Balance the Budget - Page 2 - New England Patriots Forums

***patsfan13*** · 04-10-2011, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scout

Make the best use of the resources? Today, people need money to put food on the table, buy medicine, and pay for their mortgage. When they do that, it multiplier effect is at its greatest value. That, versus a "central planner" using the money as they see fit? This is about middle class having the tax break to pay for necessities versus the wealthy having a tax break to decide what they might do with it.

So the best use of resources is to make it profitable for the private to create/expand profitable enterprises. This requires more workers, which attacks the 20% under/un employed giving them more $$ than the crumbs from the government, it has the added benefit of reducing the government assistance
programs.

Also when the economy reaches full employment supply and demand enters the equation and drives up wages. Now with so many unemployed there is no pressure to increase wages.

scout · 04-10-2011, 10:34 PM

Let's try another angle. I want to see if we can get close to a consensus. First cut is National Defense, which is 46.5% of the world's distribution. National Defense is $707 Billion and is 20% of our budget (does not include war expenses).
What % will we cut on defense?
Here is a link of National Defense appropriations, but feel free to google on your own.

Military budget of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Brandon Five · 04-10-2011, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scout

I don't know what the $$ would be, but I would also make these cuts and moves:
Eliminate the war on drugs
Eliminate Homeland Security
Reduce the number of people in prisons for non-violent crimes
Leave Education up to each state
Get out of the Mail business
Cut National Defense:
-reduce our presence in Germany, Japan, Iran, and Afghanistan.
Our defense is 46.5% of the world's distribution, China is second with 6.6% (gee, I wonder how they have become so productive). Cold war is over boys, time to get real.
Social Security: Increase the age limit. Tax exempt groups. Tax corporations.
Put the tax rate for the rich back to where it was prior to the Bush tax cuts. The middle class is what drives the economy, not the trickle down theory. Common sense indicates that a multiplier effect is more dramatic when it is used by people who are in need versus people that do not have to spend. The multiplier effect is the engine for the economy.

Eliminate the war on drugs - Yup
Reduce the number of people in prisons for non-violent crimes - See above
Leave Education up to each state - Mmmhmm
Get out of the Mail business - At least stop subsidizing it

Cut National Defense:
-reduce our presence in Germany, Japan, Iran, and Afghanistan.
(or ask those who we protect to share the load)

Social Security: Increase the age limit. Tax exempt groups. Tax corporations.
?? Corporations already pay half of FICA for each employee. I would add: raise the wage limit for SS taxes. Means-testing for benefits.

I would also add: eliminate Foreign Aid, Farm Subsidies, any and all Corporate Welfare.

chicowalker · 04-10-2011, 11:45 PM

One comment re education -- leaving more to each state is fine with me, and I'm completely in favor of reducing the size and reach of the department of education (I won't claim to know how much, because I don't know exactly what it does and what each function costs)

But there is a role for the federal goernment in education, as education is, imo, the single most important asset available to us (or, in theory, to most if not all nations)

Education is a matter of critical importance to the nation, so the federal government should have a role in setting certain minimum standards.