Someone Buy Congress A Damn Dictionary

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Someone Buy Congress A Damn Dictionary

 Anyone who even half heartedly listens to American news is no doubt aware of the budget proposal that Congressman Ryan came out with. According to everyone it has massive "cuts". Now when I first heard about all these "cuts" and the dems start screaming about old people starving in the streets I got a little hopeful. Maybe someone has finally decided to take a sensible approach to our huge budget problem. 

 

So I when I got home I pulled up the new budget proposal. The "trillions" in cuts turns out to be about $100 billion. Now when someone with a 2nd grade education and a dictionary hears someone say "I'm going to cut my budget" they would believe that the person in question was planning on spending less money. When a politician tells you they are "cutting the budget", they mean they are not going to spend as much as they planned.

 

Here are Congressman Lyan's "huge" cuts. In 2010 we actually spent $3.456 trillion, the horrible cutting budget calls for expenditures of $3.54 trillion in 2011. 3.54 is greater than 3.456 (for those of you who can't count, just in case there is a politician on this site) That would be a spending INCREASE of $84 billion.

 

In 2012 it calls for spending of $3.44 trillion, ok so we finally have a cut. $100 billion compared to 2011 but only $12 billion less than we spent last year. Spending then goes up every year. In 2013 it goes up to $3.484 (above 2010 levels) 2014 $3.593 and so on. So where is the "huge cuts"?

 

Congressman Lyan's budget plan ADDS over $5 trillion to our debt, even if we assume the positive economic growth and increasing revenues. Every personal budget planner will tell you to never assume that your revenue is going to increase. Plan for the worse, and if your revenue does increase it is a bonus.  

 

I know these number are large and difficult to comprehend, so lets bring it down to a little more understandable level. Suppose you make $30,000 per year net but you are spending $41,100. Obviously, you are headed towards problems. So you decide to cut back your spending to get yourself out of debt. Being the dedicated budget hawk you are, you scour through your expenses, showing no remorse you decide that in 2011 you will only spend $42,086.40. Whew, you are dedicated. 

 

Then you decide in 2012, you will be truly heroic. You are going to bring spending ALL the way back to 2010 levels, and ONLY spend $40,897.52. A total cut of $0.57 a DAY from your 2010 spending levels. Wow. You are dedicated to getting rid of that debt...

 

Seriously, if we are going to run ourselves into the ground anyway, why even bother with cuts? If your running up debt this fast and have no intention of actually reducing your spending you might as well run it up as fast as you can until your creditors will no longer loan you the money. We bailed out Greece, we will probably bail out Portugal and Spain. Who is going to bail US out? No one.

 

We need to get serious about our budget problems, but even the so called "radicals" on capitol hill don't get it. These cuts are so small, they are meaningless. Unless we get our shit together soon, we are headed for economic disaster that will make a splash in the world unlike anything it has ever seen. The bigger you are the harder you fall, and the US is REALLY, REALLY big. Probably the only event in the history of economics that would be comparable is the collapse of the Roman Empire. I don't want to take that fall, do you? 

If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X


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 http://www.aei.org/docLib/p

 http://www.aei.org/docLib/path-to-prosperity.pdf

 

I forgot to include the link to the budget. Just in case there are any nerds out there like me who like numbers. 

 

If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X


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This question may be

This question may be off-topic from your OP but, I just read an article on MSNBC about our government 'shutting down' soon.

WTF? ... and what's the point?

'Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.' A. Einstein


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Sandycane wrote:This

Sandycane wrote:

This question may be off-topic from your OP but, I just read an article on MSNBC about our government 'shutting down' soon.

WTF? ... and what's the point?

 

The government shutdown will occur if congress doesn't pass a budget or if Bama doesn't sign it. We currently do not have a budget for this fiscal year because the last congress never passed one. The Constitution requires that congress is in charge of appropriating all funds that the government spends. So if Congress doesn't pass a budget, the government can not spend any money. We have gotten this far because Congress has been passing what is called a "continuing resolution", basically they have approved spending for a few weeks at a time rather than approve an actual budget for the year. The next deadline is Friday. 

