How Would You Balance the Budget??

[dajoga]

Who needs Comedy Central for laughs when you can find threads like (http://community.aarp.org/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=rp-legislative&msg=29606.1) this.

Hey, N-T, you need to enlighten these folks with some economic facts!!

:libride: :libride: :libride: :libride: :libride: :libride:

Edit--my post is #173

[Riverboat]

How often have we done this exercise?

Cut every cabinet department except Defense, Treasury, Justice and State.

Cut all foreign aid, starting with countries that routinely bash our policies. Nothing personal, mind you. It just seems like the right place to start.

Cut all welfare. Period.

Did I leave anything out?

[Naturalized-Texan]

How Would You Balance the Budget?? Disband radical leftist organizations like the AARP.

[routerider]

How often have we done this exercise?

Cut every cabinet department except Defense, Treasury, Justice and State.

Cut all foreign aid, starting with countries that routinely bash our policies. Nothing personal, mind you. It just seems like the right place to start.

Cut all welfare. Period.

Did I leave anything out?


Cut the BS faith based initiatives. The Gov has no business spending dollars reimbursing charities for doing what they were designed to do in the first place.

[TechnoPrincess]

Cut the BS faith based initiatives. The Gov has no business spending dollars reimbursing charities for doing what they were designed to do in the first place.
And cut the BS non-faith based ones also. They are also charities, so by your logic they too should not get money.

[routerider]

And cut the BS non-faith based ones also. They are also charities, so by your logic they too should not get money.


Correct, I don't descriminate. The Gubbermint should not be reimbursing charities period, faith based or not.

[Riverboat]

And cut the BS non-faith based ones also. They are also charities, so by your logic they too should not get money.I take it you mean the government should not practice disaster relief?

I LIKE the way you're thinking! ;)

[cerberus]

Off the top of my head...
Cut the useless NMD program, the DDX and several other DoD programs aiming to reduce the DOD budget to around $300 billion in 4 years.
Recalculate the CPI for Social Security and put in some means testing.
Cut farm subsidies for sugar, cotton, ethanol, milk etc etc.
Cut corp subsidies.
Reduce entitlements by reviewing that disaster of a Medicare Drug Benefit for a start.
Let most of the tax cuts expire, especially for those earning over 250k/yr.
Charge market rates for federal disaster insurance.

[TechnoPrincess]

I take it you mean the government should not practice disaster relief?

I LIKE the way you're thinking! ;)

Honestly, no I don't think that they should.

I think our government needs to get out of the "bail out" business. You know there have been natural disasters since the founding of thie country and the Fed didn't use to just run in and try to fix everything.
The other problem is that it is not fairly distributed. A tornado takes out the midwest and no one blinks, but a hurricane comes though and they rush in like the cavalry.

We need to start taking care of one another and stop expecting the government to do it.

[Naturalized-Texan]

By far the best way to balance the budget is to eliminate everything from the budget that violates the Constitution, i.e., eliminate everything that is not specifically authorized by Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. Doing that would reduce the federal government by about two-thirds.

cerberus: It's no surprise that you would want to eliminate DoD programs designed to protect the American people from attack. After all, liberals don't care a whit about national security.

Letting tax cuts expire, especially for those in the high income brackets, would destroy the American economy and drive us into a recession, if not a depression. No surprise that you would advocate that. After all, liberals want the economy to fail so that they can have an excuse to impose socialism/communism on the American people.

Remember, the Bush tax rate cuts have actually increased tax revenues and have reduced the deficit.

[Riverboat]

I think our government needs to get out of the "bail out" business. You know there have been natural disasters since the founding of thie country and the Fed didn't use to just run in and try to fix everything. . . . We need to start taking care of one another and stop expecting the government to do it.From what I read in your post, everything you just said is in agreement with what I was saying - that the government should get out of disaster relief.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Remember, the Bush tax rate cuts have actually increased tax revenues and have reduced the deficit.

I believe this too NT, but why is it the libera mantra is that the deficit has increased under President Bush?

[routerider]

Honestly, no I don't think that they should.

