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Righties and Lefties: Where would you cut or tax to align spending with revenues

Posted on 8/16/19 at 10:45 am
Posted by cokebottleag
I’m a Santos Republican
Member since Aug 2011
24078 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 10:45 am


Total Revenue: 3.3 Trillion.
Total expenditure: 4.1 Trillion.
To cut: 800 Billion.

Feel free to go as in-depth as you want, with reasons and explanations. Try to make it as politically palatable as possible from your standpoint. You can even add revenues and expenditures for a program you think should be added. For instance, medicare for all. Just provide your political alignment.

I'll go first:
Me: Far Right Wing.

Cuts:

Defense by $323 Billion, down to $300 Billion from $623 Billion.

Reason:
I don't trust congress and any president not to use a huge military
more money does not mean better forces, it just means more expensive ones
We can re-arm with plenty of time if another World War, because geography
this would still put our military spending ahead of China's.

DoEd and associated grants to 48 billion and 99 billion, reducing from 68 billion and 129 billion respectively (total of 50 billion saved)

Reason:
It's important to help families and kids go to college, but we don't have the money.
Overfunding of these programs is causing college to become bloated with cost
College is not the right path for a large minority of the people who go there.

Social security by $100 Billion, down to 882 Billion. This is done by simply pegging the retirement age to the average life expectancy, allowing it to rise as people get older on average.

Reason:
It's the largest outlay in the budget.

15% reduction in spending for all other discretionary spending, going from 442 billion to 375 Billion. (reducing by 66 Billion)

Reason:
Its an across the board cut back to spending from only a few years ago.

539 B down, 261 to go.


Medicare & medicaid cut by 10% total. That's a reduction of 97 Billion, down from 971 Billion to 874 Billion.

Reason:
Spending here is bloated enough, and we have to start negotiating price with the medical industry.

Now Revenues:
2% increase in income taxes across the board. That's a revenue increase of 34 Billion.

Pin Payroll taxes to the expediture in SS and Medicare, so that as expenditure goes up or down, it matches exactly. This increases it from 1.2 trillion to 1.756 trillion, an increase of 556 billion.

Reason: if we are going to have these programs, we have to pay for them.


This leaves us with a net surplus of 426 billion to go to paying down the debt. If we started next year, we could have it paid down in 53 years, or by 2073.
Posted by CGSC Lobotomy
Member since Sep 2011
81611 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 10:47 am to
Cut entitlement spending significantly.

Cut wasteful spending in defense.

No need to raise taxes at that point, as that will reduce the deficit by itself.
Posted by IrishTiger89
Member since May 2017
1492 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 10:50 am to
I think it should get to a point where taxes are directly set by spending (with exceptions during recessions). If Congress wants to spend $3T, taxes will automatically be $3T. Thus, this would greatly incentivize politicians to spend less, unless the spending is warranted.
Posted by cokebottleag
I’m a Santos Republican
Member since Aug 2011
24078 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 10:53 am to
quote:

I think it should get to a point where taxes are directly set by spending (with exceptions during recessions). If Congress wants to spend $3T, taxes will automatically be $3T. Thus, this would greatly incentivize politicians to spend less, unless the spending is warranted.



Why doesn't congress get incentive pay for doing things that they should be doing?

CEOs get incentive pay for hitting profit or revenue targets.

Why doesn't congress get a bonus if they keep spending within revenue? Their incentives now are all out of whack.
Posted by birchbayduck
Birch Bay, Washington
Member since Jul 2019
473 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 10:55 am to
Defense spending by half... immediately. Raise taxes 1 percentage point on the lower 2 income brackets every 2 years for 10 years, the highest bracket 3 percentage points every year for 6 years and allow for 50 million immigrants who must be under the age of 40 as the rapidly aging population is going to cripple America in less than 20 years and we need younger tax payers NOW. The budget would be balanced in 2 years and the federal debt paid off entirely in 23 years. Downside, no more tax cuts for at least a quarter century.
This post was edited on 8/16/19 at 10:58 am
Posted by scrooster
Resident Ethicist
Member since Jul 2012
40983 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:02 am to
I'd cut big chunks of funding to liberal causes such as welfare for all, planned parenthood, NPR, et al, reduce and/or eliminate aid to any number of foreign countries and I would cut the UN off at the knees and reduce spending on NATO. I'd also shrink the frick out of our federal government beginning with the IRS and not stopping until I put a serious hurtin on Congress' benefits package and their bloated cost of doing business budget.

Finally, I would put an end to the Department of Education and I would get the Department of Agriculture under control in a big way.

I would also force universities to get their bias issues under control or lose their federal funding.
This post was edited on 8/16/19 at 11:08 am
Posted by Bard
Definitely NOT an admin
Member since Oct 2008
55658 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:03 am to
I'm fiscally conservative, socially libertarian.

I would do an across the board cut of ~22% to everything but salaries then freeze that budget for 10 years.

Why? Because it would have the best chance of passing compared to the massive cuts/reforms needed for Social Security/SSI/SNAP/Medi/etc. Anyone voting for that would be run out of office almost instantly (an across-the-board cut wouldn't be any more well-received but it would be marginally more likely to pass just because politicians could say they didn't intend for it to cut program x, y or z).
Posted by troyt37
Member since Mar 2008
14321 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:04 am to
quote:

Me: Far Right Wing.


