Where The Heck Do We Start Cutting?

[PoliticalChic]

1. George Washington had four cabinet departments. Since then we’ve added fourteen new departments, and reduced by two (Navy Department became part of Defense, and US Post Office became a quasi-corporation). How many are in line with constitutional requirements, and how many could be dispersed as state functions?

a. Department of Energy should be eliminated; President Carter created it to minimize our dependence on foreign oil, and to regulate oil prices. Good job? This department is tasked with maintaining and producing nuclear weapons. Why? What does the Pentagon do? And management of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve could, as Clinton suggested, become an outside entity. It also disperses ‘stimulus package’ funds. And it runs an appliance-rebate program, and ‘Weatherization Assistance Program,” and for this it received an additional $37 billion in ‘stimulus’ money, doubling its annual budget.

b. Department of Education is, of course, unconstitutional. The Constitution clearly states that powers not granted to the federal government belong to the states. So where is the impetus for its creation? Unions. The National Education Association (NEA) “In 1972, the massive union formed a political action committee…released ‘Needed: A Cabinet Department of Education’ in 1975, but its most significant step was to endorse a presidential candidate- Jimmy Carter- for the first time in the history of the organization.” D.T. Stallngs, “A Brief History of the Department of Education: 1979-2002,” p. 3.

When formed, its budget was $13.1 billion (in 2007 dollars) and it employed 450 people. IN 2010, the estimated budget is $107 billion, and there are 4,800 employees. Wanting to Abolish the Department of Education Is Not Radical - Mona Charen - National Review Online

“In November 1995, when the federal government shut down over a budget crisis, 89.4 percent of the department’s employees were deemed ‘nonessential’ and sent home.” Beck and Balfe, “Broke,” p.304


2. If you want a real eyeful of potential cuts that would save billions, …

a. The GAO says the federal government made at least $98 billion in ‘improper’ in 2009. White House reports $98B in improper government payments - Nov. 18, 2009

b. Federal auditors rated every government program, and found that 22% of them, $123 billion in spending, were ineffective! 50 Examples of Government Waste | The Heritage Foundation

c. Did you know that the CBO reports a vast number of cuts that would save a fortune? http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/102xx/doc10294/08-06-BudgetOptions.pdf Here are a few:

i. The CBO also considered the option of cutting the Airport Improvement Program that provides grants to airports to expand runways and improve security, saying this would reduce spending by $10.7 billion through 2019.
ii. The CBO also considered the option of cutting the Airport Improvement Program that provides grants to airports to expand runways and improve security, saying this would reduce spending by $10.7 billion through 2019.
iii. End subsidized loans to graduate students Ten year savings $18.8 billon
iv. End Department of Energy research on fossil fuels. Ten year savings $7.9 billion.

3. "Just days before Republicans take control in the House, the debate over whether to raise the debt ceiling continues to loom over the nation’s capital....a prime example of where rhetoric might meet reality for newly elected House Republicans....
vowing to oppose measures that would allow the Treasury to borrow beyond the $14.3 trillion ceiling Congress set in 2010. "
Read more: Debt ceiling a major test for GOP - Jake Sherman - POLITICO.com

This will be an interesting 'discussion.'

What do you think...raise it?

 

[Oddball]

Add to that list:

The Departments of Commerce, Labor, Fatherland Security (along with FEMA & TSA), HHS & HUD.

Junk FCC, CPB, PBS, NPR, Ad Council, NEA and every other federal media/propaganda program.

And get this...Those crooks have created a bureaucracy to oversee "financial reform", at a cost of $877 million.

 

[Zander]

We need to limit government spending to the amount Washington has historically taxed—18 percent of GDP. A compromise could balance the budget at 19 percent of GDP, the midpoint between historical tax revenues (18 percent) and spending (20 percent).

 

[Zander]

Here are $343 billion in cuts....get crackin'!!

 

[ScreamingEagle]

PLENTY of places to start cutting.....but the idiots in DC want to start by cutting Social Security.....