I think our government needs to get out of the "bail out" business. You know there have been natural disasters since the founding of thie country and the Fed didn't use to just run in and try to fix everything.
The other problem is that it is not fairly distributed. A tornado takes out the midwest and no one blinks, but a hurricane comes though and they rush in like the cavalry.

We need to start taking care of one another and stop expecting the government to do it.

Hear, Hear!

[Lazarus]

Can anyone pick out the leftist looney on that website? I love this response... High Comedy all around...

1) let the tax cuts expire (I would go further and seek to get the money BACK from anyone earning above 100 thousand by way of a surcharge but you can call it anything you wish.)
We hate the rich... Unless his name is Kennedy...
2) Place a price ceiling on the most comon medical proceedures.
To hell with economics or market forces... Price ceilings iz magic...
3) Place a price ceiling on ALL medication.
See above...
4) Invest MORE heavily in our colleges and take THEIR research to market to create jobs HERE.
Our colleges are the heartbeat of our economic power...
5) legalize hemp/weed/pot and tax it heavily.
Duhhhhh... Yeah man... Free de people.........
6) Penalize companies that outsource jobs overseas that can be done here. (about the wage disparity: Make a better product, they will come)
Those evil corporations... We hates em... We hates em forever...
7) Raise the citizenship charge,
Huh? What? Ya think some conman is comin by his house to collect a citizenship tax periodically?
8) Make ALL illegals pay the charge or leave. (<GENTLY said>If payment is made, they STILL have to go back to where they came from and get on line) Any so called "guest worker" would need to be QUOTA-ed in terms of where are they from, how many are needed, and who needs them? Whoever needs them will be paying MORE in taxes.
I think this one is related to No 7 which Im still fuzzy on...
9) Reduce health care and saleries for elected officials for the duration of the deficit.
Yeah! I bet we could get Congress behind this one...
10) Reduce the military budget, and send the funds to local law inforcement and first responders.. (THEY are our last line of defense so BEEF THEM UP)
Oh yes I was waiting for this one... The Military budget - the ever-abundant money tree from which we fund liberal utopia...
11) STOP Closing military hospitals and open them up to the public.
And this is a deficit-reducing step?
12) REALLY PENALIZE phony off shore business listings AND ENFORCE IT!
Those evil corporations AGAIN! Why, God, Oh why do we have a world stalked by poverty, desease, and corporations?
13) Seize the assets of any CEO that claims that there are shortfalls in either pension funds or 401K plans. Give the proceeds to the employees (They will put the money BACK into circulation thereby helping the economy)
I absolutely love this one - This is classic... Bring in Joan Baez... Power to de people!!!
14) DEMAND access to foreign markets or we cut off their funding (that we give them as subsidies.)
We're subsidizing Toyota and Sony? Man that makes me MAD...!!!
15) REDUCE SUBSIDIES!
Would that include subsidies to liberal social programs?

And this last one says it all...
16) Create a new fuel system (cold fusion or Hydrogen) for cars and heating through university research to which the Government holds the patents for 20 years (Then it expires to public domain)...
Cold fusion.... I love it.....:thumb: We know we can do it because the space aliens gave us the technology - But the government is covering it up so Halliburton can get richer...

I really dont know what to say after all that... Let's just sit quietly and absorb the power of it all, shall we?.......It would help us grasp it better if we all indulged in some of that legalized pot, I think...

Edit: Late breaking additional suggestion... Free the Alchemists being held in secret cages at Gitmo and go back on the Gold Standard!!!

[Peachdiane]

And cut the BS non-faith based ones also. They are also charities, so by your logic they too should not get money.

Agreed 110%!

[Beowulf]

I'd have to think about it but right off the top, end welfare. Ending the freebies will also cut down on illegals coming to America because the reason they come would be gone.
-Stop funding the UN.
-No funding to the ACLU.
-Cut aid to any country who opposes us.

Like I said, I'd need to think more on this but already I've saved America a small fortune.

[SmellyFed]

How Would You Balance the Budget??

At gunpoint.

[aaron11]

How often have we done this exercise?

Cut every cabinet department except Defense, Treasury, Justice and State.

Cut all foreign aid, starting with countries that routinely bash our policies. Nothing personal, mind you. It just seems like the right place to start.

Cut all welfare. Period.

Did I leave anything out?