The House has passed a budget for 2011, but the Senate has not voted on it. Unless one side gives, the government will shutdown. A prospect that doesn't disappoint me too much. It isn't really a "shutdown" because only non-essential employees will be furloughed. Essential employees and services will continue operating. Which brings up the obvious question, why do we have 800,000 "non-essential" employees? 

If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X


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If we were dealing with a

If we were dealing with a free market and mere supply and demand, NONE OF THIS would have happened. It has happened because of a RIGGED MARKET owned by one class who has paid off both parties to maintain it's monopoly of power. Banks, car companies, drug companies, insurance companies, oil companies, BOUGHT OFF CONGRESS to maintain their monopoly and rigged market.

 We have allowed republicans to set policy for the past 30 years and it has done nothing but chased jobs and money out of the country and created nothing but bubbles the tax payers end up footing the bill. I AM TIRED OF IT and you WILL see the worker revolt neither of us want if the republicans dont stop protecting pick pockets.

The republicans are robbing entitlement programs to fund the tax cuts for their rich friends. This is the rich robbing the middle and poor classes, not the other way around.

I am tired of daddy warbucks complaining when his store clerk cant pay for food or bills or health care.

BOO FRIGGEN WHO, the rich caused this mess, no one else. You are not going to get any sympathy from me when minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and gas is almost 4 bucks a gallon.

You want smaller government, STOP PROTECTING THE CORPORATE CLASS AND HOLD THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MESS THEY MADE.

 

 

 

 

 

"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog


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Brian37 wrote:If we were

Brian37 wrote:

If we were dealing with a free market and mere supply and demand, NONE OF THIS would have happened. It has happened because of a RIGGED MARKET owned by one class who has paid off both parties to maintain it's monopoly of power. Banks, car companies, drug companies, insurance companies, oil companies, BOUGHT OFF CONGRESS to maintain their monopoly and rigged market.

 We have allowed republicans to set policy for the past 30 years and it has done nothing but chased jobs and money out of the country and created nothing but bubbles the tax payers end up footing the bill. I AM TIRED OF IT and you WILL see the worker revolt neither of us want if the republicans dont stop protecting pick pockets.

The republicans are robbing entitlement programs to fund the tax cuts for their rich friends. This is the rich robbing the middle and poor classes, not the other way around.

I am tired of daddy warbucks complaining when his store clerk cant pay for food or bills or health care.

BOO FRIGGEN WHO, the rich caused this mess, no one else. You are not going to get any sympathy from me when minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and gas is almost 4 bucks a gallon.

You want smaller government, STOP PROTECTING THE CORPORATE CLASS AND HOLD THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MESS THEY MADE.

 

 

Which entitlement is being robbed? If you look at the budget, hardly anything is being cut. Kind of hard to rob something if you don't take any money away from it....

 

And whether or not you have a free market is irrelevant to whether or not you balance the budget. You can be socialist, laissez-faire or anything in between and still have a balanced budget. 

 

You didn't read my post did you.

If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X


pauljohntheskeptic
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The US has the highest

The US has the highest defense budget of any country in the world. Over 6 times greater than China. Over 10 times greater then Russia.

We are still preparing to fight the USSR apparently.

We have 50,000 service men in Germany. Still. We have troops still in Japan. Still in Korea. Don't we ever go home?

How about this for a budget cut. Cut the US defense budget to the combined level of China and Russia. Something less than $200 billion per year.

That's about a $500 billion savings per year.

End of budget crisis.

Or we could start charging for our military assistance as the world's policeman.

One aircraft carrier per day at $1,000,000. Bombs, rockets, and fuel extra.

The actual cost to operate a Nimitz class carrier with over 5,000 compliment is about $15 million per month. Not including ordinance and jet fuel.

All ordinance and fuel to be charged at cost plus. A $50,000 bomb would thus be $100,000.

Payment to be made in crude oil, gold, or lithium.

