...now they're in control of the House? There was a lot of rhetoric in the run-up to the elections about cutting (of which I approve) government spending but let's get specific now: how much and from which budget? We're having the same debate over here in the UK so would be interesting to see how we compare.
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So, what should the Republicans cut?
- Thread starter Matt Black
- Start date
Here are a few we could try for starters:
- Eliminate the Department of Education and all federal subsidies to public schools
- Place a substantial deductible (about $2,000) on Medicare payments.
- Refuse all government services to illegal aliens.
- Eliminate federal grants throughout our society.
- Eliminate all Department of Agriculture programs except those directly supporting research and production of food and fiber.
- Raise the age for social security retirement benefits.
DOE? Not going to happen. It would completely destroy our system of post-secondary education. The GOP does not want to be known as the party that dramatically reduced access to higher education.
Medicare? No way. Making grandma pay more for healthcare is a quick way to lose an election....badly.
Illegal aliens? This might work.
Federal grants? No chance. It would likely hurt the economy to cut this kind of spending.
Ag? I'm not sure.
SS? This is probably inevitable.
Interesting. The main steps the government is taking here is:
Defence - scrapping one aircraft carrier
Education - scrapping the schools building programme. This means that replacement of worn-out buildings and other educational infrastructure will be indefintely postponed. Also, they are considering charging wealthier graduates for university tuition fees.
Welfare reform - capping housing benefit (government-subsidised rent) at £400 pw, which is causing squeals of outrage in London where rents are considerably higher, the government counter-argument, to which I subscribe wholeheartedly, being "why should someone who works who can't afford to rent in central London pay taxes so that someone who doesn't work can?" Reducing housing benefit by 10% if the recipient has failed to find a job within 12 months. Child benefit removed for all earning > £44000pa
Raising the retirement age and therefore eligibility for state pension (US= social security) from 60 to 66 for women and from 65 to 66 for men from 2016.
3 year pay freeze for all government employees.
Sales tax up from 17.5% to 20% in January. This is the only tax hike.
The above will eliminate our deficit in 4-5 years.
Defence - scrapping one aircraft carrier
Education - scrapping the schools building programme. This means that replacement of worn-out buildings and other educational infrastructure will be indefintely postponed. Also, they are considering charging wealthier graduates for university tuition fees.
Welfare reform - capping housing benefit (government-subsidised rent) at £400 pw, which is causing squeals of outrage in London where rents are considerably higher, the government counter-argument, to which I subscribe wholeheartedly, being "why should someone who works who can't afford to rent in central London pay taxes so that someone who doesn't work can?" Reducing housing benefit by 10% if the recipient has failed to find a job within 12 months. Child benefit removed for all earning > £44000pa
Raising the retirement age and therefore eligibility for state pension (US= social security) from 60 to 66 for women and from 65 to 66 for men from 2016.
3 year pay freeze for all government employees.
Sales tax up from 17.5% to 20% in January. This is the only tax hike.
The above will eliminate our deficit in 4-5 years.
Z...is that your own personal wish list?
I do agree with the Dept of Edu...thats real fat
Agu...not so sure
Agu...not so sure
Two quick ones - National Endowment of the Arts and National Public Radio.
Also, welfare etc for those here illegally.
Don't allow earmarks attached to unrelated bills, or have each earmark voted on individually, with the results of who voted for/against each one made public.
Also, welfare etc for those here illegally.
Don't allow earmarks attached to unrelated bills, or have each earmark voted on individually, with the results of who voted for/against each one made public.
Sole source contracts.
Cut the salaries of congressmen/women by 75% and eliminate their perks.
Congressional junkets.
Earmarks should be illegal.
The Soil Conservation Service alone makes the Dept. of Agriculture worthwhile.
Cut the salaries of congressmen/women by 75% and eliminate their perks.
Congressional junkets.
Earmarks should be illegal.
The Soil Conservation Service alone makes the Dept. of Agriculture worthwhile.
glfredrick
New Member
Not to be a downer, but the Republican-led House will not be able to cut much of anything, no enact much of anything. In a sense, they are just place markers in place to begin the true run for 2010 that will be required to accomplish anything of merit.
This message needs to be proclaimed LOUD AND CLEAR among the populace, because what WILL happen is the Democrat Party will run a campaign (like 2008) where they make the claim that "Republicans won (again) and did nothing..."
Nothing really can be done with the Senate and Presidency still under Democrat control.
This message needs to be proclaimed LOUD AND CLEAR among the populace, because what WILL happen is the Democrat Party will run a campaign (like 2008) where they make the claim that "Republicans won (again) and did nothing..."
Nothing really can be done with the Senate and Presidency still under Democrat control.
Agreed! What has happened has created a giant traffic jam in DC. Not much will be done legislatively (which is a good and bad thing) but if the Republicans are smart they'll use their leverage to really hone their message for 2012 when they unseat more Democrats and (likely) win the White House.
