Posted on 01/15/2011 6:35:37 PM PST by Halo-JM
Salvanto. (Credit: CBS)
A new CBS News poll finds that Americans strongly prefer cutting spending to raising taxes to reduce the federal deficit. While 77 percent prefer to cut spending, just nine percent call for raising taxes. Another nine percent want to do both.
Yet most Americans could not volunteer a program they'd be willing to see cut in order to reduce the deficit - only 38 percent could name a program they would support cutting. The top responses were military/defense (six percent), Social Security/Medicare (four percent) and welfare/food stamps (four percent).
However, Americans are more willing to consider cuts when presented with specific ideas, as the chart above illustrates. The most popular ideas for reducing the deficit are to reduce Social Security benefits for the wealthy, reduce the money allocated to projects in their own community, reduce farm subsidies and reduce defense spending. More than 50 percent supported reductions in each of those programs.
(Credit: CBS)
Democrats and independents were more likely to favor cuts to defense spending than Republicans, only 39 percent of whom favored cuts there to reduce the deficit. Republicans were most likely to favor reducing money for projects in their area (73 percent), reducing social security for the wealthy (66 percent), reducing farm subsidies (58 percent) and reducing money for student loans (54 percent.)
Democrats were most likely to support reducing social security for the wealthy (60 percent), reducing defense spending (58 percent) and reducing farm subsidies (55 percent).
Forty-seven percent say it will be necessary to cut programs that benefit people like them to reduce the deficit. Forty-one percent say it can be reduced without cutting programs that benefit them.
Seventy-two percent say that deficits can be acceptable in emergency situations and when kept manageable. Eighteen percent say deficits are never acceptable, while seven percent say the government should run whatever deficits are necessary.
Most Americans do not know exactly how the government spends its money. For example, when asked what percent of the budget goes to earmarks, 41 percent said they make up less than 20 percent of the budget, 13 percent said 20-50 percent, 4 percent said more than 50 percent and 42 percent didn't know. Earmarks actually make up less than one percent of the budget.
Read the Complete Poll (PDF)
This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,178 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone January 5 - 9, 2010. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Kbaschke?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/g_YQpNz53rY
Sadly figuring this stuff out is what we elect 435 Congress critters and 100 Senators for. The public is not supposed to have to decide what programs get cut. The legislators are supposed to be competent to handle this.
cut it all, and boost the military, with the ongoing and increasing threats across the globe, now, more than ever US and Canada need to keep on top of developing the most state of the art defense equipment, and then follow through on manufacturing said gear.
The GE lobbyist scored, big time.
Thanks. I musta had a senior moment since that is the topic of one of my biggest rants. Foreign aid is upside down logic to begin with, since the more we give to foreign countries, the more foreigners hate us.
Only if you want to!
Not enough. Not even close.
CUT IT ALL!!!!
Not enough. Not even close.
The federal revenue is $2.425 Trillion.
The 2011 budget was to be $3.841 Trillion.
( http://www.fms.treas.gov/mts/mts1110.pdf , table 4)
So the need is to cut the budget by (1 – 2.425 / 3.841 ) x 100% = 36.8%
We can’t cut servicing the debt which is $464.7 Billion. That means the rest of the budget has to be cut by 49.0%.
If interest rates go up (by 2 or 3 times). We almost can’t balance the budget at all without dropping our defense commitments around the world. We are in the range of Greece.
I’m not worried that Liberals don’t understand how much needs to be cut. I am worried that Conservatives don’t know.
Not enough. Not even close.
Defense will have to suffer massive cuts.
That even X% is 49%. That’s right. Everything needs to be cut by 49% except servicing the debt which can’t be cut.
Not enough. Not even close.
A short beginning. Everything needs to be cut 49%. We are in that bad of shape.
It is to me. It appears you’re just indulging yourself. Go to this post: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2653341/posts and tell me what you think must be cut to get to $0.
Not enough. Not even close.
Delete the department of education, and the department of energy. Both are less than worthless, they are counter productive
10% across the board
lol
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