Compromise 1...Budget

[Missourian]

If Republicans offered to cut Defense by 10%, would Democrats agree to cut all entitlement spending by the same amount?

There is no adult debate about cutting spending with folks who want to extend the Bush tax cuts. As they clearly have no interest in cutting the deficit.

Give me a guarantee that 100% of the tax increase will go toward reducing the deficit and I will support it...but that's NOT where the money will go...it will be used on more bullcrap spending.

I put forward a plan to reduce the deficit in another thread...I'll bump it up to the top.

It has a flaw that I have been unable to excise.


EDIT - Here's a link.

usmessageboard.com/politics/139425-ok-i-have-a-plan-to-reduce-the-deficit-3.html

 

[Madeline]

And btw SS is not a budget cut issue. It is an employee/employer paid system not supported by tax dollars.

No, but Social Security Supplemental Income is. We need to stop paying benefits to "replace the income" of minors who are "diagnoised as disabled". That has been a full-fledged disaster of the first water.

I am having trouble googling the amount the US spends in this way, but bear in mind, someone on SSI is eligible for Medicaid as well. I dun know what should be done with disabled adults who lack the work history to qualify for Social Security Disability, but the children on this have to be disenrolled and we must stop enrolling any other minors.

 

[The Rabbi]

99 week unemployment benefits are crazy in the first place.

Tell them to find a job, or start a micro business.

First you will ask for 99 weeks then eventually you will be arguing that we must extend bennies for 5 years, 10 years, 20 years.

Besides they didn't pay for 99 weeks of coverage! It is an insurance after all! You have to pay for the benefits you bargain for.

99 weeks?????? Who the hell can't find something to do for damn near 2 years?

Soggy, the fact is for some people re-employment is just not a viable plan. We need to incentivize the hiring of disadvantaged workers (tax breaks or even tax credits), expand SCORE, expand the Small Business Administration and outlaw the use of credit reports by employers in hiring/promotion or retention decisions that are not rationally-related to credit worthiness (e.g., bank guards, armored car drivers, etc.).

Otherwise, we will have a class of Americans who are forever unemployable and many are not eligible for any entitlement program now.....what becomes of these people? Do we just let them starve?

Will you ever cease talking out of your ass?
The only incentive we need to give is to put an end to endless unemployment. The incentive of being out on the street if they don't get their lazy asses out there and get a job should be enough to get people off the dole.
While there are some people who are difficult to employ, their numbers are miniscule next to people perfectly able to work who are simply taking an extended vacation at governmetn expense, waiting for the "right" job to come along.

 

[Madeline]

Will congress cut it's operating budget by 10%?

Man, ain't that the truth?

 

[Madeline]

99 weeks?????? Who the hell can't find something to do for damn near 2 years?

Soggy, the fact is for some people re-employment is just not a viable plan. We need to incentivize the hiring of disadvantaged workers (tax breaks or even tax credits), expand SCORE, expand the Small Business Administration and outlaw the use of credit reports by employers in hiring/promotion or retention decisions that are not rationally-related to credit worthiness (e.g., bank guards, armored car drivers, etc.).

Otherwise, we will have a class of Americans who are forever unemployable and many are not eligible for any entitlement program now.....what becomes of these people? Do we just let them starve?

Will you ever cease talking out of your ass?
The only incentive we need to give is to put an end to endless unemployment. The incentive of being out on the street if they don't get their lazy asses out there and get a job should be enough to get people off the dole.
While there are some people who are difficult to employ, their numbers are miniscule next to people perfectly able to work who are simply taking an extended vacation at governmetn expense, waiting for the "right" job to come along.

You are a racist asshole. Normal people would one helluva lot rather work and get benefits, feel secure, have hope, than to collect unemployment. I'd like to drop your ass off in a working class neighborhood in Cleveland and see if you have the same guts to say such hateful things to these people's faces as you do on the 'net, you craven, stupid, hateful little person.