Yep:thumbsup:
Tom Bryant
Well-Known Member
They also need to remind themselves of the same thing.
ideas (most will never see the light of day):
But give me gridlock over steamrolling our liberties (and pocketbooks) any day of the week.
- Abolish the Department of Education
- Abolish the Department of the Interior
- Gut the Department of HHS to the most basic level of regulation
- Abolish the Department of Homeland Security, and force a coordination of our intelligence and security resources.
- Abolish the Department of Energy
- Phase out Medicare
- Impose a 5% pay reduction across the board in 2010 for all federal employees in 2011; 10% in 2012. End automatic raises.
- Cut congressional pay by 25% in 2011; 25% more in 2012. End perks such as free haircuts, travel perks, and the like.
- Gut the Department of Labor to the most basic regulatory level.
- Abolish the Internal Revenue Service and enact the FairTax.
- Allow a private supplemental option to Social Security...then over years, allow an opt-out in phases for folks who choose to privatize.
- End garbage giveaways like free government-funded cell phones.
But give me gridlock over steamrolling our liberties (and pocketbooks) any day of the week.
Pretty much agree with the rest. Would be nice, but I don't see it happening. Call me Mr. Negativity, but I don't predict much of an actual change over the next 2 years; oh, I think we might see Obamacare challenged and even repealed, and some of the other "big ticket" items that have come up...but unless the President does whatever it takes to work with the Republican-majority House, I predict more gridlock than accomplishment.
Which, in turn, will turn into a negative for his re-election.
Interesting list. I always enjoy seeing these things put out there. I don't disagree with some of these points. I completely agree that the entire federal government employment system (specifically employees making $45k and above needs to be put on highly restrictive pay. We need to eliminate $25k a week conferences at the Harvard Kennedy School and such.
I disagree about eliminating the Department of Interior. I love our national parks. Maybe giving the department more defined guidelines would help.
The Department of Education should be reduced to a five cubicle office system with a receptionist. Their only job is to take federal dollars given to education and send it to the states, then call to make sure the checks got there.
The US Congressional pay should be reduced to the poverty level plus a round trip airfare to and from for each session. See how they like it.
I'm not a fan of the FairTax at all. I favor a flat tax. Economically the Fair Tax would be ruinous to economic expansion. We have to live in the reality that people aren't good at saving and when your basic costs go up 40% you'll see a economic bomb shelter mentality like when a Democrat walks into an executive club with an IRS agent.
Seeing as both of my parents are on Medicare and SS, after having paid into both for their entire 40 year careers, I can't recommend eliminating either.
I agree with a lot of your list. The only expansion, the only expansion we need to make is give everyone in the military a 15% pay increase and provide the veterans administration with free, ridiculously good health care for all returning military personnel.
North Carolina Tentmaker
New Member
Zenas’ list is a good start
Eliminating the department of education does not necessarily mean cutting all federal monies. Before ED was established by President Carter in 1979 this was done as a part of the commerce department. The federal government can still spend some money on education, but it should be on those aspects that the commerce department feels are important to American industry. Most federal educational grants are too specific to be of use locally and cause waste in the schools. I first hand of thousands of government computers provided to schools that were never used because they were provided without operating systems. That kind of grant is pretty typical of federal educational grants. They will give you something but it will cost you more than it’s worth to take advantage of it. Eliminate the department of Education and put the needed, much smaller, parts of it under Commerce.
The Department of Energy was another cabinet level department created by President Carter. Let’s get rid of it and cut its budget. The Nuclear Regulatory Agency and other parts can go back under other departments where they belong. Obama’s “stimulus” almost doubled the DOE’s budget and it needs to be cut back big time. Oil and gas companies should be able to make money without federal funds and if wind and solar can’t then they need to go away.
Putting a deductible on Medicare payments is not a bad idea. Everyone with private insurance has a deductible. It would simply change supplemental. A better idea to cut the cost of healthcare is tort reform. Comprehensive limits on lawsuits would save money across all industry but especially in healthcare. If a doctor is negligent then take away his license, send him to jail, or put him to death but you don’t deserve a big check just because he cut off the wrong leg.
Refusing government services to all illegals sounds great, but how about simply close the border and enforce existing laws. It’s working in Arizona. I don’t want to cut needed services for children in need regardless of their status, it’s not their fault, but I sure want to encourage their parents to go home and get back in line to immigrate legally.
Eliminating federal grants is a good idea, I am sure some are a good idea, but I can’t think of any right now. Eliminating earmarks would help a lot here. Government money is never free; it always comes with strings attached and usually costs more than it’s worth.
Department of Agriculture like all others has a lot of waste. Paying to “not grow” anything is a bad idea. My solution to Agriculture and every other department is simply return to 2008 budget levels. The federal budget could be 1 page. Each department gets the exact same dollars it got in 2008. Let the secretaries of each department figure out where to spend it and hold that cap till the budget is balanced and then a little more.
