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The Meanest Budget Cuts
Topic Started: Apr 15 2011, 11:49 AM (320 Views)
George K
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Finally
Quote:
 
The Meanest Budget Cuts

Administration on Aging

This agency, which helps senior citizens navigate the maze of federal bureaucracy and maintain independent lives, saw its budget of over $2 billion cut by $16 million.

To some, that's a small price to pay for an attempt to balance the budget.

"You have to look at how much these programs have grown," said Brian Riedl, a budget expert at the Heritage Foundation, noting that federal spending on anti-poverty programs in general has gone from under 1% of the nation's total economy during the 1960s to almost 5% today. "If we want to bring the deficit under control, you can't wall these programs off."

But others note that the attempt to balance the budget is currently being done largely through cuts alone, not tax increases.

"We need to keep in mind that these programs serve less advantaged families," said Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow in the economic studies program at the Brookings Institution. "No sacrifice has been asked of the wealthy who don't rely on such programs but do pay taxes."


That cut is 0.8%. After hearing the president's comments about how he's going to trim government by eliminating "fraud, waste, and abuse," you'd think that this department could find less than one percent of such fraud, waste and abuse.
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
One would think. I still say cut it 5% across the board this year, next year and the next and you will see amazing resourcefulness among government managers.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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George K
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Finally
Anytime a government official says that "We're going to save money by eliminating waste, inefficiency and fraud," you know the rest is well, let's just say that my meter gets pinned.

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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Frank_W
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Resident Misanthrope
I wonder how deep the cuts were in veteran's benefits. Veterans are treated like the nation's filthy family secret, or something...
Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin."
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Frank_W
Apr 15 2011, 03:50 PM
I wonder how deep the cuts were in veteran's benefits. Veterans are treated like the nation's filthy family secret, or something...
Would you consider finding that out before passing judgment?
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Copper
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Shortstop
George K
Apr 15 2011, 11:49 AM
Quote:
 

This agency, which helps senior citizens navigate the maze of federal bureaucracy and maintain independent lives, saw its budget of over $2 billion cut by $16 million.


Is that more or less than the cost of the dinner date that Mr. & Mrs. Obama had a couple years ago in nyc?

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The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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Luke's Dad
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Mikhailoh
Apr 15 2011, 12:57 PM
One would think. I still say cut it 5% across the board this year, next year and the next and you will see amazing resourcefulness among government managers.
That's one thing you and I have always seen eye to eye. You lay it on the line. 5% without cutting a single service. If you don't make it, you'll be out and replaced by somebody who will.
The problem with having an open mind is that people keep trying to put things in it.
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Luke's Dad
Apr 15 2011, 04:56 PM
Mikhailoh
Apr 15 2011, 12:57 PM
One would think. I still say cut it 5% across the board this year, next year and the next and you will see amazing resourcefulness among government managers.
That's one thing you and I have always seen eye to eye. You lay it on the line. 5% without cutting a single service. If you don't make it, you'll be out and replaced by somebody who will.
Just outsource to lower wage countries (e.g., China, India, Romania) all government services that can be outsourced (e.g., processing paperwork, like your tax returns, estimated tax payments, various regulatory compliance reports), and whatever government jobs that cannot be outsourced, replace current government workers with new immigrants willing to work for really, really low wage and no benefits -- the military included if you want to really cut costs. Just open the immigration spigot.

Just like the private sector lowered cost by outsourcing (and the restaurant, lodging, and construction trades hired mostly immigrants), the government can do the same to lower cost.
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Irrelevant. There's plenty of inefficiency in government to be eliminated before anything like outsourcing.

But thanks for the straw boogey man
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
No ... it's just a logical extrapolation of where you'd have to eventually end up by cutting "5% without cutting a single service," year after year.

Besides, paying a person $80/hr to do some job while another person is willing to do that same job for $10/hr is a form of inefficiency. You want to eliminate inefficiency? That's a big one right there.
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George K
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Finally
Another "Mean Cut" from the article. This is positively Orwellian:

Quote:
 
Community health centers serve about 20 million people at 7,000 locations around the country. They primarily cater to those without health insurance.

Under the budget deal agreed to by Congress Thursday, the centers would see their funding slashed by $600 million for the remainder of 2011.

A Democrat staffer on the Senate Appropriations Committee said the cuts aren't as bad as they seem. In fact, he said that under the sweeping health care legislation passed last year, the centers will actually see a $400 million increase in funding.


So, in Washington-speak, a cut really is an increase.

Got it.
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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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George K
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Finally
Land Mine Removal
Quote:
 
The country (United States - GK) is also the largest donor to projects that attempt to find and remove these deadly weapons. It funnels some $80 million to $100 million a year toward the cause, according to Zach Hudson, director of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Bombs.

The budget deal cuts funding to the State Department program that oversees land mine removal by $14 million a year.

The program also funds anti-terrorism and non-proliferation efforts oversees. It's not clear if the $14 million in cuts will come out of the land mine program's budget. If they do, Hudson said it would be "detrimental."

So, CNN says land mine removal is being cut in their headline, but in the last paragraph they say it's "not clear" where the cuts would be made.

Your media at work.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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