the road to a balanced budget in 10 years

[g8orbill]

this has some interesting points

http://blog.heritage.org/2013/02/01/...Morning%2BBell

from the article

Reform entitlement programs. Congress must make much-needed reforms to entitlement programs to provide an affordable safety net. Congress should first repeal Obamacare or at least stop the subsidies and Medicaid expansion that begin in 2014. Social Security and Medicare should become true safety net programs and focus assistance on seniors in need. The eligibility age for both programs should match and reflect increases in longevity. Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment should be based on a more accurate measure of inflation.

.....

Do not use budget gimmicks. Congress must put the federal budget on a firm course to balance in 10 years and keep it balanced, without employing budget gimmicks. Congress should abstain from abusing disasters, like Hurricane Sandy, to push through excess spending. Neither should Congress enact laws that count on spending outside the 10-year budget window, as is the case with Obamacare’s coverage expansion provisions.

[gatorman_07732]

bill, the federal government needs to be gutted like a pig

[HALLGATOR]

Wonder what his idea on this is. He starts off with cut, cut and then gets to defense and gives some vague thought on it.

5. Do not sacrifice the nation’s security. Allowing myopic cuts to reduce military capabilities today risks incurring higher rebuilding costs tomorrow. Congress should responsibly fund defense at adequate levels.

[tegator80]

Only one way to get to a balanced budget: pain, LOTS of pain.
.
.
.
.
And civil disobedience. Humans don't like having things promised and then taken away. But since our elected officials don't want to be hung - either in effigy or in actuality - nothing will be done. Just the inevitable financial train wreck down the road.

[g8orbill]

I knew the defense cuts portion would find the most resistance from too hotter's-while there is a great deal that can be cut from defense we should not cut it to the bare bones and leave ourselves vulnerable-and to me that is what they were saying

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Bare bones?

We have more military investment than the next 20+ countries combined.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

"can't leave ourselves vulnerable"

[orangeblueorangeblue]

The military comprises 38% of our non-debt budget.

Medicare comprises 40%

You kill every other program ENTIRELY and you still run a deficit.

[gatorman_07732]

start with elimiating these:

FHA, HUD, Dept. of Education, Dept of Energy, Freddy Mac & Fannie Mae

[MichiGator2002]

I think we need to stop talking about a balanced budget in a vacuum. We have to talk about a balanced budget that is balanced while not exceeding some number substantially below 20% of GDP.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Originally Posted by gatorman_07732

start with elimiating these:

FHA, HUD, Dept. of Education, Dept of Energy, Freddy Mac & Fannie Mae

Still waaayyy in a deficit. What next? You can literally go through every rung before touching Medicare & DOD and you will still run a deficit.

DOE is 1/8th the total spending on military.

[gatorman_07732]

Originally Posted by orangeblueorangeblue

Still waaayyy in a deficit. What next? You can literally go through every rung before touching Medicare & DOD and you will still run a deficit.

DOE is 1/8th the total spending on military.

There are a ton more you can eliminate and you have to start somewhere

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Eliminate ENTIRELY every non DOD or Medicare department that isn't debt based and you still run a deficit.

[gatorman_07732]

Originally Posted by orangeblueorangeblue

Eliminate ENTIRELY every non DOD or Medicare department that isn't debt based and you still run a deficit.

Thats certainly not an excuse not to do it. You can get there with eliminations and entitlement reform.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

No doubt. I'm all for it. But making it the first step would be ludicrous. Like I said, cut 100% of those departments and you still run a deficit.

Focus on the big two.

[gatorman_07732]

Originally Posted by orangeblueorangeblue

No doubt. I'm all for it. But making it the first step would be ludicrous. Like I said, cut 100% of those departments and you still run a deficit.

Focus on the big two.

Disagree, there is a lot of fat that needs to go. The central gov is bloated and needs to be brought way down to size and there are other reasons to do it than just money. By doing it you can clip a couples birds with one stone.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

Perhaps, but this thread is about a balanced budget. You literally cannot get a balanced budget given current revenues without touching either Medicare/Medicaid, DOD or more ideally, both.

[gatorman_07732]

Originally Posted by orangeblueorangeblue

Perhaps, but this thread is about a balanced budget. You literally cannot get a balanced budget given current revenues without touching either Medicare/Medicaid, DOD or more ideally, both.

Well I already said entitlement reform. The retirement age has to go up to 70 along with finding a way to decrease costs.

[orangeblueorangeblue]

...

Entitlement reform is the proverbial drop in the bucket. The retirement age doesn't impact 80% of our cut-able budget.

To actually fix the problem, both military and Medicare cuts MUST be on the table. Otherwise it's just an exercise in frivolity.

[gatorman_07732]

This from Ron Paul, and you can't say this is chump change

Personal Income Tax Division of the IRS
National Endowment for the Arts (Can't sell your art privately?)
National Wild Horse and Burro Program (Huh?)
Dept. of Education
Dept of Energy
FEMA (a corrupt organization if there ever was one--leave it to charities)
FDIC (a sham program with only a fraction of funds needed to save banks)
Freddy Mac & Fannie Mae (helped cause present economic conditions)
Administration on Aging (AoA)
Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD)
Administration for Native Americans (ANA)
Children's Bureau (CB)
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Head Start Bureau (HSB)
Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI)
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
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FHA
HUD

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