SAVING THE NATION............. 'S MONEY

The caption under the photo is: "House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan pushes for harsh budget cuts ..." Personally, I think it should say: "Eddie Munster finds a new career after television"

So I got this e-mail the other day from a fellow lawyer, a really nice guy in real life who comes across as a bit of a Tea Party kind of guy in writing (but ain't that always the way? They are much harsher sounding when railing against generalities like immigrants or welfare queens, but they could never pass a stranded motorist or a wounded dog on the road without stopping to help. So there's hope for our country yet.)

So anyway, here's the generic e-mail touting Paul Ryan's and Republicans' deficit cutting plans to eliminate certain programs. Note that the defense budget is nowhere mentioned. Nor Social Security. So already, you know the plan isn't seriously attacking the deficit but it's more of a political manifesto to go after programs they'd like to kill even if we were running a trillion dollar surplus every year and taxes on billionaires were at zero.

But read on after the Republicans' plan to see my simple solution that will, guaranteed, work. And work for generations to come. Because it depends on the same engine that has run this country since the first colonists landed here: greed (a/k/a "self interest.")

So here's the e-mail:

FINALLY!! Someone is looking to cut some of the unnecessary spending. Even if it is all not cut (liberals will scream), every little bit will help.
Thanks, Buddy.



This almost took my breath away.....read carefully!!!!

PAUL RYAN'S PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS

A List of Republican Budget Cuts

Notice S.S. and the military are NOT on this list.

These are all the programs that the new Republican House has proposed cutting. Read to the end.

* Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy -- $445 million annual savings.
* Save America 's Treasures Program -- $25 million annual savings.
* International Fund for Ireland -- $17 million annual savings.
* Legal Services Corporation -- $420 million annual savings.
* National Endowment for the Arts -- $167.5 million annual savings.
* National Endowment for the Humanities -- $167.5 million annual savings.
* Hope VI Program -- $250 million annual savings.
* Amtrak Subsidies -- $1.565 billion annual savings.
* Eliminate duplicating education programs -- H.R. 2274 (in last Congress), authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually.
* U.S. Trade Development Agency -- $55 million annual savings.
* Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy -- $20 million annual savings.
* Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding -- $47 million annual savings.
* John C. Stennis Center Subsidy -- $430,000 annual savings.
* Community Development Fund -- $4.5 billion annual savings.
* Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid -- $24 million annual savings.
* Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half -- $7.5 billion annual savings
* Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20% -- $600 million annual savings.
* Essential Air Service -- $150 million annual savings.
* Technology Innovation Program -- $70 million annual savings.
* Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program -- $125 million annual savings..
* Department of Energy Grants to States for Weatherization -- $530 million annual savings.
* Beach Replenishment -- $95 million annual savings.
* New Starts Transit -- $2 billion annual savings.

 Exchange Programs for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts -- $9 million annual savings
* Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants -- $2.5 billion annual savings.
* Title X Family Planning -- $318 million annual savings.
* Appalachian Regional Commission -- $76 million annual savings.
* Economic Development Administration -- $293 million annual savings.
* Programs under the National and Community Services Act -- $1.15 billion annual savings.
* Applied Research at Department of Energy -- $1.27 billion annual savings.
* Freedom CAR and Fuel Partnership -- $200 million annual savings..
* Energy Star Program -- $52 million annual savings.
*Economic Assistance to Egypt -- $250 million annually.
* U.S.Agency for International Development -- $1.39 billion annual savings.
* General Assistance to District of Columbia -- $210 million annual savings.
* Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority -- $150 million annual savings.
*Presidential Campaign Fund -- $775 million savings over ten years.
* No funding for federal office space acquisition -- $864 million annual savings.
* End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.
* Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act -- More than $1 billion annually.
* IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget -- $1.8 billion savings over ten years.
*Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees -- $1 billion total savings.WHAT THE H.... IS THIS ABOUT?
* Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees -- $1.2 billion savings over ten years.
* Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of -- $15 billion total savings.
*Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress.WHAT???
* Eliminate Mohair Subsidies -- $1 million annual savings.
*Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- $12.5 million annual savings WELL ISN'T THAT SPECIAL
* Eliminate Market Access Program -- $200 million annual savings.
* USDA Sugar Program -- $14 million annual savings.
* Subsidy to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) -- $93 million annual savings.
* Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program -- $56.2 million annual savings.
*Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs-- $900 million savings.
* Ready to Learn TV Program -- $27 million savings..
* HUD Ph.D. Program.
* Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act.
*TOTAL SAVINGS: $2.5 Trillion over Ten Years

My question is, what is all this doing in the budget in the first place?

Maybe this is why the Democrats are attacking Paul Ryan. .

Please Send to everyone you know..


If you won't defend your rights don't complain when you lose them


Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." - Thomas Jefferson



“The thing that separates the American Christian from every other person on earth is the fact that he would rather die on his feet, than live on his knees!”. George Washington


If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my children may have peace. -- Thomas Paine

JIM'S RESPONSE:

You know, I'm always skeptical when savings are projected over 10 years. This one is "2.5 trillion dollars over 10 years" That's 250 billion a year, or still a small percentage of the deficit-- about 19% if it's running at $1.3 trillion annually- which leaves 81% of the deficit intact.

If you really want to save money, going after PBS and Big Bird would be like saying you're going to save gasoline by eliminating the cup holders in your car to save weight. It won't do jack. Save money by changing the incentives to spend money without consequence and by rewarding savings.

Here's how, without having to propose specific targeted cuts that special interests groups will fight tooth and nail to keep, or posture like Mitt Romney did in going after PBS, which isn't even one percent of the annual interest we pay on the national debt.

(1) Eliminate all campaign contributions to candidates for federal office and define bribery and solicitation of bribery to include any candidate or elected official asking anybody for anything of value, including campaign contributions (which would be outlawed) or any person to offer anything of value to candidates or elected officials. In one fell swoop, that takes the special interests out of the loop in getting money spent or preventing savings or taxes that target their interests/industries.

(2) Reward every member of Congress and the President by giving him/her a portion of the savings each year in deficit reduction. Say, 10% of the reduction in the deficit each year will be divied up.among all 536 of them. So if they can knock $100 billion off the deficit, 10 percent comes to $10 billion, and every member and the Pres. will get $18,676,716. I have no doubt that this would work, and bi-partisanship in saving money will happen so fast that Rush Limbaugh will be left speechless. You'd be amazed at how self interest can achieve miracles.