 

[Paulie]

It's a small dent, but while we're at it, let's stop paying people NOT to farm.

Unless someone can spin for me how that's good, it seems to be about the biggest waste of a couple billion dollars that I've ever heard of.

 

[The Rabbi]

Soggy, the fact is for some people re-employment is just not a viable plan. We need to incentivize the hiring of disadvantaged workers (tax breaks or even tax credits), expand SCORE, expand the Small Business Administration and outlaw the use of credit reports by employers in hiring/promotion or retention decisions that are not rationally-related to credit worthiness (e.g., bank guards, armored car drivers, etc.).

Otherwise, we will have a class of Americans who are forever unemployable and many are not eligible for any entitlement program now.....what becomes of these people? Do we just let them starve?

Will you ever cease talking out of your ass?
The only incentive we need to give is to put an end to endless unemployment. The incentive of being out on the street if they don't get their lazy asses out there and get a job should be enough to get people off the dole.
While there are some people who are difficult to employ, their numbers are miniscule next to people perfectly able to work who are simply taking an extended vacation at governmetn expense, waiting for the "right" job to come along.

[COLOR="Brown][SIZE="4"]You are a racist asshole. Normal people would one helluva lot rather work and get benefits, feel secure, have hope, than to collect unemployment. I'd like to drop your ass off in a working class neighborhood in Cleveland and see if you have the same guts to say such hateful things to these people's faces as you do on the 'net, you craven, stupid, hateful little person.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

IOW, no you cannot refute what I wrote. You'll just play the "mean" card.
Actually it is much meaner to give people money month after month so their job skills deteriorate until eventually government welfare is all they are capable of. We have whole populations raised like this with multi generational government dependency their only means of support.
I'd consider the degradation and indignity of that pretty mean myself. And people like you enable it.

 

[The Rabbi]

It's a small dent, but while we're at it, let's stop paying people NOT to farm.

Unless someone can spin for me how that's good, it seems to be about the biggest waste of a couple billion dollars that I've ever heard of.

That's part of government price supports to keep ag prices high. Why anyone needs to do that artificially is beyond me. Let people plant whatever the hell they want and think they can sell.

 

[xotoxi]

Defense spending should not be cut.

Offense spending, on the other hand, should be completely eliminated.

 

[Paulie]

It's a small dent, but while we're at it, let's stop paying people NOT to farm.

Unless someone can spin for me how that's good, it seems to be about the biggest waste of a couple billion dollars that I've ever heard of.

That's part of government price supports to keep ag prices high. Why anyone needs to do that artificially is beyond me. Let people plant whatever the hell they want and think they can sell.

Yeah, it's the government trying to manipulate prices, while simultaneously wasting billions in the process.

It needs to stop.

 

[The Rabbi]

It's a small dent, but while we're at it, let's stop paying people NOT to farm.

Unless someone can spin for me how that's good, it seems to be about the biggest waste of a couple billion dollars that I've ever heard of.

That's part of government price supports to keep ag prices high. Why anyone needs to do that artificially is beyond me. Let people plant whatever the hell they want and think they can sell.

Yeah, it's the government trying to manipulate prices, while simultaneously wasting billions in the process.

It needs to stop.

It goes back to a fundamental belief some have that individuals are incapable of making decisions about their own good and gov't needs to control the process. It is at the center of almost every social program.

 

[HUGGY]

If Republicans offered to cut Defense by 10%, would Democrats agree to cut all entitlement spending by the same amount?

A simplistic suggestion. Those terms will never be offered. Cutting defense is a shell game. The lobbiests will never allow a true 10% cut in defense spending..neither will the States representatives that have military bases. It won't happen. It is not a GOP vs Democrat problem. "Entitlements" look good on a bumpersticker but they are for the most part just that. .... Money that the recipient is entitled to through a previous agreement. Retirement etc.. Again..not going to happen. There are just as many republicans as democrats that expect to get their "entitlements".

