[wade]

I was sitting down and revising the family budget tonight, unexpected car repairs means that there's going to have to be spending cuts in some non-essential areas this month in order to stay in the black and not have to dip into savings. The entire exercise got me thinking of our national budget and spending.... In many ways the simple family budget reflects a national budget. Some spending is fixed and essential, some variable and essential, and some is entirely discretionary. My definition of a successful budge is one that takes care of the essential items, allows for luxuries and entertainment when possible, leaves a little surplus, and does all of this while staying in the black.

Quite simply, the U.S. has to increase income, cut expenses, or some combination of both. Any ideas how this could actually be accomplished? And would the population, used to entitlement spending, tolerate these changes? Or have we already reached a point where there is no hope for recovery?

Just getting some discussion going...

 

[Rhodes]

They could just follow the Reagan plan used in the early 80s. Decrease taxes that impede business growth drastically being the first step. Revenue will increase it always does. From there its a matter of discipline. Given the current party in power there is zero chance of this action.

 

[bullseye]

WE need things we can sell lol plain and simple. WE need something that cannot be outsourced overseas for cheaper that would be in high demand...sadly weed comes to mind first. The revenue it would create and news jobs for regulation would blow your mind. If you really wanted to take it a step further and wanted to let big brother feel all gooey inside, let them chip your government weed carrying case container. You get busted with weed not in that micro chipped container then it is fine time. Just think we could even make the containers and micro chips here.

And I just mentioned weed because that is something that will always be here and is always in huge demand so why not utilize it, it was once legal anyways.

Idea two, start putting toll booths in Airports for international flights both inbound and outbound.

Idea three, stop importing so much garbage that could be easily made here in America. If you can't find someone to make a $1.00 pair of sunglasses here in America, then they(us) do not need them to be imported. It might spur some enterprising chap here in the USA to start a company to make cheap Fair ground Sunglasses. Sorry Koreas, India, China ect ect I think we can make our own dollar store items right here in America. Idea 3 is more of an indirect approach to helping to generate in house revenue.  

 

[kevron2020]

1 problem with that scenario... I don't know alot of people that smoke weed that WOULD want a government MICRO chip carried around with them.. :cantlook: All the "pot heads" (for lack of an easier typed term.. yes I'm lazy, I know) I know are in fact anti-government involvement with them. Even if it was legal, I wouldn't smoke it, Personal Choice. I don't like the idea of government Micro chips.. if it starts in those "cases" where is it gonna stop. We all know once the government is allowed to do something small... they TAKE OVER, and put it EVERYWHERE.

 

[leadslinger]

I've got a real world idea that would help. Let's put a stop to this year end spending by agencies to exhaust their appropriated funding in a veiled attempt to show they "need" more money next year. I could give so many examples of this it's re-damn-diculous,

I propose a budget stop gap measure that "freezes" non-emergency increases in expenditures, and by emergency I mean Fire, Medic, SAR, LE; not "but we really need four new crew-cab trucks so out workers can have individual transportation!"

No, it won't balance it, but with some work here and there we chop that tree down to more workable pieces.

 

[bullseye]

I don't know alot of people that smoke weed that WOULD want a government MICRO chip carried around with them.

Well I figure all passports are chipped now, and what pot head would not want to dream about going to Amsterdam lol.

 

[Ron M.]

We are well past the point of recovery. The U.S. is doomed to be a third world sewer in the next 15 to 20 years. The American dream is dead and soon will be come the American Nightmare. I see the this country breaking into 4 or 5 Nation/States. Most of the South West will be Spanish speaking and hostile to English speaking natives. The North East will be a Socialist nation similar to Denmark. The South will be a Representational Republic with a weak central government. The North West will be a Socialist/Tribal mess and the Mid West will be a weak democracy.


Ron M.

 

[devilsjackpot]

+1, Thats How I see it going down. Unless by some miracle we have a lovely military coup and the interim dictator wipes the books clean and tells the rest of the world to suck it while we get our shit together again. I think we've got enough military hardware that we could very well keep the rest of the world at bay while the Republic gets a good scrubdown and rennovation.

 

[Silicon Wolverine]

we hold more nuclear weapons than the rest of the world combined and all the parts/suplies to make plenty more.

balkanization is the future for this country sad to say. i dont however agree to your desscription of the endgame. i see the central red states as a strong democracy, simply because we have all the food production capcity. we create all teh staple grains for basic food production, plus 80% of the countrys supply of high fructose corn syrup, used in just abotu every food made.

i see the breaks at teh mississipi river, rocky mts, a north/south divide along hte mason dixon line and cali basically all by itself. the southwest is tossup between mexican and deserted. youll have bastions of liberaism in the red zone and pockets of conservatism in the blue zones. washington will still be a liberal stronghold or radioactive.

such a breakup would bring the US back to pre WWII levels of production and consumption. look for lots of subsitence farming, and action similar to the 30s. the county sheriff will be the last word in law enforcement, and many people will be on thier own, literally and figurativly.

SW

 

[futuremodal]

Gee SW, that almost sounds like Nirvana, relatively speaking.

One big plus for red state/red county seccession - we'd free ourselves of the current government's debt obligation. Another big plus for many Western States - all that land currently under control of the federal government can become state land, and land use decisions would then be made on a more localized basis - free up all that oil and gas land currently off limits, guarantee an adaquate timber supply for our mills, etc.

