Is the US budget too big? Or are we blowing too much on programs?

Question

What would you do to trim it down to size?

Answer 1

I know I have trouble even grasping the amount of $ we are talking about. I did think this site was very helpful...

http://www.truemajority.org/oreos/

Keeping in mind that this is from a liberal and biased source, this simplified explanation of the budget is good food for thought. It makes it easy to understand our US budget, and where we relatively spend the money, and also compares it to some other nations.

Interesting, and thought provoking (even if you disagree with the politics)

Answer 2

Yes and yes.

Too much bureaucracy makes programs costly without producing very much. We are currently spending about $4 for every $1 that gets to people on subsidy programs like Welfare and Medicare. From personal experience, you would not believe the waste on a forest fire. Each day for a week, I was given a ration bag meant to last 3 days. People were taking home(!) equipment such as new shovels and Pulaskis. These are bought at a premium price anyway. Education wastes millions on multiple principals, superintendents, teacher's aides, and a whole universe of other support staff that are paid pretty well and underworked not to mention the entire Department of Education bureaucracy.

That doesn't include all the other subtle forms of corruption I'm sure exist in the halls of bureaus.

To cut it down, I think we should de-centralize a lot of this stuff. Give block grants of cold cash to states to deal with education, and other entitlements end some of our cabinet level bureaucracies and create a small, efficient agency that monitors states for corruption and responds to complaints from the public about bloated bureaucracies in their states. That would be a good start.

Answer 3

We could trim off over $1 trillion annually if we eliminated all the unconstitutional spending. Welfare, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, Agricultural welfare, corporate welfare, education, HUD, HHS, etc.

"The government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government." -- James Madison, an author of the Constitution.

"I feel obliged to withhold my approval of the plan to indulge in benevolent and charitable sentiment through the appropriation of public funds. ... I find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution." -- Grover Cleveland

You see, the Constitution and Bill of Rights spell out what the government's powers are, and that it is restricted to only those powers enumerated in the Constitution. All other power was reserved for the people and the States. It's pretty clear that the Feds have usurped our powers and taken our freedoms.

Samuel Adams is spinning in his grave at what we've let ourselves become.

Answer 4

The first thing we need to do is put the brakes on deficit spending and stop racking up foreign debt. The interest we're paying is far greater than we're spending on any "program." Currently, we're not paying down the principal and we continue to borrow, meaning that the percentage of our budget that HAS to be allocated to paying those interest payments is larger and larger, each year.

Answer 5

I think the budget is too big, and not enough in the areas that need it most (education). Unfortunately it is kind of hard to know exactly what is good and bad to cut without doing a huge analysis.

Answer 6

Yes, it's much too big. But it's not really "programs" that are the problem. IT'S WARS!!! Cutting the "defence" budget by one-half to two-thirds would solve most of our problems. It's mostly just payola for military contractors, anyway.

Answer 7

Stop the giveaway programs. It causes people to become lazy and not want to work. If I was getting free money I wouldn't work either. That causes less taxes to be earned and more to go out the window. For every dollar given away it takes many many more to fund the giveaway program with government workers, buildings, supplies, phones, electricity, etc..

Answer 8

Cut benefits to illegals, Stop allowing Lazy people to use the wellfare system, and Stop handing out disablity pay to every money snatcher that comes around. Also start enforcing fines for people breaking the laws, with that money alone we could strenghten our police system around the country.

Answer 9

Yes. Yes.

Billions could be saved if we would just dedicate ourselves to eliminating waste and fraud. From there we could work on the efficiency. Evaluate each program and see if it actually works (many don't). And get Congress to stop building bridges that aren't needed solely so they can put their name on it.

Answer 10

The gov't should protect you and educate you that is it...everything else is a waste.