What Should We Cut?

[Skull Pilot]

Depends...how many American citizens are we willing to kill off to balance the budget?

In other words....what's our goal?

BUDGET CUTS = MURDER

we better spend more because

GOVERNMENT SPENDING = LIFE FOR THE PEOPLE

 

[editec]

BUDGET CUTS = MURDER

we better spend more because

GOVERNMENT SPENDING = LIFE FOR THE PEOPLE

I didn't say it was murder. At worst it's neglect.

I just want to understand who we're willing to let die, go broke, or break our social contracts with, that's all.

 

[RetiredGySgt]

I didn't say it was murder. At worst it's neglect.

I just want to understand who we're willing to let die, go broke, or break our social contracts with, that's all.

The Federal Government has no authority to make , control, run or tax for programs for individual citizens. Never has. The only exceptions are the people they employ and Washington DC.

You want those programs create an amendment and get it passed.

 

[Skull Pilot]

I didn't say it was murder. At worst it's neglect.

I just want to understand who we're willing to let die, go broke, or break our social contracts with, that's all.

as far as government workers go, we have NO obligation to employ them.

Every tax dollar taken from citizens for government programs or to employ a government worker means the private sector has less money to provide or create jobs.

 

[editec]

as far as government workers go, we have NO obligation to employ them.

Okay

Every tax dollar taken from citizens for government programs or to employ a government worker means the private sector has less money to provide or create jobs.

True enough.

Now, which people should we cull from the herd, Skull?

I just attempted to show you who would be hurt by eliminating those parts of government.

Which ones do we fire, today?

Incidently, speaking as an EDUCATOR, my first cut would be the department of education. Far as I can tell, they're worse than useless.

My second would be homland security. This is really the growing of a Federalized police state.

Third would be "global war on terror" although to be honest I don't know if that's REALLY not part of other budgets and not a separate department.

NASA would probably be my forth even though I think that money is a good long term investment.

 

[NOBama]

Just couldn't resist politicizing it, could ya ?

Dillo, I think it's a hypothetical question. It certainly doesn't pertain to the current election because; neither candidate is calling for cutting entire department(s) out of the budget.

McCain wants to freeze government spending.

Obama wants to increase government spending.

If however, we could get to the dead wood within each department, we wouldn't need a scalpel or a hatchet, we'd need heavy duty earth clearing equipment.

McCain is right. Obama is wrong. IMHO.

 

[Skull Pilot]

as far as government workers go, we have NO obligation to employ them.

Okay



True enough.

Now, which people should we cull from the herd, Skull?

I just attempted to show you who would be hurt by eliminating those parts of government.

Which ones do we fire, today?

Incidently, speaking as an EDUCATOR, my first cut would be the department of education. Far as I can tell, they're worse than useless.

My second would be homland security. This is really the growing of a Federalized police state.

Third would be "global war on terror" although to be honest I don't know if that's REALLY not part of other budgets and not a separate department.

NASA would probably be my forth even though I think that money is a good long term investment.

Dept of Ed would be on my list. Let the states take care of it as they used to.

Homeland Sec. should be scaled back. there is a lot of waste there. It should exist only as a means of getting all of our federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies on the same page.

War on terror...Gone. If we use our military to defend our borders we'll be fine.

There are duplicated and triplicated departments in government let's get rid of them.

hey here's an idea...cut pay for senators and congressmen and the pres too for that matter. reduce staff sizes etc.

Implement a simplified tax code and dump the IRS.

 

[editec]

There so much forking pork in our government.

But try and cut it ALL and you know who will stop you?

Here's a hint...it won't be welfare mothers.

 

[Turboswede]

So it looks like the options provided are fairly cut and dry,
Either cut all social Spending
Or
All defense spending

I don't think in a democracy either one of those will fly.

Oh, BTW we didn't have this problem under Nixon either

Not trying to be partisan, just showing people with open minds that there is a whole lot that would need to be cut to avoid raising taxes and are we as a people willing to give up the DOD or Medicare just to avoid paying an extra $100 per year? Are we that stupid or heartless or greedy?

 

[Annie]

So, here is a little exercise for all of you out there that think we can balance the federal budget through spending cuts and can avoid tax increases. I pulled these figures from Wikipedia for the 2008 Federal Budget:

$608 billion - Social Security
$386 billion - Medicare
$209 billion - Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
$324 billion - Unemployment/Welfare/Other mandatory spending
$261 billion - Interest on National Debt
$481.4 billion- United States Department of Defense
$145.2 billion- Global War on Terror
$69.3 billion - Health and Human Services
$56.0 billion - United States Department of Education
$39.4 billion - United States Department of Veterans Affairs
$35.2 billion - US Department of Housing and Urban Development
$35.0 billion - State and Other International Programs
$34.3 billion - Department of Homeland Security
$24.3 billion - Energy
$20.2 billion - Department of Justice
$20.2 billion - Department of Agriculture
$17.3 billion - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
$12.1 billion - Department of Transportation
$12.1 billion - Department of Treasury
$10.6 billion - United States Department of the Interior
$10.6 billion - United States Department of Labor

For FY 2008 our estimated deficit will be $455 billion and our current national debt is $10.2 Trillion.

Easy question, what do you cut from the above to get $455 billion?

Weird to think this problem didn’t exist under Clinton, I thought the Republicans were supposed to be the fiscal conservatives.

They want a new cabinet level department created, probably necessary since they are going to 'transform the world.'

GovTrack: H.R. 808: Text of Legislation, Introduced in House

Text of H.R. 808: Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act
This Version: “Introduced in House”
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HR 808 IH
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 808
To establish a Department of Peace and Nonviolence.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 5, 2007
Mr. KUCINICH (for himself, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. ANDREWS, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Ms. CARSON, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. FARR, Mr. FILNER, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOLT, Mr. HONDA, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms. KAPTUR, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Ms. LEE, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. NADLER, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SHERMAN, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. WATERS, Ms. WATSON, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. WU, and Mr. WYNN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, and Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To establish a Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the `Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act'.
(b) Table of Contents- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.

TITLE I--ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE

Sec. 101. Establishment of Department of Peace and Nonviolence.
Sec. 102. Responsibilities and powers.
Sec. 103. Principal officers.
Sec. 104. Office of Peace Education and Training.
Sec. 105. Office of Domestic Peace Activities.
Sec. 106. Office of International Peace Activities.
Sec. 107. Office of Technology for Peace.
Sec. 108. Office of Arms Control and Disarmament.
Sec. 109. Office of Peaceful Coexistence and Nonviolent Conflict Resolution.
Sec. 110. Office of Human Rights and Economic Rights.
Sec. 111. Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Peace and Nonviolence.
Sec. 112. Consultation required.
Sec. 113. Authorization of appropriations.

TITLE II--ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS AND TRANSFERS OF AGENCY FUNCTIONS

Sec. 201. Staff.
Sec. 202. Transfers.
Sec. 203. Conforming amendments.

TITLE III--FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND NONVIOLENCE

Sec. 301. Federal Interagency Committee on Peace and Nonviolence.

TITLE IV--ESTABLISHMENT OF PEACE DAY

Sec. 401. Peace Day.