.

End street cleaners in neighborhoods, have the homeowners sweep the street in front of their places and fine them if they don't. Many European cities do this. It makes sense, or rather it saves cents. Every little bit helps.

Any one else have any ideas?

Cut all spending....everything.... 15- 20%

nothing spared, no sacral cows... Everything. Starting with government salaries and benefits at 20%.

 

[whitehall]

Cut out the CIA. They haven't done anything right since WW2. If they couldn't even find a spy in the next cubicle why do we need to keep feeding their secret budget? We have the NSA and probably a half dozen other "intelligence" agencies all competing for the almighty taxpayer dollar.

 

[Dubya]

Cut out the CIA. They haven't done anything right since WW2. If they couldn't even find a spy in the next cubicle why do we need to keep feeding their secret budget? We have the NSA and probably a half dozen other "intelligence" agencies all competing for the almighty taxpayer dollar.

The CIA wasn't established until 1947, so don't even bother to write the word intelligence.

 

[Unkotare]

Stop federal student loans until the ones out there are paid back, it's not like you can get a job with a college education today anyway.

Bad idea, obviously.

 

[Samson]

To save our country money?

First off, completely end the Federal Education Department, they've only been around since Carter and our schools are getting worse not better.

For Congress and our President to invest in their own retirement plan and go on social security like the rest of us. Make them go on Medicare...

Get rid of the TSA, they've done nothing to prevent another 9/11. Violating people so they FEEL safer just doesn't work.

Stop federal student loans until the ones out there are paid back, it's not like you can get a job with a college education today anyway.

End street cleaners in neighborhoods, have the homeowners sweep the street in front of their places and fine them if they don't. Many European cities do this. It makes sense, or rather it saves cents. Every little bit helps.

Any one else have any ideas?

Cut all spending....everything.... 15- 20%

nothing spared, no sacral cows... Everything. Starting with government salaries and benefits at 20%.

You wanna cut some Gomer's pay 20% while he's sitting in A'stan scratching fleas and eatin' MREs?

 

[Samson]

Cut out the CIA. They haven't done anything right since WW2. If they couldn't even find a spy in the next cubicle why do we need to keep feeding their secret budget? We have the NSA and probably a half dozen other "intelligence" agencies all competing for the almighty taxpayer dollar.

The CIA wasn't established until 1947, so don't even bother to write the word intelligence.

Writing the word "intelligence" for you would no doubt challenge the limit of your mental capacity.

 

[Samson]

Cut out the CIA. They haven't done anything right since WW2. If they couldn't even find a spy in the next cubicle why do we need to keep feeding their secret budget? We have the NSA and probably a half dozen other "intelligence" agencies all competing for the almighty taxpayer dollar.

You think the CIA is the only agency that hasn't done anything right since WW2?



Lemme help you out from under whatever rock you're under:



Its not the only one.

 

[BreezeWood]

What would you cut?


waste.

if anything is to be learned by the recovery from the 07-09 Great Recession: spending stimulates the economy.

the psychology should change from - reducing to increasing - the opportunities made affordable by the central gov't by electing more "creative" representatives than "reactionaries" opposed to change and growth.

Mr. Trillion is our friend not our enemy.

 

[Samson]

What would you cut?


waste.

if anything is to be learned by the recovery from the 07-09 Great Recession: spending stimulates the economy.

the psychology should change from - reducing to increasing - the opportunities made affordable by the central gov't by electing more "creative" representatives than "reactionaries" opposed to change and growth.

Mr. Trillion is our friend not our enemy.

Brilliant.



All we need to do is keep printing money.

Well, that was easy.

 

[BreezeWood]

our debt bought by China at 3% or less to resolve the 07-09 Great (R) Recession has already been paid for by the Federal Reserve and their press - I know it is an embarrassment ... Capitalism.

the deficits causing the calamity were of course the lack of revenue due to and included in the Republican unfunded war effort and regressive tax legislation.

 

[Borillar]

To save our country money?

First off, completely end the Federal Education Department, they've only been around since Carter and our schools are getting worse not better.

For Congress and our President to invest in their own retirement plan and go on social security like the rest of us. Make them go on Medicare...

Get rid of the TSA, they've done nothing to prevent another 9/11. Violating people so they FEEL safer just doesn't work.

Stop federal student loans until the ones out there are paid back, it's not like you can get a job with a college education today anyway.

End street cleaners in neighborhoods, have the homeowners sweep the street in front of their places and fine them if they don't. Many European cities do this. It makes sense, or rather it saves cents. Every little bit helps.

Any one else have any ideas?

1) Eliminate the DHS, TSA, DEA, and ATF.
2) Legalize marijuana, gambling, and prostitution and instate "sin" taxes on them.
3) Bring our troops home from Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
4) End the war in Afghanistan.
5) Cut all but humanitarian foreign aid.
6) Eliminate corporate tax loopholes and remove incentives to outsource jobs.
7) Eliminate subsidies to oil companies.
8) Allow medicare to negotiate drug prices with big pharma.

 

[Dot Com]

To save our country money?

First off, completely end the Federal Education Department, they've only been around since Carter and our schools are getting worse not better.

For Congress and our President to invest in their own retirement plan and go on social security like the rest of us. Make them go on Medicare...

Get rid of the TSA, they've done nothing to prevent another 9/11. Violating people so they FEEL safer just doesn't work.