Minimum 7 days advance payment required to contract.

What we are doing with the defense budget, is protecting the world for everyone else at the expense of our children and grandchildren.

Enough, either cut it back or start charging for our services.

The latest venture in Libya at least involves other countries spending their cash for a change, though we did burn off about $146 million in tomahawks, and an unknown number of smart bombs and fuel.

Where can we send the invoice?

 

 

 

____________________________________________________________
"I guess it's time to ask if you live under high voltage power transmission lines which have been shown to cause stimulation of the fantasy centers of the brain due to electromagnetic waves?" - Me

"God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, - it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks please. Cash and in small bills." - Robert A Heinlein.


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pauljohntheskeptic wrote:The

pauljohntheskeptic wrote:

The US has the highest defense budget of any country in the world. Over 6 times greater than China. Over 10 times greater then Russia.

We are still preparing to fight the USSR apparently.

We have 50,000 service men in Germany. Still. We have troops still in Japan. Still in Korea. Don't we ever go home?

How about this for a budget cut. Cut the US defense budget to the combined level of China and Russia. Something less than $200 billion per year.

That's about a $500 billion savings per year.

End of budget crisis.

Or we could start charging for our military assistance as the world's policeman.

One aircraft carrier per day at $1,000,000. Bombs, rockets, and fuel extra.

The actual cost to operate a Nimitz class carrier with over 5,000 compliment is about $15 million per month. Not including ordinance and jet fuel.

All ordinance and fuel to be charged at cost plus. A $50,000 bomb would thus be $100,000.

Payment to be made in crude oil, gold, or lithium.

Minimum 7 days advance payment required to contract.

What we are doing with the defense budget, is protecting the world for everyone else at the expense of our children and grandchildren.

Enough, either cut it back or start charging for our services.

The latest venture in Libya at least involves other countries spending their cash for a change, though we did burn off about $146 million in tomahawks, and an unknown number of smart bombs and fuel.

Where can we send the invoice?

Your reply ties directly into that of Brian and can be summed up in two words: Lockheed Martin.

Sorry to say, but, there is BIG $$ in war games and it is a never-ending game.... as long as politicians are allowed to accept campaign $$ from big corporations.

'Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.' A. Einstein


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Sandycane wrote:Your reply

Sandycane wrote:

Your reply ties directly into that of Brian and can be summed up in two words: Lockheed Martin.

Sorry to say, but, there is BIG $$ in war games and it is a never-ending game.... as long as politicians are allowed to accept campaign $$ from big corporations.

Also Boeing, Haliburton, General Dynamics, Raytheon  . . . . .

____________________________________________________________
"I guess it's time to ask if you live under high voltage power transmission lines which have been shown to cause stimulation of the fantasy centers of the brain due to electromagnetic waves?" - Me

"God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, - it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks please. Cash and in small bills." - Robert A Heinlein.


Sandycane
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pauljohntheskeptic

pauljohntheskeptic wrote:

Also Boeing, Haliburton, General Dynamics, Raytheon  . . . . .

Yup.

It's nauseating how a lot of the ceo's of these companies go straight into upper-level politics... and vise verse.

'Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.' A. Einstein


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LOL I have to mention this

LOL I have to mention this now. I clicked the reply button, and what do I get for an ad (thank you google Eye-wink )? John McCain imploring us to "Make yourselves aware of how your elected officials seek to spend your money". Irony much? 

 

http://imgur.com/rdXiQ

 

Ok, my actual comment was link to the wikipedia article on the F-22 Raptor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-22_Raptor Each plane built required 1000 subcontractors and 95,000 spread over dozens of states to ensure broad congressional support.  

 


Brian37
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Sandycane

Sandycane wrote:

pauljohntheskeptic wrote:

The US has the highest defense budget of any country in the world. Over 6 times greater than China. Over 10 times greater then Russia.

We are still preparing to fight the USSR apparently.

We have 50,000 service men in Germany. Still. We have troops still in Japan. Still in Korea. Don't we ever go home?