You aren't as far right wing as you think.

Politically palatable is not only horseshite, it should be criminal for the government to spend one penny beyond what the Constitution gives it the mandate to spend.

So, I take a copy of the Constitution, sit down with expenditures, and if I can find no granted power in the Constitution to spend federal money on whatever the program is... it's gone.

In ten years, there is no debt, and taxes are a flat 5% or so for everyone.
Posted by Oilfieldbiology
Member since Nov 2016
39955 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:06 am to
Are you serious?
Posted by Pelican fan99
Lafayette, Louisiana
Member since Jun 2013
37777 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:08 am to
quote:

2% increase in income taxes across the board. That's a revenue increase of 34 Billion.

GTFO
Posted by cajuncarguy
On the road...Again!
Member since Jun 2013
3135 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:09 am to
Stop automatic increases. Then reduce spending by 1% annually except for DOD and Homeland security, THEN cut entitlements, restructure SS.
Posted by Aristo
Colorado
Member since Jan 2007
13292 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:16 am to
You could probably walk into any government agency office and find 8 people doing the job of one and none working.

Cut military spending or have the countries we are protecting pay for the protection.

Limit food stamps to 275 dollars a month to anyone with it.

Lower salaries for elected officials to their districts median income. If your policies suck and your district sucks, so does your pay. Obviously this is a lot more complicated and needs more research.

Stop flying senators around the country on our dime, feeding them on our dime, and housing them on our dime.

Cut some of the brass and higher ups in most branches of any government.
Posted by LSUconvert
Hattiesburg, MS
Member since Aug 2007
6491 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:17 am to
quote:

Why doesn't congress get incentive pay for doing things that they should be doing?

CEOs get incentive pay for hitting profit or revenue targets.



How a corporation operates has no bearing on how our government should.
Posted by Wtodd
Tampa, FL
Member since Oct 2013
68174 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:18 am to
Freeze spending for 1 yr and go over everything....then start cutting....no tax increases
Posted by Bjorn Cyborg
Member since Sep 2016
32108 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:19 am to
I could solve all our budget problems in literally 5 minutes.

We could trim our budget by HALF and 90 percent of americans would never even notice.
Posted by Weekend Warrior79
Member since Aug 2014
19215 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:28 am to
I would need to spend some serious time with a long response to get the details. But my start would be as followed:

No new revenues from US Citizens. I would start charging countries for the use of our military. If they cannot, or are unwilling to, pay, then I would begin pulling our military from those locations.

I would drastically begin cutting foreign aide. We need to take care of our own people, before we begin taking care of others.

I would increase funding to programs that would benefit immigration so we can begin processing claims faster which will allow us to determine who needs to be deported.

Eliminate noncitizens from being able to sign on for the entitlement programs.

Increase staffing for the entitlement programs and require mandatory audits, including field audits, to ensure those receiving the benefits legitimately need the benefits.

Eliminate duplicate programs like the Dept of Ed. There are others, but this is the biggest that jumps to mind.

Would also stop using the interest revenue from the SS benefits to fund the government's general fund. That would help replenish the SS shortfall over time.
Posted by Bjorn Cyborg
Member since Sep 2016
32108 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:31 am to
I am all for a strong defense, but there is so much waste there.

What percentage of the defense budget could be cut with no loss of effectiveness? I think for sure 25 and maybe 50.

Posted by braindeadboxer
Utopia
Member since Nov 2011
8742 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:38 am to
Can’t be done by elected officials. No one wouldn’t be able to stay in office long enough to accomplish it. This is the eventual downside of a republic.

I full expect some sort of dictatorship in my lifetime, I just hope it’s a right wing one and that once everything has been reset we can reform a new republic. And stay one this time.
Posted by braindeadboxer
Utopia
Member since Nov 2011
8742 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 11:40 am to
quote:

I am all for a strong defense, but there is so much waste there.


It seems like waste but they can’t exactly just tell us about the secret space program and who knows what other black projects are out there. The public tolerates “waste” better than all of that.
Posted by yatesdog38
in your head rent free
Member since Sep 2013
12737 posts
Posted on 8/16/19 at 12:32 pm to
I'd reduce the number of military bases/posts
I'd raise the cap on taxation to support medicare/medicaid.
All medical expenses including insurance should be deductible regardless of income the 7.5% rule should end.
2% sales tax on non-grocery(including meds) items.
eliminate the carried interest deduction hedge funds and billionaires use (doesn't provide much revenue but F them for creating a tax loophole) raise income tax on any gross income over $1,000,000 to 40%

Increase corporate tax rates from 15% to 20% after a billion in revenue or build in some kind of different tax structure for them all together. Political donations shouldn't be deductible.
that should close the gap some

needs to be some reduction in spending and some kind of overhaul of the VA system. Hell shut it down completely and give vets vouchers. There are a few other things but my head hurts. I'll think of spending cuts somewhere. maybe housing subsidies, subsidized student loans prolly needs to end. a couple of other things. Maybe food stamps need an overhaul too
This post was edited on 8/16/19 at 12:35 pm
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