Where would you cut federal spending?

[Jeepers]

Put your best Idea forward.

With Washington predicting a record budget deficit of over 490 billion we either raise taxes, or cut spending. Ignoring the first option where can we save money on our national spending.

 

[Chris]

The military, "homeland security", welfare(corporate and individual), and bring the troops home from Iraq.

 

[sealybobo]

Put your best Idea forward.

With Washington predicting a record budget deficit of over 490 billion we either raise taxes, or cut spending. Ignoring the first option where can we save money on our national spending.

Defense.

The bipartisan consensus on U.S. military spending
Global Security has taken the Fiscal Year 2008 U.S. budget and prepared a new chart illustrating the most significant and under-discussed political fact in the United States, one that substantially affects every other issue:

Our military spending exceeds the rest of the world's spending combined, and we spend almost 10 times what the second-place country, China, spends. "Only" about $150 billion of the total U.S. amount is attributable to the two active wars we're fighting, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thus, even if one wants to excludes those amounts, the basic picture remains the same. Nor do these amounts include the billions of dollars in military aid we give to fund the armies of other countries, such as Israel and Egypt, which alone comprise substantial portions of those countries' defense budgets.

And this gap between us and the rest of the world has widened considerably over the last 10 years. That's true because our own military spending, in absolute terms, has increased wildly during that time:

The bipartisan consensus on U.S. military spending - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com

 

[Jeepers]

The military, "homeland security", welfare(corporate and individual), and bring the troops home from Iraq.

I can see smaller more technical military units utilizing technology over actual manpower. I would remove corporate subsides, renegotiate trade deals empasizing free and fairtrade over just free trade. I would focus on building a functional, working, highwage economy in northern mexico. I would address individual welfare on an idividual basis focusing on education, training, and mental health. On the troops, they may not be in Iraq but I doubt that they'd be coming home anytime soon...

 

[doeton]

well actually blackwater is great place to start.

AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

 

[Orange_Juice]

We don't need a giant military:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Seven years after the September 11 attacks, the Pentagon on Thursday officially named "the long war" against global extremism as its top priority and pledged to avert any conventional military threat from China or Russia through dialogue.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Defense Department, in a new national defense strategy, also emphasized the need to subordinate military operations to "soft power" initiatives to undermine Islamist militancy by promoting economic, political and social development in vulnerable corners of the world.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he hoped the change would help establish permanent institutional support for counterinsurgency skills acquired in Iraq and Afghanistan within a defense community heavily skewed in favor of expensive conventional and strategic modernization programs.

"If I could describe the new national defense strategy in one word, it would be 'balance,"' Gates told reporters, saying there was a danger that U.S. ability to wage war against militant groups could be neglected in the future without a shift in emphasis.

The pragmatic tone of the 23-page document, crafted to reflect Gates' priorities, contrasted sharply at different points with the last national strategy, issued in March 2005, under Gates' more brash predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld.

Like Rumsfeld, Gates sees parallels between violent Islamist theology and the 20th-century ideologies of fascism and communism.

Where Rumsfeld called for pre-emptive action against threats and envisioned U.S. partnerships with "like-minded states," the new strategy calls for the patient accumulation of quiet success against militant adversaries and the importance of improved relations with "old allies and new partners."

"For the foreseeable future, winning the long war against violent extremist movements will be the central objective of the U.S.," the 2008 strategy said.

Pentagon makes fighting extremism its top priority - Yahoo! News

 

[DiamondDave]

Get realistic people... defense, national security, and the like are actually charged of the government within our constitution... in no way should defense of our citizenry, our land, and our allies be cut....

Cut the IRS. Simplify the tax code to a basic flat tax. Equality of taxation on simple percentage with an adjusted zero line. Eliminate all but the necessary deductions (home interest and children). The simplified tax code keeps taxes coming in and eliminates the need for a huge IRS department, saving a TON of money.

Cut entitlements to the bare minimum. And by bare minimum I mean only helping those who are completely incapable of helping themselves. Corporate welfare goes bye-bye too. The government is not mommy nor is it an insurance company. No more free rides. Bring back personal responsibility.

Eliminate all earmarks on bills. These account for a ton of expenditures. If every bill is forced to stand alone, less will be brought up and more likely only the more important ones will surface.

Eliminate extravagance within politics. No more multi-million dollar parties etc. Politicians want a party, they can pay for it out of pocket.

And on the other side of it... I would create a national lottery where ALL profit goes directly to debt. Think of it as a voluntary tax for debt repayment. And someone is gonna get rich, making it a good story all around.

 

[sealybobo]

I can see smaller more technical military units utilizing technology over actual manpower. I would remove corporate subsides, renegotiate trade deals empasizing free and fairtrade over just free trade. I would focus on building a functional, working, highwage economy in northern mexico. I would address individual welfare on an idividual basis focusing on education, training, and mental health. On the troops, they may not be in Iraq but I doubt that they'd be coming home anytime soon...

Great thoughts by the way.