Social Security, Pork barrel spending, Farm bill, Trade subsidies...

[star2589]

I would like to see a constitutional amendment requiring that the budget have a 10% surplus every year until the national debt is gone, and then requiring that the budget be balanced every year thereafter.

[Naturalized-Texan]

I believe this too NT, but why is it the libera mantra is that the deficit has increased under President Bush?
The deficit has increased under President Bush, mainly because of increased spending on national security. However, the rate of increase has declined significantly (more than $100 billion in FY 2004 and a little less than $100 billion in FY 2005) from the original projections because of the increased revenues produced by the Bush tax rate cuts.

The reason that tax rate cuts increase revenues is quite simple and logical: Tax rate cuts produce more capital to be invested in expanding the economy. When the economy expands, more people are gainfully employed (2.6 million more at the end of 2005 than at the end 0f 2004) and companies become more profitable. More employees and higher profits increase tax revenues even at the lower tax rates.

And who are the ones who are most inclined to invest in expanding the economy? The wealthy, of course (the people that lefties think don't deserve a tax cut). The rest of us mostly spend the extra money we get from a tax cut, but that increased spending also increases the profits of the companies that produce the products we purchase. Again, that results in greater profits and higher tax revenues.

It's merely simple logic. Unfortunately, lefties are governed by emotion and to them logic is a foeign concept.

[cerberus]

cerberus: It's no surprise that you would want to eliminate DoD programs designed to protect the American people from attack. After all, liberals don't care a whit about national security.
Oh here we go again....clearly I'm some hippie liberal who doesn't care about the nation's security. That must be why I've devoted my professional life to defending the nation. Of course that's where my objection to NMD comes from and not the fact that its a $60 billion boondoggle, the single largest line-item in DoD expenditures and still doesn't work right. It has nothing to do with the fact that it's not necessary to defend the nation for manufactured threats and is basically a money-hole for aero-space contractors. Nooooo. Clearly it has everything to do with my utter ambivalence toward national security. Whatever....:rolleyes:

Letting tax cuts expire, especially for those in the high income brackets, would destroy the American economy and drive us into a recession, if not a depression. No surprise that you would advocate that. After all, liberals want the economy to fail so that they can have an excuse to impose socialism/communism on the American people. Yes clearly I'm a communist too.... My objections couldn't possibly stem from the fact that CBO predicts the defict won't shrink by its promised half unless the tax cuts expire as planned; nope, the entire CBO is filled with Reds! Unquestionably all those economists who disagree with you must be part of the Comintern. And all those tax revenues and surpluses prior to the tax cuts were myths! That's why we did in fact have a massive depression throughout the 1990's too! Really NT, Red-baiting is sooooo 1950s....

Remember, the Bush tax rate cuts have actually increased tax revenues and have reduced the deficit. One year out of five can't be wrong! To hell with the CBO!

I will notice that in your zeal to decry me as a pinko you missed my objections to farm subsidies, corprate subsidies, and medicade and the ending of below-market subsidized disaster insurance, but hey, we just edit out the inconsistancies right?

[Rhino]

I would like to see a constitutional amendment requiring that the budget have a 10% surplus every year until the national debt is gone, and then requiring that the budget be balanced every year thereafter.Bad idea. Some debt is a good thing for the economy. Rampant debt on the other hand.......

[Naturalized-Texan]

One year out of five can't be wrong!
Bush's tax cuts only went into full effect in 2003 and in the following 2 fiscal years (FY 2004 and FY 2005) the deficit has been reduced by about $100 billion in each year.
To hell with the CBO!
Right. To hell with the CBO!! The CBO still uses static scoring in its projections, ignoring the positive effects of tax cuts and human nature. It's long past time for the CBO to enter the real economic world of dynamic scoring. The CBO's record has been deplorable and will continue to be deplorable until and unless it switches to dynamic scoring.

There's no denying that today's liberals care nothing about national security and want the American economy to fail. All one needs to do is open one's eyes to see that, so my advice to you is to open your eyes and behold the truth.

As for NMD, it's still in its early stages of development and there is no doubt that as technology advances, it will work beautifully to protect the American people from missile attacks from our enemies.