How about this for a budget cut. Cut the US defense budget to the combined level of China and Russia. Something less than $200 billion per year.

That's about a $500 billion savings per year.

End of budget crisis.

Or we could start charging for our military assistance as the world's policeman.

One aircraft carrier per day at $1,000,000. Bombs, rockets, and fuel extra.

The actual cost to operate a Nimitz class carrier with over 5,000 compliment is about $15 million per month. Not including ordinance and jet fuel.

All ordinance and fuel to be charged at cost plus. A $50,000 bomb would thus be $100,000.

Payment to be made in crude oil, gold, or lithium.

Minimum 7 days advance payment required to contract.

What we are doing with the defense budget, is protecting the world for everyone else at the expense of our children and grandchildren.

Enough, either cut it back or start charging for our services.

The latest venture in Libya at least involves other countries spending their cash for a change, though we did burn off about $146 million in tomahawks, and an unknown number of smart bombs and fuel.

Where can we send the invoice?

Your reply ties directly into that of Brian and can be summed up in two words: Lockheed Martin.

Sorry to say, but, there is BIG $$ in war games and it is a never-ending game.... as long as politicians are allowed to accept campaign $$ from big corporations.

HOLLY CRAP the end is near.  I think I am going to faint.

Right, when EXXON, GE, BANK OF AMERICA, ect ect ect ect, all these big corporations buy off government, including private defense contractors, this is the mess you end up with.

 

"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog


Brian37
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Beyond Saving wrote:Brian37

Beyond Saving wrote:

Brian37 wrote:

If we were dealing with a free market and mere supply and demand, NONE OF THIS would have happened. It has happened because of a RIGGED MARKET owned by one class who has paid off both parties to maintain it's monopoly of power. Banks, car companies, drug companies, insurance companies, oil companies, BOUGHT OFF CONGRESS to maintain their monopoly and rigged market.

 We have allowed republicans to set policy for the past 30 years and it has done nothing but chased jobs and money out of the country and created nothing but bubbles the tax payers end up footing the bill. I AM TIRED OF IT and you WILL see the worker revolt neither of us want if the republicans dont stop protecting pick pockets.

The republicans are robbing entitlement programs to fund the tax cuts for their rich friends. This is the rich robbing the middle and poor classes, not the other way around.

I am tired of daddy warbucks complaining when his store clerk cant pay for food or bills or health care.

BOO FRIGGEN WHO, the rich caused this mess, no one else. You are not going to get any sympathy from me when minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and gas is almost 4 bucks a gallon.

You want smaller government, STOP PROTECTING THE CORPORATE CLASS AND HOLD THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MESS THEY MADE.

 

 

Which entitlement is being robbed? If you look at the budget, hardly anything is being cut. Kind of hard to rob something if you don't take any money away from it....

 

And whether or not you have a free market is irrelevant to whether or not you balance the budget. You can be socialist, laissez-faire or anything in between and still have a balanced budget. 

 

You didn't read my post did you.

Will you get off the label crap?

Both you and I would love to see a balanced budget. The cause of why we are in this mess is in dispute. The issue IS HOW we go about doing that and what get's cut.

I am not a socialist or a capitalist, those are party labels and have nothing to do with MONOPOLIES OF POWER.

WE have one class paying off both parties in this country, which is why we don't have a balanced budget. BIG money is the problem. ANYONE who has big money, be they a dictator, theocrat, or political party OR CLASS, can gain a monopoly and control an entire economy. Whether they do a good job at it or not, is another story.

The Corporate class has ruined our economy, not because individuals want wealth, but because of the climate in the country where we have gotten rid of the checks and balances on that power.

MONOPOLIES OF POWER are the issue. I don't trust republicans at all to do the right thing. I am old enough to see the long term damage they have caused. AND none of that has to do with wealth. It has to do with the fact that they have destroyed the anti-trust laws and checks and balances that were supposed to prevent the mess we are in now.

