Are you ready for austerity?

Mojo said:
"China’s relentless appetite for the colonel’s chicken has KFC on a building boom in the world’s most populous country, with 1,200 locations, soaring profits and a menu that mixes in bamboo shoots and lotus roots.

At a time when its sales in the United States are struggling, KFC is dominating even rival McDonald’s in China and turning the goateed visage of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders into a ubiquitous symbol of America."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6833233/ns/business-world_business/
Click to expand...

We know. China is doing well. We have inadvertantly outsourced our future based on globalization idiocy.
 
"Tea Party superstar Rand Paul bucked the GOP leadership on Sunday by pushing drastic budget-cutting proposals, including a 10% pay slash for federal workers.

Paul, the Republican senator-elect from Kentucky, said on ABC's "This Week" that Social Security, Medicare and defense should also be "on the table."

"You have to look at entitlements," he said.

Paul's specifics on cuts contrasted with the generalities offered by the current and incoming GOP leadership in the House and Senate, indicating that Republicans could be battling each other as much as the Democrats in the new Congress.

Another Tea Party fave, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), said, "We're not talking about cuts in Social Security."

Republicans were determined to balance the budget, DeMint said on NBC's "Meet The Press," but "without cutting any benefits to seniors or veterans."

The self-described "Young Guns" of the new GOP House leadership also were vague on cuts - while lining up to go after President Obama's health care plan.

"First and foremost, we're not going to be willing to work with him [Obama] on the expansive liberal agenda he's been about," Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who was set to become the new House minority leader, told "Fox News Sunday."

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who will take over leadership of the House budget committee, said the GOP will tackle Obamacare through oversight hearings and attempts to defund it.

But he acknowledged that Obama's veto would likely derail that strategy.

"You can't fully repeal and replace this law until you have a new President and a better Senate," Ryan said."



http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...ed_pay_soc_sec_on_his_list.html#ixzz18x8LI72a
 
It's amazing that republicans, who are supposedly so good on trade matters, don't see that globalization idiocy and not spending is the root of our problems.
 
Mojo said:
When the new House majority is seated, you can expect a lot less, if the Tea Party candidates' rhetoric can be believed.

What government programs and services are you willing to do without?

Of course, cuts may not be enough to tackle the deficit.

Are you willing to pay more fees?

Are you ready to pay higher taxes?

Are you ready to wait longer for benefits, have them reduced, or maybe even forgo them altogether? Think scholarship programs/student aid, Social Security, VA benefits, Medicare.

In some countries where austerity measures are already being defined, there have been mass protests, strikes, and even riots after the electorate realized they'd put people in power who would actually cut government spending.

When spending is cut, programs and services will have to be curtailed or eliminated, pensions and other benefits reduced, payments postponed or even eliminated, etc.

Many schools, public and private will feeel the pinch as grant funding vanishes.

Layoffs are possible as government agencies are forced to eliminate programs.

Reduced spending means fewer dollars for businesses that provide goods and services to the government.

Are you ready to lose your job (and maybe do without unemployment benefits) to balance the budget?

What are you prepared to sacrifice?
Click to expand...
Why do you repeat the bullshit from the DNC?
Why must we pay more fees?
Why must we pay higher taxes?
Why have any benefits reduced?
Why have any benefits cut?
Why try to scare people with thinking scholarship programs/student aid, Social Security, VA benefits, Medicare, etc. would get the axe.
Why would anyone lose a job or unemployment?

This is but the tip of the waste iceberg.

A real war on government waste could easily save over $100 billion annually without harming the legitimate operations and benefits of government programs. As a first step, lawmakers should address the 10 following examples of egregious waste.
1. The Missing $25 Billion
Buried in the Department of the Treasury's 2003 Financial Report of the United States Government is a short section titled "Unreconciled Transactions Affecting the Change in Net Position," which explains that these unreconciled transactions totaled $24.5 billion in 2003.[2]
The unreconciled transactions are funds for which auditors cannot account: The government knows that $25 billion was spent by someone, somewhere, on something, but auditors do not know who spent it, where it was spent, or on what it was spent. Blaming these unreconciled transactions on the failure of federal agencies to report their expenditures adequately, the Treasury report concludes that locating the money is "a priority."
The unreconciled $25 billion could have funded the entire Department of Justice for an entire year.
2. Unused Flight Tickets Totaling $100 Million
A recent audit revealed that between 1997 and 2003, the Defense Department purchased and then left unused approximately 270,000 commercial airline tickets at a total cost of $100 million. Even worse, the Pentagon never bothered to get a refund for these fully refundable tickets. The GAO blamed a system that relied on department personnel to notify the travel office when purchased tickets went unused.[3]
Auditors also found 27,000 transactions between 2001 and 2002 in which the Pentagon paid twice for the same ticket. The department would purchase the ticket directly and then inexplicably reimburse the employee for the cost of the ticket. (In one case, an employee who allegedly made seven false claims for airline tickets professed not to have noticed that $9,700 was deposited into his/her account). These additional transactions cost taxpayers $8 million.
This $108 million could have purchased seven Blackhawk helicopters, 17 M1 Abrams tanks, or a large supply of additional body armor for U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
3. Embezzled Funds at the Department of Agriculture
Federal employee credit card programs were designed to save money. Rather than weaving through a lengthy procurement process to acquire basic supplies, federal employees could purchase job-related products with credit cards that would be paid by their agency. What began as a smart way to streamline government has since been corrupted by some federal employees who have abused the public trust.
A recent audit revealed that employees of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) diverted millions of dollars to personal purchases through their government-issued credit cards. Sampling 300 employees' purchases over six months, investigators estimated that 15 percent abused their government credit cards at a cost of $5.8 million. Taxpayer-funded purchases included Ozzy Osbourne concert tickets, tattoos, lingerie, bartender school tuition, car payments, and cash advances.
The USDA has pledged a thorough investigation, but it will have a huge task: 55,000 USDA credit cards are in circulation, including 1,549 that are still held by people who no longer work at the USDA.[4]
4. Credit Card Abuse at the Department of Defense
The Defense Department has uncovered its own credit card scandal. Over one recent 18-month period, Air Force and Navy personnel used government-funded credit cards to charge at least $102,400 for admission to entertainment events, $48,250 for gambling, $69,300 for cruises, and $73,950 for exotic dance clubs and prostitutes.[5]
5. Medicare Overspending
Medicare wastes more money than any other federal program, yet its strong public support leaves lawmakers hesitant to address program efficiencies, which cost taxpayers and Medicare recipients billions of dollars annually.
For example, Medicare pays as much as eight times what other federal agencies pay for the same drugs and medical supplies.[6] The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently compared the prices paid by Medicare and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care program for 16 types of medical equipment and supplies, which account for one-quarter of Medicare's equipment and supplies purchases. The evidence showed that Medicare paid an average of more than double what the VA paid for the same items. The largest difference was for saline solution, with Medicare paying $8.26 per liter compared to the $1.02 paid by the VA.http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2005/04/Top-10-Examples-of-Government-Waste#_ftn7
 