On welfare:

They should be monitored like parolees are. Once a month, drop by to pay them a surprise visits, help them get a job. Give tax breaks to companies that give them jobs. Drop off their staples instead of giving them a debit card. Get them the hell off the books. Give kids SCHIP health insurance.

There are people that can't work and need to be on it for life, but I've heard half on it are just abusing the system.

Give kids with parents that are on welfare free community college. Then they'll better themselves and not want to carry on the tradition.

Go after deadbeat dads. Most of the single moms are on welfare because of these bastards.

This will also take away an argument that the conservatives bring up EVERY election year.

Corporate welfare is a much bigger problem, but that doesn't mean this isn't a problem. Middle class Americans are being squeezed at both ends.

 

[AllieBaba]

I find it frightening that people want to dismantle our military.

I'd cut education.

 

[doeton]

i find it sad that people like allie and diamond dave miss the point.

in regards to the military the idea isn't to end it.

it's to fund it to the things we need it to do.

for example the navy has plans to build stealth destroyers costings billions apiece when the last successful attack on the U.S. warship was made by some cavemen on a fishing boat.

get it?

a billion dollar stealth ship would have been just as vulnerable.

 

[AllieBaba]

And you fund that by cutting funds?

Somehow I'm not tracking this...

 

[Ninja]

I'd abolish the BATFE.

 

[busara]

I find it frightening that people want to dismantle our military.

I'd cut education.

can i ask why? do you mean all education funding or just a part of the budget?

 

[Orange_Juice]

I find it frightening that people want to dismantle our military.

I'd cut education.

Our giant--and useless--home security system for the scared and freightened

 

[DiamondDave]

i find it sad that people like allie and diamond dave miss the point.

in regards to the military the idea isn't to end it.

it's to fund it to the things we need it to do.

for example the navy has plans to build stealth destroyers costings billions apiece when the last successful attack on the U.S. warship was made by some cavemen on a fishing boat.

get it?

a billion dollar stealth ship would have been just as vulnerable.

Now Some extravagant naval spending, I could see cutting back... but not eliminating... potential enemies can still pose a naval threat... it is still not all just about battling terror.. evil is in many places and in many forms (I.E. ways they can and will eventually attack)

You do not get lax in defense... when you get lax you open more holes... you continually strive to be ahead in every way... we can not afford to sit back on our heels

 

[Orange_Juice]

Get realistic people... defense, national security, and the like are actually charged of the government within our constitution... in no way should defense of our citizenry, our land, and our allies be cut....

Cut the IRS. Simplify the tax code to a basic flat tax. Equality of taxation on simple percentage with an adjusted zero line. Eliminate all but the necessary deductions (home interest and children). The simplified tax code keeps taxes coming in and eliminates the need for a huge IRS department, saving a TON of money.

Cut entitlements to the bare minimum. And by bare minimum I mean only helping those who are completely incapable of helping themselves. Corporate welfare goes bye-bye too. The government is not mommy nor is it an insurance company. No more free rides. Bring back personal responsibility.

Eliminate all earmarks on bills. These account for a ton of expenditures. If every bill is forced to stand alone, less will be brought up and more likely only the more important ones will surface.

Eliminate extravagance within politics. No more multi-million dollar parties etc. Politicians want a party, they can pay for it out of pocket.

And on the other side of it... I would create a national lottery where ALL profit goes directly to debt. Think of it as a voluntary tax for debt repayment. And someone is gonna get rich, making it a good story all around.

So basically, kill the sick, let the hungry starve and destroy our economy?

Redistribution of wealth is necessary in our consumer driven economy. You didn't know that, did you?

 

[DiamondDave]

So basically, kill the sick, let the hungry starve and destroy our economy?

Redistribution of wealth is necessary in our consumer driven economy. You didn't know that, did you?

Give it a break commie Robin Hood

Forced government wealth redistribution is not necessary.... but that is a convenient way for a lefty to try and justify their extremist stance

Funny... need to support one's self is a great motivator.... letting the lazy suck off the tit of society is not

 

[Orange_Juice]

Give it a break commie Robin Hood

Forced government wealth redistribution is not necessary.... but that is a convenient way for a lefty to try and justify their extremist stance

Funny... need to support one's self is a great motivator.... letting the lazy suck off the tit of society is not

Not true. 2/3 of economic activity in this country is consumer spending and if consumers don't have money they can't buy things and the economy goes down. Bush acknowledged this without saying with the "Stimulus Checks"

And it has nothing to do with laziness, its all about keeping the economy rolling so people have work. Then again, if the economy fell apart and there were no jobs you and Senator Gram would call the unemployed lazy, so what's the difference

 

[AllieBaba]

However, if the government is giving it to the consumers to spend it in the first place, it is hardly a sound economic model for prosperity.

 

[DiamondDave]

If consumers take responsibility for themselves, work, provide, earn... they can still drive consumer spending... consumer spending is not directly tied to taxing the rich and handing out to others... consumer spending is not tied directly to government entitlement handouts...

Take the entitlement checks for what they were/are... a ploy. a tickler... a teaser... and yes, while they extra spending does boost (if it is spent), it is not the only way a boost can happen

You want wealth redistribution... go live in Sherwood Forrest