 

 

"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
Check out my poetry here on Rational Responders Like my poetry thread on Facebook under Brian James Rational Poet, @Brianrrs37 on Twitter and my blog at www.brianjamesrationalpoet.blog


Beyond Saving
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 I like the idea of

Brian37 wrote:
  The issue IS HOW we go about doing that and what get's cut.

Precisely what I am talking about. Arguing about whether or not we should have bailouts, handouts, entitlements, a military etc. Is a separate issue from how to pay for such things. So, how do we pay and what do we cut?  

 

 

I like the idea of charging other countries to protect them. Especially when we are getting involved in crap like Libya. Not only should the UN reimburse us for all actual expenses incurred, they should give us a little extra since it is our soldiers risking their lives. I have long been an advocate of closing down many of our overseas bases. I think we can trust Germany and Japan to pay for their own military. And if we can't we can always blow them up again.

 

As for the technology side of things, I am a little more hesitant to cut. Certainly there is waste but for the most part, we get what we pay for. We are paying those companies to provide us with the best military tech in the world and that is exactly what we have. I think it is extremely important to have a technological edge in our military. If I was dictator we would have a very small but extremely technologically advanced and highly trained military. To his credit, Rumsfeld was attempting to move the military in that direction but unfortunately Bush's wars interrupted his efforts and ultimately ended up abandoning them. 

 

Of course, there have been cases of politicians pushing funding for technology that the Pentagon said it didn't need. That kind of shit needs to stop.

 

I just wish that SOMEONE in political power would start talking some sense about the budget. Honestly, I would even consider voting for a democrat for President if they started pushing a sensible budget proposal. I don't think politicians in general grasp how completely fucked our country is if we don't do something about it. And sooner is better than later.

 

There are a ton of options as far as what we can cut. We are slightly limited in our ability to increase taxes as a solution. History demonstrates that tax increases are not going to help us much because it is exceedingly difficult to get more than 20% of GDP in taxes- when tax rates get that high people stop working. Even when tax rates were in the 90% range the government only got around 20% of the GDP. Currently the government gets about 15% of GDP. So theoretically we could increase that to 20% which would provide approx. 700 billion IF you could raise taxes without having a negative effect on GDP. Since taxes usually DO have a negative effect on GDP I would estimate that in reality you would get around $600 billion in increased revenue if someone intelligently adjusted tax rates to maximize revenue with a minimal effect on GDP.  

 

$600 billion would take a large cut out of our deficit but you still have to cut an addition $800 billion in spending. When you compare that to the paltry $100 billion in cuts that the "radical" republicans are offering, it is obvious that neither side is taking the situation seriously. A growing economy might help a little over time, but we have seen how congress just creates new spending programs every single year. A serious plan should balance the budget immediately or within a year or two. And NONE of the budgets so far have factored in a realistic cost of Bamacare, so we will have that big bill to address if it goes into effect. 

 

 

 

If, if a white man puts his arm around me voluntarily, that's brotherhood. But if you - if you hold a gun on him and make him embrace me and pretend to be friendly or brotherly toward me, then that's not brotherhood, that's hypocrisy.- Malcolm X


Sandycane
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lalib wrote:LOL I have to

lalib wrote:

LOL I have to mention this now. I clicked the reply button, and what do I get for an ad (thank you google Eye-wink )? John McCain imploring us to "Make yourselves aware of how your elected officials seek to spend your money". Irony much? 

 

http://imgur.com/rdXiQ

 

Ok, my actual comment was link to the wikipedia article on the F-22 Raptor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-22_Raptor Each plane built required 1000 subcontractors and 95,000 spread over dozens of states to ensure broad congressional support.  

 

 

I saw the same image ... scared the crap out of me and made me jump a bit when I saw him slide onto the screen!!!

'Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.' A. Einstein


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Until Defense spending is

Until Defense spending is on the table... and our politicians stop shilling for corperate welfare and prosecute those who undermined our nations financial system for profit... and the top 1% are dealt with as the criminals they are... and until the words "Audit"...and "Colusion" enter the national dialouge.... we are pissing in the wind.