What Congress Bought Itself With Your $1 Billion

[mr_genius]

Revenue is about 2 trillion (lower than normal b/c of the recession). What percentage of that is $600k?

 

exactly, so the IRS shouldn't care if someone forgets to pay a mere 600k.

 

what I am trying to say is that these monetary issues are cumulative.

Edited July 23, 2010 by mr_genius

[kapkomet]

eh, not to be a dick, but I'm not really sure why I bothered posting in this thread because I don't really feel like doing this right now.

 

This isn't a party thing. It's a budget issue. Let's cut... cut what, when you have to spend to maintain your budget? That's the mindset, and has been for 50 years. They won't cut s***, that's the point. As the budget gets more bloated every year, of course it's the same percentage of the economy as it was 50 years ago, but it's 500 times larger. Weee have a problem that no one wants to face, and we've done more in the last 24 months (note that, for those who want to make this partisan) to damage s*** then in the first 224 years of this country.

[bmags]

we can all make a lot of stupid claims.

[kapkomet]

we can all make a lot of stupid claims.

 

The ONLY reason you say this is because I said it. If you would have, it would be the most profound thought you ever had. Give it a rest.

 

The entire point is these people spend to their budget even if they don't have to. It's why they can't find $34 billion to cut to pay for unemployment. PAYGO, oh wait, we can't do that, because then we'd actually have to work at it. Congress is a bunch of sackless wimps whose sole justification is their own power, f*** what the people want.

[lostfan]

This isn't a party thing. It's a budget issue. Let's cut... cut what, when you have to spend to maintain your budget? That's the mindset, and has been for 50 years. They won't cut s***, that's the point. As the budget gets more bloated every year, of course it's the same percentage of the economy as it was 50 years ago, but it's 500 times larger. Weee have a problem that no one wants to face, and we've done more in the last 24 months (note that, for those who want to make this partisan) to damage s*** then in the first 224 years of this country.

I've already said this before, among other things (kind of why I don't want to go into this again). Not every dime the government spends is a waste of money or really actually matters or is worth getting mad about in the context of the big picture, and I don't really have the energy to argue over stuff like that.

[NorthSideSox72]

Heh. This discussion is a perfect illustration of a point I've made here before. I'm in favor of looking for and cutting waste in federal government spending. But the two major parties are off in space about how to do it. You've got the popular Republican idea - just cut XX% across the board - which anyone who has managed in business knows is ineffective. And you've got the popular Democratic idea, that we should spend more in good times because we have the money, and more in bad times because we need the money, which is recipe for eventual financial wreck.

 

A real attempt to cut waste means you have people whose job it is (ideally these would be outside consultants) to look at every line item, and find ways to be more efficient. Changing providers, cutting some things, finding private business to do others, in some cases even increasing spending in isolated places. That's a real and effective program, but no one seems interested in doing that.

 

In a few cases, some agencies and departments are so bloated (see: BIA) that, yeah, they probably need to just go away, or be dismantled and reborn with new staff under new leadership. But I'm guessing those will be the rarity.

 

[Balta1701]

A real attempt to cut waste means you have people whose job it is (ideally these would be outside consultants) to look at every line item, and find ways to be more efficient.

I'm pretty sure we signed the bill to do that yesterday.

[bmags]

The ONLY reason you say this is because I said it. If you would have, it would be the most profound thought you ever had. Give it a rest.

 

The entire point is these people spend to their budget even if they don't have to. It's why they can't find $34 billion to cut to pay for unemployment. PAYGO, oh wait, we can't do that, because then we'd actually have to work at it. Congress is a bunch of sackless wimps whose sole justification is their own power, f*** what the people want.

 

i wouldn't have said it. That's why i'm capable of profound thoughts and you are capable of typing.

 

You know why the deficit has exploded the past 24 months? It has something to do with another thing that starts with an r and ends with an n

[Balta1701]

You know why the deficit has exploded the past 24 months? It has something to do with another thing that starts with an r and ends with an n

Racist African American women?

[Controlled Chaos]

i wouldn't have said it. That's why i'm capable of profound thoughts and you are capable of typing.

 

You know why the deficit has exploded the past 24 months? It has something to do with another thing that starts with an r and ends with an n

'reincarnation' of the democratic doctrine?

 

'radicalization' of the government

Edited July 23, 2010 by Controlled Chaos

[NorthSideSox72]

I'm pretty sure we signed the bill to do that yesterday.

Well that's specific to fraud, which is one component, but its good they at least do that.

 

[bmags]

And you've got the popular Democratic idea, that we should spend more in good times because we have the money, and more in bad times because we need the money, which is recipe for eventual financial wreck.

 

I think you should look at the last 30 years, and see which party has created large deficits during years of growth.

[southsider2k5]

I'm pretty sure we signed the bill to do that yesterday.

 

So the government is admitting to misspending $110 billion last year. Does that mean we drop the whole waste isn't that big thing? And in reality, if the feds are will to admit to $110 billion, how much bigger is that number in reality? Right now we are talking about pretty much 10% of the deficit.

