[ChiTownPicaro]

Originally Posted by Kingarthurhk

Thowing money a people always creates good will. I guess no one wants to create good will with this nation? Oh, well, we need to stop sending bribes overseas of billions upon billions a year at tax payer expeense. They'll just have to get over it.

I fail how it is Christian to give the Muslim Brotherhood 20 F-16's at tax payer expense. I fail to see how it is Christian to have given Egypt alone 1 Billion dollars a year that became the personal income of their dictator.

I fail to see how arming dictators, and sending large sums of money to folks like Saddam Hussein, as we did for a really long time, while he actively tortured and genocided parts of his population is Christian.

I fail to see how it is the Christian thing to do to send millions upon millions of dollars to rebuild Mosques in the Middle East.

If you want to do the Christian thing and cotribute to actual.factual Charities that actually help poor people, I can give you some links if you like.

You seem to focus on the Muslims and their nations? What of Israel and their conniving spies? They spy on the US pretty regularly as well as cause so many problems. You also forget to mention that we are supporting them and their atrocious and cowardly acts.

You also forget to mention when discussing the money goes to programs you undoubtably support such as trying to stop terrorists and drug cartels. And why not rebuild Mosques in the Middle East if we blow them up? You do realize that other nations help us and share their good fortunes with us by allowing us to trade with them. Sometimes you got to grease the palms as well as build infrastructure. Do you think that the minerals in your cell phone and computer would be easy to get if we didn't help develop infrastructures for other nations in order to get businesses to invest and bring their wares to the USA?

Do you realize how interconnected the world is? If you want to stop this, then you want to stop capitalism and the spread of wealth as well as trade. I think you are approaching these problems in a simplistic and child-like manner. I suggest taking an economics course and some international relations courses to give you a better understanding of what is really going on.

[Hauptmann6]

Originally Posted by ChiTownPicaro

When you say secure the borders, do you mean close them? If anything we need more immigration as that is what made this country great.

We need the RIGHT kind of immigration. Unskilled drug runners are not the right type. Skilled workers without a criminal past are what are needed.

[racerford]

Originally Posted by certifiedfunds

It appears you are playing accounting games here.

The government takes in X and it spends Y. The net is surplus or debt.

You may count the IOUs in the SS ledger as an asset but it is still money owed by the taxpayers. Calling them an asset is a bit of a stretch.

If SS had a surplus it wouldn't be funded hand to mouth. The government can only extract +/- 20% of GDP in taxes.

Words mean things.

Currently the Social Security taxes plus interest on the trust fund surplus exceeds out flows. That is expected to continue until 2021. Income exceeds outflows. In what accounting is that a deficit.

The IOU's are an asset of the SS Trust Fund. The debt is caused by non-Social Security spending that is "on budget". Social Security is not contributing to the national debt. IF the Federal government chose to borrow the money from the global financial markets, instead of the Social Security Trust Fund, the federal debt would not change by $1. No accounting tricks. The Social Security Trust could lend it's surplus on the open financial markets and probably earn more money. Federal law does not allow it.

Social Security is not a part of the current (today, this year) deficit/debt problem. If they do not change things it will likely be part of the problem in the future.

Government accounting is unlike any accounting normal people use. It is not like reading a corporate financial statement. It is not like reading a family financial statement.

Have you ever seen a official statement of the US net worth?

Its unfunded liabilities are not liabilities in the traditional since. They are future potential obligations, that they can suspend or stop at anytime on their whim and there is nothing that anybody can do. Unlike a private pension liability, where that is a real liability of the insurance company (as an example). The insurance company cannot unilaterally change the terms and conditions of the pension. The US government can.



It is probably purposefully obtuse.

[SPIN2010]

Wow! With this stance you will be right at home inside the beltway with the Kenyan's regime.

I will try to answer some of the questions you posed:

Originally Posted by ChiTownPicaro

And why not rebuild Mosques in the Middle East if we blow them up?

I guess because the enemy is shooting at "Our men" from them and "NO" we should not rebuild them but we should make sure we kill every last person that was shooting out of it at our troops.

Just curious: How many churches have the muslims rebuilt for other religions? Who burnt/tore/damaged them to begin with? Links?

Originally Posted by ChiTownPicaro

You do realize that other nations help us and share their good fortunes with us by allowing us to trade with them.

Wow! Did you miss the part where we are the free market of the world? How many loans and trade agreements to these "Other Nations" have been paid back? UN funds? Links?

Originally Posted by ChiTownPicaro

Sometimes you got to grease the palms as well as build infrastructure.

Ah! GODless capitalism where the American people's tax money is used to make the democratic political machine rich.

Originally Posted by ChiTownPicaro

Do you think that the minerals in your cell phone and computer would be easy to get if we didn't help develop infrastructures for other nations in order to get businesses to invest and bring their wares to the USA?

I guess because we are the largest "Free" market in the world and they need to sell here if they wish to make money. All the while being provided safety, police, and military protection to reduce material insurance so they have a free market.

Economics and international relations courses were mentioned at the end ... which liberal university did you go to?

[certifiedfunds]

Originally Posted by racerford

Words mean things.

Currently the Social Security taxes plus interest on the trust fund surplus exceeds out flows. That is expected to continue until 2021. Income exceeds outflows. In what accounting is that a deficit.

The IOU's are an asset of the SS Trust Fund. The debt is caused by non-Social Security spending that is "on budget". Social Security is not contributing to the national debt. IF the Federal government chose to borrow the money from the global financial markets, instead of the Social Security Trust Fund, the federal debt would not change by $1. No accounting tricks. The Social Security Trust could lend it's surplus on the open financial markets and probably earn more money. Federal law does not allow it.