Washington is panicking over the national debt. Powerful members of Congress, spurred on by recommendations made by some members of President Obama’s recently concluded fiscal commission, are planning an aggressive legislative agenda to balance the books. Part of this strategy is attacking Social Security.

Cutting Social Security will not fix the national debt - CSMonitor.com

 

[Modbert]

And of course, it should come as no surprise that the OP and following lists ignore the elephant in the room: Military spending. OP rather cut subsidized loans for Graduate Students then dare close one single military base in the 100+ countries we are currently in.

There are common sense things missing from the OP's list that makes it difficult to take it serious.

 

[Zander]

We can cut Military spending by at least 10% and sell off old bases. It is time for Europe to defend themselves.

 

[Modbert]

We can cut Military spending by at least 10% and sell off old bases. It is time for Europe to defend themselves.

Ah but your list (which you didn't link by the way, do so or it will be removed) doesn't list that. It doesn't address the ineffective War on Drugs either. However, it does target the SBA which has helped either directly or indirectly, over 20 million businesses.

The problem with your list is that it garners no real discussion, it's just a list of things that someone with a political agenda feels should be cut. Hence why there is no cutting of military spending or War on Drugs on that list. It's difficult to take such lists seriously while people try to say how they are Small Government Conservatives or Libertarians.

Edit: I'm not saying anything about you personally by the way, just commenting on the list.

 

[PoliticalChic]

We need to limit government spending to the amount Washington has historically taxed—18 percent of GDP. A compromise could balance the budget at 19 percent of GDP, the midpoint between historical tax revenues (18 percent) and spending (20 percent).

"The data also clearly indicate that successful attempts to balance budgets rely almost entirely on reduced government expenditures, while unsuccessful ones rely heavily on tax increases. On average, the typical unsuccessful consolidation consisted of 53 percent tax increases and 47 percent spending cuts. By contrast, the typical successful fiscal consolidation consisted, on average, of 85 percent spending cuts."
Biggs, Hassett and Jensen: The Right Way to Balance the Budget - WSJ.com

 

[dilloduck]

It's starting to look to me like we don't have enough real jobs anymore so we've invented "needs". How many people would be jobless if we didn't hire people to do redundant and meaningless work ?

 

[Woyzeck]

Cut. The. Military. Budget.

 

[JBeukema]

Where The Heck Do We Start Cutting?

hmmm... maybe we should take a closer look at the big purplish bit?

 

[dilloduck]

Where The Heck Do We Start Cutting?

hmmm... maybe we should take a closer look at the big purplish bit?

I'm still saying if we cut, our fake jobs would disappear.

 

[JBeukema]

Anyone who claims to be a fiscal conservative and doesn't mention military cuts is a liar.

 

[Mad Scientist]

And of course, it should come as no surprise that the OP and following lists ignore the elephant in the room: Military spending. OP rather cut subsidized loans for Graduate Students then dare close one single military base in the 100+ countries we are currently in.

There are common sense things missing from the OP's list that makes it difficult to take it serious.

Cut every departments budget 20-50%.

 

[Talismen]

Close most WWII, Korea and Vietnam bases.
Stop all foreign aid.
Cut entitlements.
Cut every manner of "ear mark".
Cut salaries of all three branches of government.
Root out fraud from every program.

Reform SS.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Who is this we that is going to do any cutting?

You are implying that someone is in control.

psik

 

[uscitizen]

Lay off all lobbyists would be the best first place to cut.

 

[Ernie S.]

The best way to get spending under control is to withhold the pay of Congress and the President if they don't balance the budget while keeping revenue under 17.5% of GDP. Give them a bonus for paying down the debt.

 

[Modbert]

The best way to get spending under control is to withhold the pay of Congress and the President if they don't balance the budget while keeping revenue under 17.5% of GDP. Give them a bonus for paying down the debt.

Considering how much of Congress is full of millionaires, meanwhile how much the POTUS can get in speaking fees alone that is quite the empty threat. Never mind how lobbyists can gift and fund congressmen and congresswomen to their heart's content.