[Balta1701]

So the government is admitting to misspending $110 billion last year. Does that mean we drop the whole waste isn't that big thing? And in reality, if the feds are will to admit to $110 billion, how much bigger is that number in reality? Right now we are talking about pretty much 10% of the deficit.

Are we counting the DOD or not?

[southsider2k5]

Are we counting the DOD or not?

 

Count it all Mr Democrat.

[Balta1701]

Count it all Mr Democrat.

Well, then I'd believe that number. We saw quite well though how great the response was from the right to a $20 billion increase in DOD funding if it was associated with things like killing the F-22.

 

I'd also bet that it counts inappropriately counted tax credits in that number, which isn't really classified as spending but which, if it was, would be something like 25% of the budget.

[southsider2k5]

Well, then I'd believe that number. We saw quite well though how great the response was from the right to a $20 billion increase in DOD funding if it was associated with things like killing the F-22.

 

As I keep saying, while you keep trying to hammer the partisan point, I am not married to my party. I can see fault in them. I also see this number being way low, especially in view of the reactions to the financial crisis and the EPA, if we are going to start making "waste" judgments on things other than actual waste.

[Balta1701]

As I keep saying, while you keep trying to hammer the partisan point, I am not married to my party. I can see fault in them. I also see this number being way low, especially in view of the reactions to the financial crisis and the EPA, if we are going to start making "waste" judgments on things other than actual waste.

the EPA? Its total budget decreased last year to $10.02 billion. How is that getting lumped in there?

[southsider2k5]

the EPA? Its total budget decreased last year to $10.02 billion. How is that getting lumped in there?

 

The gulf of mexico ring a bell?

[Balta1701]

The gulf of mexico ring a bell?

The oil spill? Very little of that is the EPA. That was the MMS and other entities within the Department of the Interior, completely different cabinet office. Their job in the Gulf started once the oil spill started, not really before.

[Balta1701]

Oh, and I should note that the Budget for Interior is only $12 billion (and that's covering things like the National Parks as well).

[jasonxctf]

You know why the deficit has exploded the past 24 months? It has something to do with another thing that starts with an r and ends with an n

 

well its also a mathematical exageration too. people who want to make the case that Obama has increased our deficit 3x that of Bush, are taking Obama's budget (which includes the 2 wars) and comparing it against Bush's budget (which did not include the 2 wars).

 

I've read someplace, and I would need to google search it to get more info, that 2 biggest causes in the multiplication of the deficit are (1) The reduction in government tax receipts due to the recession and (2) The whole Obama includes wars and Bush doesn't calc.

 

(3) was the stimulus spending.

[Balta1701]

well its also a mathematical exageration too. people who want to make the case that Obama has increased our deficit 3x that of Bush, are taking Obama's budget (which includes the 2 wars) and comparing it against Bush's budget (which did not include the 2 wars).

 

I've read someplace, and I would need to google search it to get more info, that 2 biggest causes in the multiplication of the deficit are (1) The reduction in government tax receipts due to the recession and (2) The whole Obama includes wars and Bush doesn't calc.

 

(3) was the stimulus spending.

This image has been floating around on the left for about a year.

[lostfan]

well its also a mathematical exageration too. people who want to make the case that Obama has increased our deficit 3x that of Bush, are taking Obama's budget (which includes the 2 wars) and comparing it against Bush's budget (which did not include the 2 wars).

 

I've read someplace, and I would need to google search it to get more info, that 2 biggest causes in the multiplication of the deficit are (1) The reduction in government tax receipts due to the recession and (2) The whole Obama includes wars and Bush doesn't calc.

 

(3) was the stimulus spending.

Stimulus and other things that are mandated that has nothing to do with the president in office at the time. Anyway yeah that's mostly true. It's really not that complicated and the idea that Obama came in office and blew up the deficit is absurd on its face. That's not how the federal budget works from year to year.

 

The screaming over the 2009 budget was funny to because that was still Bush's budget which despite 2 years of Dem control of Congress was on a trajectory largely set on by Republican policies (Dems didn't really do anything and if they did Bush would've vetoed it so I'm not really listening to anybody who wants to lie about how they remember things. Hell, Sarah Palin said it in her convention speech and I bet they cheered or fist-pumped that line.), mostly the tax cuts and the wars. This is not so much assigning blame or pointing fingers as it is just stating things how they happened.

[Quin]

Stimulus and other things that are mandated that has nothing to do with the president in office at the time. Anyway yeah that's mostly true. It's really not that complicated and the idea that Obama came in office and blew up the deficit is absurd on its face. That's not how the federal budget works from year to year.

 

The screaming over the 2009 budget was funny to because that was still Bush's budget which despite 2 years of Dem control of Congress was on a trajectory largely set on by Republican policies (Dems didn't really do anything and if they did Bush would've vetoed it so I'm not really listening to anybody who wants to lie about how they remember things. Hell, Sarah Palin said it in her convention speech and I bet they cheered or fist-pumped that line.), mostly the tax cuts and the wars. This is not so much assigning blame or pointing fingers as it is just stating things how they happened.

 

This one counselor at a camp I went to this summer thought he was so clever bringing up federal spending to slam Dems, yet he refused to acknowledge the fact that it was largely based on Republican policies.