Can all Americans agree reducing spending & eliminating 'earmaks' should immediately be implemented?

Question

I think all Americans can agree that having a huge budget deficit is not a good thing.

All good Americans agree that our taxes are high enough.

The difference of opinions seem to center on how to reduce the budget.

Lieberals want to confiscate more money from wage earners.

Good Americans want to reduce spending.

Answer 1

Absolutely. Ronald Regan said "Our government is too big, and it spends too much."

Answer 2

But we liberals want to raise the income of the wage earners so that the taxes aren't that harsh on the wage earners. But the "good Americans" want to help big business make more of a profit.

You want to know HOW to eliminate the deficit?

1. Make EVERYONE pay taxes - flat taxes! None of this "tax shelter" bs for the rich. It seems the richer one is, the less they pay in taxes because they can afford a better accountant and tax attorney.

2. Reduce the money that is given to the military. The defense dept - like any other business or agency - should have to survive within a budget. We can achieve this right now by ending this stupid "war".

3. Cut the salaries of all congresspersons, legislators, and the executive branch. These people have enough independent wealth - they don't need to take more of our money for their summer home and yacht.

4. Don't spend more than you collect! I am thinking that is one of those basic fundimental economic rules.

5. Take care of the "home front" before we go giving money to other countries.

6. Deport the illegal immigrants - they take a lot of the government supplemental moneys without contributing in the way of taxes.

7. Anyone that gets government money - even temporarily - should have to give back in some other way than their tax dollars - whether it be by paying it back on a monthly payment plan, or donating time to the disadvantaged.

I am sure that if everyone put their heads together, they could come up with more. But due to special interest groups and lobbiests, a lot of these ideas will never see the light of day. Especially the flat tax thing.

Answer 3

First of all, the United States spends only 3.7% of the national GDP (gross domestic product) on defense. For comparison purposes, that is a smaller percentage than most other industrialized nations. With respect to your question about American strategic deployments around the world, it is far too broad of a subject to cover on yahoo answers but I can suggest several books. My favorite, however, and one that explains things in a very intelligent yet understandable manner is "The case for Goliath: How America acts as the world's government in the twenty-first century". It was written by Michael Mandlbaum who is the Christian A. Herter Professor of American foreign policy at the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. It is a great book and explains the rational to what is a comparatively illustrious foreign policy. As for why the Republicans support continuing, or increasing military spending, it is there political baby so to speak. They are perceived as having more support for the military and wish to keep it that way. Although there is practical recognition by both parties that military spending is necessary. John Kerry wanted to add another few brigades to the Army. Barack Obama has also said maintaining a substantial military budget is important.

Answer 4

Yes, and I think we should reduce spending by pulling out of Iraq. That would save our country trillions of dollars right there. It would also save lives. And, the earmarks we should eliminate are the $250 billion in subsidies going to the oil corporations. The other earmark we should eliminate is the overspending in the Pentagon and all the money that goes to our military industrial corporate complex. Over 40% of our tax money goes to the military industrial corporate complex. That is total waste considering only a little trickle of that goes to support the troops. The next consideration is to stop this Borrow and Spend president and GOP from doing more harm. Over 17% of our tax dollars go to pay for interest on our national debt alone. And, it's rolled over so it keeps increasing year after year.

Answer 5

the only reason that Liberals would increase taxes is to help pay off the mass debt run up by the Bush Administration. His borrow and spend policies has doubled our debt.

Now that Democrats are in the majority in Congress and most likely will win the Presidency in '08, you have cleverly worded your question so that you can blame Democrats on this without blaming the Republicans for the mess they have gotten this country into.

Answer 6

We need to go farther than that.

We need to severely cut the size and scope of the federal government and vest decision making powers on social issues back in the states where it belongs.

We need to dismantle the Federal Reserve and the IRS and get rid of the Federal Income tax all together.

Reinstate the gold standard, which will rid us of insidious inflation which affects the poor the most. Note that the gold standard enslaves only rich bankers who will no longer be able to manipulate interest rates and the money supply.

We need to get rid of ALL corporate welfare

Add an amendment to the Constitution which STRICTLY requires the Federal and State governments to balance the budget EVERY year...... And provide proof to the citizens

We need to get rid of the unPatriot act and Bush's new legislation which anoints him King of America if we were to have a heavy rain in the mid west or a sever heat wave in the south east...

We need to pull our military out of ALL the countries they are now stationed in.

We need to stop giving aid to ALL countries.

We need to dismantle the World Bank, which is nearly wholly responsible for the dire situation that most "3rd world" countries are in right now.

we need to deport Kissinger to Chile

We need to dismantle the CIA.....

......

Answer 7

The real issue behind our budget deficit IS the American people. We demand protection, services, roads, a legal system and untold other items that make up our society yet nobody wants to pay for any of it. There is waste, that much is for sure; but it costs a lot of money to run a nation the size and scope of the US.

Answer 8

Absolutely! We spend too much on pork that could easily be cut from the budget by adding a little thing called the "line item veto". It doesn't matter who is in power, you are guaranteed that pork will get cut from one side of the isle or the other.

Answer 9

Slow down champ...This is not a liberal vs conservative issue or a democrat vs republican issue...Both are to be blamed equally. Eliminate earmarks?..absolutely. But the dopes in Washington DC, who are rich and/or filthy rich aren't in touch with the reality of society and what the American people think or want. Unfortunately, they make the rules. So, I really don't know what the answer is.

Answer 10

I agree.
The first thing that should be slashed is our defense budget.
We should then have enough money to provide health care, nutrition programs and a decent education to all the "lazy" children who refuse to work.
Maybe even reinstate some of the money for college grants and guaranteed loans for those students whose "lazy" parents can't afford to send their children to college.
And still have more than enough left over to start paying down Bush's deficit.
Too bad it's going to be left to the Democrats to clean up another Republican mess.

Answer 11

where you been the last 7 years