The downside of course is that freedom can be a scary experience for those who have not really experienced it. So many young people today take for granted that the government will pay for their schooling, health care, personal security, etc. that once those things are no longer an entitlement they might freak out.

 

[Silicon Wolverine]

the wildcard around here is the indian reservations. once the gov checks stopped coming its hard to say what would happen. there is alot of "the white man owes us" attitude.

SW

 

[Slimshady]

First, we get everyone in the current administration to pay their back-taxes. That oughta take care of about a quarter of the deficit.

Next, we put conditions on all foreign aid, no more free ride. You want American dollars we get something in return. Goods, services, a new military base, flyover clearance to cut flight time during military missions, something that has a value to it. We may not break even, but we will sure as hell lose less.

We open up oil drilling everywhere, auctioning off the oil leases. Immediate income, plus increased tax revenue from the oil companies down the line. More employment, more income taxes.

We send Japan a bill for Pearl Harbor, when they have that paid off we send them a bill for Wake Island.

We need to get real aggressive seizing the assets of foreign terrorist organizations and drug cartels. Regularly kidnap the higher ups in the drug cartels bring them here and charge them, then let them bail out for millions each. Hope they jump bail! Quit destroying drugs seized in foreign countries, sell it to their competitors at wholesale prices. It's not like they won't make more anyway.

Quit destroying huge piles of captured arms, whenever we invade an oil-rich country like Iraq we stick all captured weapons in warehouses. Then, instead of buying them brand new Aks with US tax dollars to re-arm their cops and military we sell them back their own stuff for a large sum of petro-dollars. Any leftovers, cut them up and sell the parts kits here. Any rare collectors items, import them whole and exempt them from the normal NFA prohibitions.

Next time we invade an oil rich country like Iraq, let's keep it instead of giving it back. At least make them pay for their own rebuilding.

Quit cutting up military firearms that have become obsolete and sell them through the CMP. Get rid of ATF's "once an MG, always an MG" rule and convert the M-14s in stock to semi auto and sell them.

Reform Welfare, if you get a check you owe the government so many hours of work per month, miss that target amount and your check gets reduced next month. Single women on Welfare with one kid or less get reduced "community service" hours, each additional kid adds to the number of hours per month.

Abolish all the programs that hemorrage tax dollars and provide nothing in return. Like the NEA, if an artist can't sell his talent why should we subsidize him? Ditto for the government grants studying cow farts and why prisoners want to escape. Could probably eliminate half the fed budget like this.

 

[Rhodes]

Shoot the lawyers. It might not help the debt but Im sure we would all feel better about things.

Hey as long as we are dreaming may as well have a bit of fun with it.

 

[ekim]

Make all politicians a part time job = pay and NO benefits, get out of UN and get UN out of the US, stop all foreign aid til budget is balanced, drug testing for all welfare recipients, flat 10% tax with no deductions, NO payments on any foreign debt til past debts to USA is paid, pull all military forces home and protect our borders, cut all but basic life support for all criminals - food, medical, basic education, get the government out of all schools, no state or federal education aid, reduce all representatives to 2 per state, term limits, ALL judges must be elected and NO life terms, limit all lobbying, revise immigration laws - no green cards, your a citizen or your not, no bill becomes law til legal citizens have a chance to read in plain language and vote on it! That's a good start for the first year!

 

[Rhodes]

I dont see the way out as further trashing of the principles of the Constitution. Isn't that what has gotten us into this mess? We must be secure in our persons and papers whatever benefit may be gained is nothing compared to harm inflicted. Drug testing has become a Pandora's box that must be closed before they start testing for nicotine, fatty foods, gun powder exposure, etc all can be used to enforce control as unintended consequences.

Stop turning prisons into schools for lawlessness, we lock up far too many people to be sure and yet fail to rid ourselves of the absolute worst of the worst. We are only enabling them to brutalize some kid for smoking a joint or some other common failing. There are better ways to handle these things.

As for the rest of it just sounds like common sense to me.

 

[ekim]

Nothing is perfect, but we already have taken some rights from criminals and I believe if your going to live on the peoples dollar then you should be accountable.

That thing about the lawyers sounds reasonable, but I need to get more ammo if we follow thru, there's a lot of them targets out there. My question is "Are all politicians lawyers" or just corrupt, if not all are lawyers then we need to expand the target list some? :devilsidesmile:

 

[kevron2020]

there are still some good lawyers.. but they like good politicians are few and far between.

 

[perotter]

i see the central red states as a strong democracy, simply because we have all the food production capcity. we create all teh staple grains for basic food production, plus 80% of the countrys supply of high fructose corn syrup, used in just abotu every food made.

i see the breaks at teh mississipi river, rocky mts, a north/south divide along hte mason dixon line and cali basically all by itself.
SW

I think the central area would be somewhat east of the mississippi. Maybe as far east as western penn. The central area would be the rich area. It has greatest part of the US's food, industry & energy production.

I'm not that there would be a north/south split.

 

[Rhodes]

Oh trust me if it ever came to it there would be a HUGE north south split. :devilsidesmile:

 

[perotter]

Oh trust me if it ever came to it there would be a HUGE north south split. :devilsidesmile:

I trust you on that. The north/south split isn't as important as where the east/west split is exactly in relation to chi town.