Stop federal student loans until the ones out there are paid back, it's not like you can get a job with a college education today anyway.

End street cleaners in neighborhoods, have the homeowners sweep the street in front of their places and fine them if they don't. Many European cities do this. It makes sense, or rather it saves cents. Every little bit helps.

Any one else have any ideas?

good thread for addressing the debt BUT I'd wager that your suggestions don't add up to more than 1% of the budget, if that. How about raising the retirement age by 2 years, means testing social security, defense cuts, etc... THATS where the $ is, entitlements & defense ("offense" dept really ).

 

[Dot Com]

To save our country money?

First off, completely end the Federal Education Department, they've only been around since Carter and our schools are getting worse not better.

For Congress and our President to invest in their own retirement plan and go on social security like the rest of us. Make them go on Medicare...

Get rid of the TSA, they've done nothing to prevent another 9/11. Violating people so they FEEL safer just doesn't work.

Stop federal student loans until the ones out there are paid back, it's not like you can get a job with a college education today anyway.

End street cleaners in neighborhoods, have the homeowners sweep the street in front of their places and fine them if they don't. Many European cities do this. It makes sense, or rather it saves cents. Every little bit helps.

Any one else have any ideas?

1) Eliminate the DHS, TSA, DEA, and ATF.
2) Legalize marijuana, gambling, and prostitution and instate "sin" taxes on them.
3) Bring our troops home from Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
4) End the war in Afghanistan.
5) Cut all but humanitarian foreign aid.
6) Eliminate corporate tax loopholes and remove incentives to outsource jobs.
7) Eliminate subsidies to oil companies.
8) Allow medicare to negotiate drug prices with big pharma.

legalizing weed (#2) & taxing it like cigarettes alone would prolly eliminate the deficit immediately & the debt over a very short period of time not to mention slashing the cost of the prison industrial complex.

 

[Darkwind]

1. Cut waste in the military, no one can tell me there isn't any, I was in the military, I know. Also, we don't need as many bases as we have.

2. STOP giving money to other countries. We simply can't afford it.

3. Eliminate the Department of education, as mentioned in the OP.

4. The FairTax

5. Stop government waste.

I like 1 and 2. Not so much on #3. What is the "fair tax" rate? #5 is something we can all agree upon however it's easier said than done.

What would help is if we stopped basing next year's budget on this year's spending. Start with a blank sheet of paper and anything that costs more than $50,000 a year has to be audited (or an amount to be determined). If you're the Secretary of Labor and you want to spend $50K on a program that has to be voted on by Congress. No "fire and forget" budgets for these departments.

Start with a blank sheet of paper every 10 years or so. Priorities change. We no longer need to have these DOT spots about wearing your seat belt for example. People know you need to buckle up. If you don't, well, you're stupid and it's not the government's role to fix stupid. Besides, it's almost a 1,000,000,000,000 percent guarantee that the driver's ed class will cover wearing the seat belt. Much like it's just that high a percentage that the CDC needn't cover washing your hands to prevent spreading disease...people know this (or should) and the States and entities like mine are covering it in every PIK (Patient information kit). Ten or twenty years ago, there may have been a need. Not any longer. So that doesn't make it on to the sheet of paper that will list what you want to buy each year.

Just eliminate baseline budgeting will take care of just about everything you list.

1. Cut Social Security and Medicare FROM the general Budget. I am not advocating the elimination of either. What I AM advocating is that all SS and Medicare taxes go into their respective accounts and CANNOT BE TOUCHED by any government employee, elected or otherwise. In other words, the money cannot be spent on anything OTHER than what they were intended.

2. Re-evaluate our overseas bases to a more regional concern. What I mean by this is that each area of the world is already divided up by our military into regions, each with its own command. There is no need to have multiple bases in these areas. Our Navy and Air Forces are sufficient to move troops very quickly, anywhere in the world so the need for hundreds of bases around the world is a waste. One massive base is all that is needed, and the host country agrees to allowing us to use the airspace in their country as ours for the favor of hosting our base. This would reduce overseas bases to 8 or 9, tops.

3. Eliminate the following Cabinet positions. Labor, Transportation, Energy, HUD, HHS, Commerce, and the UN Ambassador (yes, this is a cabinet level position!) and put the UN Ambassador back under SecState.

4. End all monetary foreign aid. Aid given to a country is on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by the Congress.

5. End all unfunded mandates to the States and return all welfare responsibility to the States.

6. Audit every office and agency in the Federal Government and remove every office that is a redundancy.

That should take care of about 3 trillion dollars.

Oh, and eliminate baseline budgeting and budget the Government year-to-year. Eliminate the 10 year budgeting process.

 

[Desperado]

For Starters:
End the use of military contractors (Mercenaries)
End All farm subsidies
End All Foreign Aid (Foreign Welfare)
Close All US bases in Europe, Korea and Japan
End all US Support for the United Nations

 

[Againsheila]

1. Cut waste in the military, no one can tell me there isn't any, I was in the military, I know. Also, we don't need as many bases as we have.

2. STOP giving money to other countries. We simply can't afford it.

3. Eliminate the Department of education, as mentioned in the OP.

4. The FairTax

5. Stop government waste.

How about combining all the military under one? No more Air Force, Marines, etc., just the military?

 

[Michelle420]

End the war on drugs and empty out our prisons of non violent drug offenders that will save a ton of money.