Raising the social security benefit age is a good idea, but how about eliminating the disability part? How did disability get to be a part of Social Security anyway? Take out disability and Medicaid and it would go a long way to putting social security back in the black.
I don’t know if I want to cut congressional salaries or not. They make a lot more by stealing it and receiving bribes than their salaries anyway. How about eliminate their retirement programs? It’s not supposed to be a career to start with.
No, none of these will ever happen. The best we can hope for is a couple years of gridlock. But hey, gridlock is a big improvement over the last two years.
Eliminating the department of education does not necessarily mean cutting all federal monies. Before ED was established by President Carter in 1979 this was done as a part of the commerce department. The federal government can still spend some money on education, but it should be on those aspects that the commerce department feels are important to American industry. Most federal educational grants are too specific to be of use locally and cause waste in the schools. I first hand of thousands of government computers provided to schools that were never used because they were provided without operating systems. That kind of grant is pretty typical of federal educational grants. They will give you something but it will cost you more than it’s worth to take advantage of it. Eliminate the department of Education and put the needed, much smaller, parts of it under Commerce.
The Department of Energy was another cabinet level department created by President Carter. Let’s get rid of it and cut its budget. The Nuclear Regulatory Agency and other parts can go back under other departments where they belong. Obama’s “stimulus” almost doubled the DOE’s budget and it needs to be cut back big time. Oil and gas companies should be able to make money without federal funds and if wind and solar can’t then they need to go away.
Putting a deductible on Medicare payments is not a bad idea. Everyone with private insurance has a deductible. It would simply change supplemental. A better idea to cut the cost of healthcare is tort reform. Comprehensive limits on lawsuits would save money across all industry but especially in healthcare. If a doctor is negligent then take away his license, send him to jail, or put him to death but you don’t deserve a big check just because he cut off the wrong leg.
Refusing government services to all illegals sounds great, but how about simply close the border and enforce existing laws. It’s working in Arizona. I don’t want to cut needed services for children in need regardless of their status, it’s not their fault, but I sure want to encourage their parents to go home and get back in line to immigrate legally.
Eliminating federal grants is a good idea, I am sure some are a good idea, but I can’t think of any right now. Eliminating earmarks would help a lot here. Government money is never free; it always comes with strings attached and usually costs more than it’s worth.
Department of Agriculture like all others has a lot of waste. Paying to “not grow” anything is a bad idea. My solution to Agriculture and every other department is simply return to 2008 budget levels. The federal budget could be 1 page. Each department gets the exact same dollars it got in 2008. Let the secretaries of each department figure out where to spend it and hold that cap till the budget is balanced and then a little more.
Raising the social security benefit age is a good idea, but how about eliminating the disability part? How did disability get to be a part of Social Security anyway? Take out disability and Medicaid and it would go a long way to putting social security back in the black.
I don’t know if I want to cut congressional salaries or not. They make a lot more by stealing it and receiving bribes than their salaries anyway. How about eliminate their retirement programs? It’s not supposed to be a career to start with.
No, none of these will ever happen. The best we can hope for is a couple years of gridlock. But hey, gridlock is a big improvement over the last two years.
I am a strong supporter of the military - but
A GI living in family housing is stationed at Ft Hood, Tx and is sent on a short tour - (Korea) the Army will ship his family and house hold goods to their Home of Record - say Atlanta, Ga. A year later he returns to Ft. Hood. The Army will ship his family and furnitue back to Ft Hood - but since base housing is not available he rents off post. Nine months later, base housing becomes available and now he moves again - at Govt expense.
Excessive - I think so.
How about Child Care centers on base - esp for single parents - if you are single - you do not belong in the military - period!
An individual can thru 3 years of West Point - resign and not pay a penny for his education.
How about laying off the kitchen staff one day a week - and have GI's pull KP
A GI living in family housing is stationed at Ft Hood, Tx and is sent on a short tour - (Korea) the Army will ship his family and house hold goods to their Home of Record - say Atlanta, Ga. A year later he returns to Ft. Hood. The Army will ship his family and furnitue back to Ft Hood - but since base housing is not available he rents off post. Nine months later, base housing becomes available and now he moves again - at Govt expense.
Excessive - I think so.
How about Child Care centers on base - esp for single parents - if you are single - you do not belong in the military - period!
An individual can thru 3 years of West Point - resign and not pay a penny for his education.
How about laying off the kitchen staff one day a week - and have GI's pull KP
KenH
Well-Known Member
This "Libertarian Pledge to America" would take care of a whole host of spending:
www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance213.html
www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance213.html
Overall, good, but Overkill in so many areas. It's no wonder the libertarian party is no more than nuisance and will never be a political force to be reckoned with.