Social Security is not a part of the current (today, this year) deficit/debt problem. If they do not change things it will likely be part of the problem in the future.

Government accounting is unlike any accounting normal people use. It is not like reading a corporate financial statement. It is not like reading a family financial statement.

Have you ever seen a official statement of the US net worth?

Its unfunded liabilities are not liabilities in the traditional since. They are future potential obligations, that they can suspend or stop at anytime on their whim and there is nothing that anybody can do. Unlike a private pension liability, where that is a real liability of the insurance company (as an example). The insurance company cannot unilaterally change the terms and conditions of the pension. The US government can.



It is probably purposefully obtuse.

Not obtuse, I'm just too tired. Signing off now but will get this down for discussion later since i have it in front of me:

Social Security’s expenditures exceeded non-interest income in 2010 and 2011, the first such occurrences since 1983, and the Trustees estimate that these expenditures will remain greater than non-interest income throughout the 75-year projection period. The deficit of non-interest income relative to expenditures was about $49 billion in 2010 and $45 billion in 2011, and the Trustees project that it will average about $66 billion between 2012 and 2018 before rising steeply as the economy slows after the recovery is complete and the number of beneficiaries continues to grow at a substantially faster rate than the number of covered workers. Redemption of trust fund assets from the General Fund of the Treasury will provide the resources needed to offset the annual cash-flow deficits. Since these redemptions will be less than interest earnings through 2020, nominal trust fund balances will continue to grow. The trust fund ratio, which indicates the number of years of program cost that could be financed solely with current trust fund reserves, peaked in 2008, declined through 2011, and is expected to decline further in future years. After 2020, Treasury will redeem trust fund assets in amounts that exceed interest earnings until exhaustion of trust fund reserves in 2033, three years earlier than projected last year. Thereafter, tax income would be sufficient to pay only about three-quarters of scheduled benefits through 2086.

A temporary reduction in the Social Security payroll tax rate reduced payroll tax revenues by $103 billion in 2011 and by a projected $112 billion in 2012. The legislation establishing the payroll tax reduction also provided for transfers of revenues from the general fund to the trust funds in order to "replicate to the extent possible" payments that would have occurred if the payroll tax reduction had not been enacted. Those general fund reimbursements comprise about 15 percent of the program's non-interest income in 2011 and 2012.

Under current projections, the annual cost of Social Security benefits expressed as a share of workers’ taxable earnings will grow rapidly from 11.3 percent in 2007, the last pre-recession year, to roughly 17.4 percent in 2035, and will then decline slightly before slowly increasing after 2050. Costs display a slightly different pattern when expressed as a share of GDP. Program costs equaled 4.2 percent of GDP in 2007, and the Trustees project these costs will increase gradually to 6.4 percent of GDP in 2035 before declining to about 6.1 percent of GDP by 2050 and then remaining at about that level.

[racerford]

Originally Posted by certifiedfunds

Not obtuse, I'm just too tired. Signing off now but will get this down for discussion later since i have it in front of me:

Yes, what you posted is consistent with what I posted. You choose to exclude interest income. No business would in reporting their net pprofit or loss.

Medicare is running at a deficit.

I agree 100% the government is spending way too much money and on the wrong things. We could save a boat load of money by cutting Congreesional staffs by half and making congressional sessions only 60 days a year. We should limit each Congressperson to submitting one bill a year.

We should give them 2 years to come up with Corporate and personal Income Tax codes that do not exceed 100 pages in length each, no more than 250 words per page. Congress people should be fined $1000 per day that the session exceeds 60 days. Exceptions would be made for emergency sessions to declare war or deal with a national disaster that exceeds $10B. Only that one issue can be discussed in that session.

I would get rid of several agencies to save money:
•Department of Commerce (DOC) - maybe just severely reduced - maybe roll remaining into Treasury
•Department of Education (ED)
•Department of Energy (DOE) - (anti-energy?)
•Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - severely limit
•Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
•Department of Justice (DOJ)
•Department of Labor (DOL) - severely limit
•Department of Transportation (DOT) - severly limit
•Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - roll into the DOD


BATFE - eliminate all law enforement positions and enforcement over to the FBI

Generally all non-LE or Military positions should be cut in half, exceptions to be carefully reviewed. If you can't show how that job serves the duties stated in the Constitution pretty directly, the job is gone. No stretching the Commerce clause to cover everything.

Yes all those cuts would cause chaos for a while, and it may be hard for some of those people to find productive jobs. If it saves the life of one child it will be worth it..... OK even if it makes one not frown so much.

[lockANDload]

I'm talking about all the cases where theres no doubt about guilt. Habitual offenders with long records and crazies that admit guilt. More then enough proof on most these inmates. SEND THEM TO THE FIREING LINE! No need to treat them to a better life in prison then they probalty had on the outside.....and on the tax payers dime of course.

[Restless28]

Originally Posted by Kingarthurhk

1. Stop all foreign aid period. No one ever sent us any, we sure don't need to be bleeding out huge sums to countries that hate us.

2. Shut down foreign bases and return our troops here, to where they should be, blockading our borders from hostile incursions. We don't need to police the world. The world is not America's responsibility.

3. Maintain enough readiness to reach out and touch places that might want to hurt us. Yes, tactical nukes, and ICBM's.

We don't need a base in another part of the world when we can reach other parts of the world rather rapidly, should they become hostile. Technology has improved dramatically since World War II. Use it.

4. Evict the UN, and tell them to go to their respective countries. Shut down the building and sell it as prime real estate, which it is.

Budget crisis adverted. Thank you.

The rants of a 24 year old kid.

[arclight610]

Here is how we save money:

Logan's Run

[racerford]

Originally Posted by arclight610

Here is how we save money:

Logan's Run

Isn't that the other name for socialized medicine when budget cuts need to be made?