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“There are zero spending cuts under this proposal.”

Right now, neither party has come out with any plan for serious spending cuts. Both are playing politics. I say now is the time for conservatives to come out with a new “CONTRACT FOR AMERICA” much like the conservatives did under Gingrich and propose specific cuts to put the nation on the path to a balanced budget. Here are a few:

1. Cut the defense budget by $250 billion a year, so that it is no larger than the combined defense spending of China, Russia, England, Germany and Japan all added together. After all, we have the world's most effective nuclear arsenal and two very large oceans between us and any hostile nations. We could make do.

2. Eliminate farm subsidies. Let's get away from Soviet style agriculture and go back to capitalism. Save tens of billions.

3. End the crony capitalist medical system we have where an adult citizen cannot buy the medication he needs without getting someone certified by the AMA to give him a license to buy it. This is ridiculous. Most of the world lets its citizens buy 98% of necessary meds at their local pharmacy, without a script. The pharmacist uses his knowledge as an adviser. Go to a doctor if you like, but this would put an end to people having to run to the emergency room and run up a fantastic bill (which the citizenry has to pay) just to get some basic medication. This would also cut down doctor's visits by 50%. Plus, build twice as many medical schools as we have now and introduce (the horror of this word to doctors) COMPETITION to the medical system. Right now the AMA (?!!!) limits the number of medical schools and thus doctors we can have. Finally, put a limit on the extent of services available under Medicare. A person living on social security doesn't get to live like a millionaire, why should he have the same medical care under Medicare as a millionaire. Grow up and stop shrieking about “death panels.” Government has limitations. You don't want them, earn some money, don't go begging from the general public.

4. No retirement benefits to be paid by the government to any able bodied person until they reach 65. Doesn't matter whether they worked for the post office, the legislature, the armed forces....You wait like the rest of us. Why are we talking about raising the retirement age for Social Security because it is starting to run a deficit and not all the other government retirement programs, which are not funded at all?