Proposed budget via NY times

[hi_im_god]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

The most useful thing about that chart, for people who don't understand much about government spending, is that it makes it visually clear that our largest areas of spending are Medicare/Medicaid, Defense, interest on the national debt and Social Security.

Social Security is required by law to be fully funded; it's illegal for it to borrow money, so it doesn't contribute to the deficit or debt and never has. The surplus it has run and invested in Treasury Bonds will keep it solvent for several more decades (regardless of what the media would like you to believe; Social Security is fine).

We don't have any choice about interest on the national debt.

Medicare and Medicaid are non-discretionary items.

What this means, is that all of these cuts in discretionary spending don't amount to a hill of beans. Any alleged budget hawk who talks a big game about cutting the deficit and does not discuss cutting the defense budget is not actually serious about cutting spending.

If you really want to slash the deficit, you need to slash defense.

you're right that any serious effort to reduce deficits includes cutting defense spending but dealing with entitlements and raising revenues (taxes) also has to happen.

the really illustrative point about any of the budget discussions here is how everyone is in favor of the general idea of cutting spending but when you get down to specifics they're againt those. energy assistance and pell grants? no way!

everyone wants to blame the president and congress for the deficit but the truth is we just don't want to pay for what we get. it's a dysfunctional process that neither party really wants to deal with because they know they'll get voted out the minute they try.

the deficit commission put forth a serious plan that would begin to address the structural deficit. No ones going to touch it because the democrats will torch any republican effort to address entitlements and republicans will burn any democratic effort to cut defense or raise taxes.

The obvious answer to compromise and do some of each just isn't possible in a poisoned partisan atmosphere. So we'll cut good programs in the 13% of the federal budget that's discretionary and ignore the 87% where the real problems lie.

[jms62]

Originally Posted by hi_im_god

you're right that any serious effort to reduce deficits includes cutting defense spending but dealing with entitlements and raising revenues (taxes) also has to happen.

the really illustrative point about any of the budget discussions here is how everyone is in favor of the general idea of cutting spending but when you get down to specifics they're againt those. energy assistance and pell grants? no way!

everyone wants to blame the president and congress for the deficit but the truth is we just don't want to pay for what we get. it's a dysfunctional process that neither party really wants to deal with because they know they'll get voted out the minute they try.

the deficit commission put forth a serious plan that would begin to address the structural deficit. No ones going to touch it because the democrats will torch any republican effort to address entitlements and republicans will burn any democratic effort to cut defense or raise taxes.

The obvious answer to compromise and do some of each just isn't possible in a poisoned partisan atmosphere. So we'll cut good programs in the 13% of the federal budget that's discretionary and ignore the 87% where the real problems lie.

You nailed it. This board is a microcosm of the problem. Everyone is fine with cutting anything that doesn't directly affect them and blame the other party for the hole we are in.

[Antitrust32]

Originally Posted by jms62

You nailed it. This board is a microcosm of the problem. Everyone is fine with cutting anything that doesn't directly affect them and blame the other party for the hole we are in.

Hey I think there should be fairly across the board cuts of 20%. Including defense.

Other than the roads I drive on, and the national parks I visit, and of course the military's protection, there isnt really anything I get back from the government (I'm already out of high school and paid my own college).. so I'm not worried... CUT the spending across the board!

[dellinger63]

Originally Posted by hi_im_god

you're right that any serious effort to reduce deficits includes cutting defense spending but dealing with entitlements and raising revenues (taxes) also has to happen.

The obvious answer to compromise and do some of each just isn't possible in a poisoned partisan atmosphere. So we'll cut good programs in the 13% of the federal budget that's discretionary and ignore the 87% where the real problems lie.

The one component of the budget that could be saved w/o cutting any programs is the interest on the debt $474.15 Billion for this year. If somehow Dems and Reps could come to agreement that this is where we can save and Reps agree to raise taxes (with the understanding all new Revenue pays down the debt) at the same time Dems agree to cut spending by an equal amount (and again use that money to pay down the debt) we are capable of saving almost $5 Trillion over the next decade. With Medicare/Medicade fraud rates estimated to be 10% there's another $110 Billion or $1.1 Trillion over 10 years saved if its rooted out. One thing that is very evident looking at the budget chart is we don't need a big Obamacare square to try and squeeze in.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by hi_im_god

you're right that any serious effort to reduce deficits includes cutting defense spending but dealing with entitlements and raising revenues (taxes) also has to happen.

the really illustrative point about any of the budget discussions here is how everyone is in favor of the general idea of cutting spending but when you get down to specifics they're againt those. energy assistance and pell grants? no way!

everyone wants to blame the president and congress for the deficit but the truth is we just don't want to pay for what we get. it's a dysfunctional process that neither party really wants to deal with because they know they'll get voted out the minute they try.

the deficit commission put forth a serious plan that would begin to address the structural deficit. No ones going to touch it because the democrats will torch any republican effort to address entitlements and republicans will burn any democratic effort to cut defense or raise taxes.

The obvious answer to compromise and do some of each just isn't possible in a poisoned partisan atmosphere. So we'll cut good programs in the 13% of the federal budget that's discretionary and ignore the 87% where the real problems lie.

and that's to jms as well. everyone is in favor of cuts til the scalpel comes out.