how do past spending patterns play into the current election?

[Silence]

want to know what the Bush administration has done to our budget and why we're are in the mess we're in?

here is a link that provides a detailed look at the budget from 2001 - 2008. It's a long read but well worth it.

Federal Spending, 2001-2008, Revised 3/6/08

anyone who wants to make the claim that we'll be better off with McCain in the white house should first read this.

one little tid bit:

Table 1:
Domestic Discretionary Funding
Is a Shrinking Share of Total Program Costs

Defense & security
2001: 21.7%
2008 29.2%
change +7.5%

Social Security, Medicare/caid
2001 45.9%
2008 43.5%
change -2.4%

Other mandatory programs
2001 14.0%
2008 12.5%
change -1.4%

Domestic discretionary
2001 18.4%
2008 14.7%
change -3.7%

What Are the Major Domestic Discretionary Programs?

The largest domestic discretionary programs (in order of size) are: education, highways and other ground transportation, housing assistance, biomedical research, federal law enforcement, public health services, air traffic and related transportation, and space flight.

so the things needed by average every day Americans, education, highways, housing, law enforcement, public health, etc have been slashed!

from the report:

Despite rhetoric to the contrary, domestic discretionary programs have not been growing rapidly. In fact, this is the only part of the budget where costs have been shrinking relative to the economy, which means these programs are not putting upward pressure on revenues.

 

[DiamondDave]

Hard to say they are "slashed" when you are looking at percentages and not the raw numbers...

Also.. the federal government is actually constitutionally tasked with the military and defense of the country... biomed research, entitlement handouts, space flight, housing assistance, etc are all discretionary... and while individuals can say they are "needed", they are the things that every individual should be taking care of themselves (not space flight of course, but you know what I mean)... government is not your mommy... people in this country have to start getting back to taking care of themselves instead of thinking the government and everyone else is responsible for their well being....

cut out the entitlements, put that towards paying off the debt, balance the budget (including monies to pay down the debt)... there is where you start

 

[SwingVoter]

Also highlights why cutting earmarks to improve fiscal policy makes as much sense as bringing in a new lawnmowing service at the White House in order to balance the budget.

Dems are afraid to look weak on nat'l security right now, but some significant cuts in defense are needed, including personnel stationed in Germany and Korea. Maybe if Obama's pals at CNN and MSNBC quit making personal attacks, and instead investigated policy details just a tad more, they'd see how much opportunity we have to improve economically with a new party in control.

 

[SwingVoter]

cut out the entitlements

Repubs won't do it, even though it's 45% of the budget and growing, because they don't want to piss off their base of old people. All the naive, young college kids reading Daily Kos and contributing to Moveon.org don't collect social security, and are more likely to make a lot of childish personal attacks and drone on about the war than write letters to Congressmen about their perscription drug bills. It's why silly, young liberals are far less of a problem to the budget than right-wing seniors.

 

[Silence]

Hard to say they are "slashed" when you are looking at percentages and not the raw numbers...

Also.. the federal government is actually constitutionally tasked with the military and defense of the country... biomed research, entitlement handouts, space flight, housing assistance, etc are all discretionary... and while individuals can say they are "needed", they are the things that every individual should be taking care of themselves (not space flight of course, but you know what I mean)... government is not your mommy... people in this country have to start getting back to taking care of themselves instead of thinking the government and everyone else is responsible for their well being....

cut out the entitlements, put that towards paying off the debt, balance the budget (including monies to pay down the debt)... there is where you start

wow, good to know I should go out and build my own highway. Who knew...

Should I also go direct some air traffic control? or how about fight some crime as a federal law enforcement officer? your argument is completely and utterly devoid of the reality that those programs are what MAKE America UNIQUE! Education for our children, housing assistance, health care, infrustructure, etc.

Those are the things that keep society running.

at anyone who says these programs aren't necessary.

 

[DiamondDave]

Again... as put in my post... you know what I mean... the things that the govt is responsible for like defense, creation of laws, it's own infrastructure, etc...

You know exactly what I meant by entitlements, but you come back with the over the top crapola, per usual

The govt does not exist to give you a house, or medical insurance, or other entitlements of any personal nature...

And don't forget that the society can run very well if all those within the society actually work and earn their own money for their own wants and needs... it does not take the government taxing, bureaucratizing, and redistributing it for you

 

[clazona]

What will happen to social security in 2010. How can we solve the problem of SS being insolvent in the near future. How efficient is government in spending. Should we expand the role of government in health care. Will we be able to afford health care. And why is it the top 10% of Americans pay 71% of total revenue to our government? Should they pay more? What about raising the taxes of the bottom 50%? They only make up 4% of government revenue.