bravo said:
Why do you repeat the bullshit from the DNC?
Why must we pay more fees?
Why must we pay higher taxes?
Why have any benefits reduced?
Why have any benefits cut?
Why try to scare people with thinking scholarship programs/student aid, Social Security, VA benefits, Medicare, etc. would get the axe.
Why would anyone lose a job or unemployment?

This is but the tip of the waste iceberg.

A real war on government waste could easily save over $100 billion annually without harming the legitimate operations and benefits of government programs. As a first step, lawmakers should address the 10 following examples of egregious waste.
1. The Missing $25 Billion
Buried in the Department of the Treasury's 2003 Financial Report of the United States Government is a short section titled "Unreconciled Transactions Affecting the Change in Net Position," which explains that these unreconciled transactions totaled $24.5 billion in 2003.[2]
The unreconciled transactions are funds for which auditors cannot account: The government knows that $25 billion was spent by someone, somewhere, on something, but auditors do not know who spent it, where it was spent, or on what it was spent. Blaming these unreconciled transactions on the failure of federal agencies to report their expenditures adequately, the Treasury report concludes that locating the money is "a priority."
The unreconciled $25 billion could have funded the entire Department of Justice for an entire year.
2. Unused Flight Tickets Totaling $100 Million
A recent audit revealed that between 1997 and 2003, the Defense Department purchased and then left unused approximately 270,000 commercial airline tickets at a total cost of $100 million. Even worse, the Pentagon never bothered to get a refund for these fully refundable tickets. The GAO blamed a system that relied on department personnel to notify the travel office when purchased tickets went unused.[3]
Auditors also found 27,000 transactions between 2001 and 2002 in which the Pentagon paid twice for the same ticket. The department would purchase the ticket directly and then inexplicably reimburse the employee for the cost of the ticket. (In one case, an employee who allegedly made seven false claims for airline tickets professed not to have noticed that $9,700 was deposited into his/her account). These additional transactions cost taxpayers $8 million.
This $108 million could have purchased seven Blackhawk helicopters, 17 M1 Abrams tanks, or a large supply of additional body armor for U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
3. Embezzled Funds at the Department of Agriculture
Federal employee credit card programs were designed to save money. Rather than weaving through a lengthy procurement process to acquire basic supplies, federal employees could purchase job-related products with credit cards that would be paid by their agency. What began as a smart way to streamline government has since been corrupted by some federal employees who have abused the public trust.
A recent audit revealed that employees of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) diverted millions of dollars to personal purchases through their government-issued credit cards. Sampling 300 employees' purchases over six months, investigators estimated that 15 percent abused their government credit cards at a cost of $5.8 million. Taxpayer-funded purchases included Ozzy Osbourne concert tickets, tattoos, lingerie, bartender school tuition, car payments, and cash advances.
The USDA has pledged a thorough investigation, but it will have a huge task: 55,000 USDA credit cards are in circulation, including 1,549 that are still held by people who no longer work at the USDA.[4]
4. Credit Card Abuse at the Department of Defense
The Defense Department has uncovered its own credit card scandal. Over one recent 18-month period, Air Force and Navy personnel used government-funded credit cards to charge at least $102,400 for admission to entertainment events, $48,250 for gambling, $69,300 for cruises, and $73,950 for exotic dance clubs and prostitutes.[5]
5. Medicare Overspending
Medicare wastes more money than any other federal program, yet its strong public support leaves lawmakers hesitant to address program efficiencies, which cost taxpayers and Medicare recipients billions of dollars annually.
For example, Medicare pays as much as eight times what other federal agencies pay for the same drugs and medical supplies.[6] The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently compared the prices paid by Medicare and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care program for 16 types of medical equipment and supplies, which account for one-quarter of Medicare's equipment and supplies purchases. The evidence showed that Medicare paid an average of more than double what the VA paid for the same items. The largest difference was for saline solution, with Medicare paying $8.26 per liter compared to the $1.02 paid by the VA.http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2005/04/Top-10-Examples-of-Government-Waste#_ftn7
Click to expand...

I haven't repeated anything from "the DNC" because I haven't visited their website.

I am certain that eliminating waste and fraud will help. I'm in favor of that. By itself, is it enough?

Are you saying the budget can be balanced and the deficit done away with without cutting any of the spending I suggested, and without any increase in taxes or fees?

You could give your own budget-cutting skills a try here:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html
 
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