What this OP shows is a lack of a true understanding of these issues. This is fear mongering over financial issues. Obama attempted to put a curb on the cost of healthcare which more than taxes is what is killing business. If you were serious about a "cost" that needs to be addressed you would work to get rid of lobbiests. All this talk is just window dressing.

 

[Paulie]

That's part of government price supports to keep ag prices high. Why anyone needs to do that artificially is beyond me. Let people plant whatever the hell they want and think they can sell.

Yeah, it's the government trying to manipulate prices, while simultaneously wasting billions in the process.

It needs to stop.

It goes back to a fundamental belief some have that individuals are incapable of making decisions about their own good and gov't needs to control the process. It is at the center of almost every social program.

It's a little thing I like to call RETARDED.

 

[Care4all]

fiscal 2009 defense spending was $730 BILLION

fiscal 2000 defense spending was $300 BILLION

WE CAN CERTAINLY cut out alot of waste and inefficiencies from our defense budget....AT LEAST 200 Billion a year.

 

[shintao]

If Republicans offered to cut Defense by 10%, would Democrats agree to cut all entitlement spending by the same amount?

No, domestic entitlement has already been cut to bone under Bush. Cut 99% of the military and corporate aid entirely, and I would consider a 20% increase for domestic programs.

 

[Paulie]

fiscal 2009 defense spending was $730 BILLION

fiscal 2000 defense spending was $300 BILLION

WE CAN CERTAINLY cut out alot of waste and inefficiencies from our defense budget....AT LEAST 200 Billion a year.

Nope.

Can't do it.

9/11 changed EVERYTHING.

 

[DiamondDave]

If Republicans offered to cut Defense by 10%, would Democrats agree to cut all entitlement spending by the same amount?

No, domestic entitlement has already been cut to bone under Bush. Cut 99% of the military and corporate aid entirely, and I would consider a 20% increase for domestic programs.

And the entitlement junkie rears his ugly head

Audit defense spending... go after contractors not living up to contracts... double check quotes and go through everything with a fine tooth comb... almost guaranteed this would trim 10% from the military budget

Cut all corporate aid, farm aid, and individual entitlement aid by 100%... none of it belongs ANYWHERE in government

 

[shintao]

fiscal 2009 defense spending was $730 BILLION

fiscal 2000 defense spending was $300 BILLION

WE CAN CERTAINLY cut out alot of waste and inefficiencies from our defense budget....AT LEAST 200 Billion a year.

I would hope you would see the futility of having US Troops off US soil, as that is what they are supposed to be defending, and slash the military budget by 99% until we need troops on American ground.

Nor should we be doling out to Corporate aid when they have over a Trillion in cash they are setting on.

Nor should we have opened borders that is costing America billions a year.

Just doing the right thing for America is all that needs be done.

 

[LordBrownTrout]

What does cutting 99 percent of the military even mean other than the budget goes from 600B to 6B? That's not going to happen.

 

[shintao]

If Republicans offered to cut Defense by 10%, would Democrats agree to cut all entitlement spending by the same amount?

No, domestic entitlement has already been cut to bone under Bush. Cut 99% of the military and corporate aid entirely, and I would consider a 20% increase for domestic programs.

And the entitlement junkie rears his ugly head

Coming from the mouth of the king of entitlements, I find that a compliment.

Audit defense spending... go after contractors not living up to contracts... double check quotes and go through everything with a fine tooth comb... almost guaranteed this would trim 10% from the military budget

We don't need waste more money on the military audits & BS, just slash it 99% and put US troops on US ground. How simple is that Entitlement King?? You might want ol Odd Ball to read up and quote what the founding fathers had to say about US Troops!!!

Cut all corporate aid, farm aid, and individual entitlement aid by 100%... none of it belongs ANYWHERE in government

That is a fair compromise.