Posted on 05/13/2010 8:34:41 AM PDT by Thurston_Howell_III
It's called YouCut. It allows anyone to vote on a project that they think Congress should cut. Republicans will suggest possible cuts each week and will try to bring the winning cut to the House floor each week for an up or down vote.
1 of 5 On the chopping block:
Prohibiting taxpayer-subsidized union activities by prohibiting federal employees from being paid by the government for performing union functions. Currently some federal employees spend up to 100% of their workweek, paid by taxpayers, doing work for their union. Federal employees unions collect millions in revenue each year and spend significant amounts on political activities and lobbying; should they also be subsidized by the taxpayer for their official functions?
3 of 5:
Eliminate the Presidential Election Fund, a federal program that provides matching funds to political candidates during Presidential primaries, certain third-party candidates, and funds for political conventions. In the 2008 Presidential election the candidates raised over $1.3 billion from individuals and PACs; do they really need to supplement that with taxpayer money?
4 of 5:
Terminate the new alternative welfare program, recently created to incentivize states to increase their welfare caseloads without requiring able-bodied adults to work, get job training, or otherwise prepare to move off of taxpayer assistance. Reforming the welfare program was one of the great achievements of the Republican Congress in the mid 1990s, saving taxpayers billions of dollars and ending the cycle of dependency on welfare. This new program ushered in by Democrats is merely a backdoor way to undo those reforms
5 of 5:
Focus federal economic development assistance on areas of need. The Community Development Block Grant program currently funds a wide range of local economic development activities. While it is advertised as a way to help low-income communities, funds are also dispersed to communities with income well-above the national average. A recent study found that the community of Newton, Massachusetts, with a per capita income over twice the national average, was receiving $28 per person in CDBG funds. At the same time, other communities with income 25% below the national average were receiving $10 per person.
Cut:
- Department of Energy
- Department of Education
- Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac
- GM & Chrysler
Start with ATF.
Read the US Constitution Canter! You just CAN’T BE this stupid!
Along those same lines, Senate Republicans released this video about Americans’ concerns about debt and government spending:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI5AEqgcJ_w
Sean Hackbarth
Senate Republican Conference
It would be easier to decide which parts to keep.
Which parts to keep? Easy, except for the statist ‘cRats:
...Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And
To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.
if you cut any programs whilst sparing others, you’re open to teh charge of rfavoritism, and it gives those affected ammunition and credibility to upset your plans. in order to be perceived as anything remotely fair, you must cut EVERYTHING. you cannot have ANY sacred cows. IO’d start with a modest 5% cut in every part of government, all three branches, every employee, every program, every facility.
and a cut means less money than last year, NOT less than asked for. zero-baseline budgeting minus the 5%. Do this for a single four year term, and you will have the first equal trimming of the federal budget ever.
then I’d start selling off federal lands, vehicles, buildings, etc. that are no longer needed.
Isn’t that the truth, but I support their effort, even if the cuts come one at a time, I’d rather play small ball and win the game than swing for the fence and strike out repeatedly.
Taxpayer Subsidized Union Activities
I voted Number 2 (are you kidding me?)
$600 million in savings
Currently, some federal employees spend up to 100% of their workweek, paid by taxpayers, doing work for their union. Federal employees unions collect millions in revenue each year and spend significant amounts on political activities and lobbying, should they also be subsidized by the taxpayer for their official functions? In 2008 the Federal government spent $120 million paying employees for their time spent working on union activities (over five years this would total a minimum of $600 million.) (Also proposed as part of the RSC Sunset Caucus.)
Commerce Department
“To provide and maintain a Navy” WRONG it says The Navy(Big N) and an army(small a).
I’d rather play small ball and win the game than swing for the fence and strike out repeatedly.
—
The bleachers are gonna be awful empty by the 5th inning..
The fact any party needs to ask for guidance like this troubles me.. half an E for effort.. a guarded half E..
Play Ball!
Those are all excellent! That was what I’d put on any list.
Cut the entire Departments of:
Education
Agriculture
Health and Human Services
Cut almost all of the Departments of:
Commerce
State
Treasury
You should be left with key remaining bits of:
Defense
Social Security Entitlements
Medicare / Medicaid Entitlements
Sadly, I’ll have to recommend:
Social Security:
Means Tested
Extend the Retirement Age
Offer private investment options
Medicare / Medicaid:
Limit eligibility
Increase co-pays
Use Health Savings Accounts
After we’ve done all that, I think we will have cut the Federal Government expenditures by about 50%, which is ONLY A GOOD START. I think we need to get down to about 10% of GDP max.
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