Bush sends Congress $2.57 trillion budget

AP ^ | 2/7/5 | MARTIN CRUTSINGER

[e5man_r_u?]

"Finally, some fiscal responsibility from our President. Reducing the size and scope of government is one of the major tenets of conservatism. Good move."

Exactly, this is a move. Not all we want, but movement in the right direction.

Now we need to keep the Congress' collective feet to the fire prevent these cuts from being ...cut.

[familyop]

...agreed on every item in your list, Ivan!

[econ_grad]

Thanks for selectively displaying. Look at the bottom of Table S3. One number sums it all up. Total discretionary spending is up 2.1%. It is always the case that some depts get cut over others, but overall there is an increase in discretionary spending.

[k2blader]

I noticed "state and international assistance programs" will increase from 4.3% to 15.7%. Is that term a euphemism for taxpayer-funded welfare?

[ancient_geezer]

. The FairTax Act makes the full cost of government visible to all...and that would put the brakes on spending faster than anything.

Certainly better than the current system where half the electorate perceives someone else paying the freight.

"It's like me in the restaurant: What do I care about extravagance if you're footing the bill?"
--Walter Williams

A Taxreform bump for you all.

If you would like to be added to this ping list let me know.

John Linder in the House(HR25) & Saxby Chambliss Senate(S25), offer a comprehensive bill to kill all income and SS/Medicare payroll taxes outright, and provide a IRS free replacement in the form of a retail sales tax:

H.R.25
A bill to promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and enacting a national retail sales tax to be administered primarily by the States.

Refer for additional information:

• http://www.fairtax.org,
• http://www.salestax.org &
• http://www.geocities.com/cmcofer/ftax.html

[econ_grad]

Oh yeah, international assistance. I forgot these Constitutionally approved measures.

[Zack Nguyen]

$2.57 trillion dollars and the press is going to complain that it is cruel and miserly.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>Thanks for selectively displaying.

I never said this was an across the board cut in spending. Now did I?

Stop being so hard headed. Proposing this level of reductions for certain departments/agencies/programs in discreationary spending hasn't been done since Reagan. That's a fact.

There is mandatory spending requirements that exist under current law, which the President has NO control over. The President can propose redcutions in discretionary spending and thats what he's done.

Remember. GWBush is POTUS. He is not KOTUS.

[Rakkasan1]

http://www.wavcentral.com/sounds/movies/jerk/jerk01

[Rakkasan1]

http://www.barbneal.com/wav/ltunes/yosemite/Sam42.wav

[smokeyb]

How many of these are cuts that he previously increased in the prior 4 years?

[Reagan Man]

PresBush has been reducing discretionary spending as a percentage of the overall budget since the last Clinton budget in 2001. The Bush 2006 budget, actually proposes some serious cuts in non-military discreationary spending.

[econ_grad]

Look under the cumulative change in the last column. The reduction now pales in comparison to what he actually has increased since 2001.

The mandatory spending in each agency is small in some cases except for Labor and Treasury compared to the total budget. I got this from yahoo.

Agency: Department of Education (news - web sites)
Spending: $56 billion
Percentage change from 2005: -1 percent
Mandatory outlays: $7.4 billion
Total Spending: $63.4 billion

Agency: Department of Defense (news - web sites)
Spending: $419.3 billion
Percentage change from 2005: +4.5 percent
Mandatory Outlays: $1.9 billion
Total Spending: $421.2 billion

Agency: Department of Labor
Spending: $11.5 billion
Percentage Change from 2005: -4.4 percent
Mandatory Outlays: $40.5 billion
Total Spending: $52 billion

Agency: Department of the Treasury
Spending: $11.6 billion
Percentage Change from 2005: +3.9 percent
Mandatory Outlays: $41.3 billion
Total Spending: $52.9 billion

Agency: Department of Transportation
Spending: $57.5 billion
Percentage change from 2005: -1 percent
Mandatory outlays: $1.2 billion
Total spending: $58.7 billion


Interior and State have no mandatory outlays, all discretionary.

[sarah_f]

Eliminate the hundreds of millions for arab and muslim terrorists.

[FreeReign]

Oh yeah, international assistance. I forgot these Constitutionally approved measures.

International assistance in the defense of this country is Constitutional. Don't forget.

[FreeReign]

Total discretionary spending is up 2.1%. It is always the case that some depts get cut over others, but overall there is an increase in discretionary spending.

A discretionary spending increase of 2.1% is less than the rate of inflation plus the percentage increase in population.

That works to less on a dollar earned that you will pay for federal discretionary spending.

[alwaysconservative]

EPA, D of Ed, Commerce, Civil rights, etc.. Get rid of those, and I'll be happy.

Me, too! And the National Endowment for the Arts (no more taxpayer-funded filth), and he needs to urge Congress to get rid of the ESA (Endangered Species Act) and get us the heck out of the useless UN.

[econ_grad]

That is how liberals operate. Everything is inter-state commerce.

[pissant]

now we're talkin'