[Etaoin]

I believe this too NT, but why is it the libera mantra is that the deficit has increased under President Bush?

Because he has followed Johnson's programs of guns plus butter! It is a valid complaint! He should have cut the freebies and let the people know that you cannot fight a war without financing it. Guns + butter = inflation and instability. You cannot fight wars on Poverty, Germany, Islam or anyother excuse without considering it's effect on the other aspects of an economy. When you print Dollars sans productivity, it is inflationary and destructive. When the FED prints $$$$ without increases in productivity, you get far more inflation.

[Etaoin]

At gunpoint.

OF COURSE, how else would the funds be collected? The question is, how is the program sold so as to avoid rational objections.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Because he has followed Johnson's programs of guns plus butter! It is a valid complaint! He should have cut the freebies and let the people know that you cannot fight a war without financing it. Guns + butter = inflation and instability. You cannot fight wars on Poverty, Germany, Islam or anyother excuse without considering it's effect on the other aspects of an economy. When you print Dollars sans productivity, it is inflationary and destructive. When the FED prints $$$$ without increases in productivity, you get far more inflation.

Okay, that's very logical, and makes sense to me, :thumb: .

I have always thought that if we get rid of all the 'stuff' that doesn't relate completely to the legitimate scope of government, that we would almost immediately cut the deficit, if not wipe it away completely.

Do you agree that the tax cuts were beneficial to the economy, and should be made permanent?

[Naturalized-Texan]

But, in today's economy inflation is virtually nil - 2.1% last year as as average weekly earnings increased by 3.6% - which contradicts the claim of printing press $$$ and is an indication of higher productivity.

[Etaoin]

But, in today's economy inflation is virtually nil - 2.1% last year as as average weekly earnings increased by 3.6% - which contradicts the claim of printing press $$$ and is an indication of higher productivity.

Inflation is NOT practically nil! The statistics that support your premise N.T. are countering the costs of every-day increases in prices with the declining costs of international production. It is a diminished cost but not a defining cost. YET

[Naturalized-Texan]

Inflation is NOT practically nil! The statistics that support your premise N.T. are countering the costs of every-day increases in prices with the declining costs of international production. It is a diminished cost but not a defining cost. YET
That is a very strange and meaningless way to look at inflation.

[Republican_Legion]

Let most of the tax cuts expire, especially for those earning over 250k/yr.

Sounds like the typical democrat


Cut the useless NMD program, the DDX and several other DoD programs aiming to reduce the DOD budget to around $300 billion in 4 years.

You sound like John Kerry and his anti-military policys.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

RL -- I think your sig is not working ... all I see is a big red square box, no picture, sorry.

[Native American]

Cut the BS faith based initiatives. The Gov has no business spending dollars reimbursing charities for doing what they were designed to do in the first place.

Er, OK, but only if we cut all the federal social welfare programs, since they're duplicating what the Christian charities were doing in the first place. Unless and until all the federal social welfare programs are defunded, what we need to do is continue to increase the percentage of faith-based social welfare programs funded by tax dollars, and decrease the percentage on non-faith-based social welfare programs funded by tax dollars.

[Republican_Legion]

RL -- I think your sig is not working ... all I see is a big red square box, no picture, sorry.

Well its an Anti-Hugo chavez pic. :grin:
http://militaresdemocraticos.com/banners/mdbox01.gif

[dajoga]

By far the best way to balance the budget is to eliminate everything from the budget that violates the Constitution, i.e., eliminate everything that is not specifically authorized by Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. Doing that would reduce the federal government by about two-thirds.



Which says in the first paragraph:


The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

(bold emphasis mine)

If all "Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States" then taxing the rich more than others is unconstitutional, right?? :question:

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

If all "Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States" then taxing the rich more than others is unconstitutional, right?? :question:

I don't know daj, I don't think "uniform" means "equal" in this case ... I think it merely refers to the manner of collection, i.e. through income taxes, or consumption taxes, or whatever the prescribed, preferred method is.

[Etaoin]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by Etaoin
Inflation is NOT practically nil! The statistics that support your premise N.T. are countering the costs of every-day increases in prices with the declining costs of international production. It is a diminished cost but not a defining cost. YET
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>That is a very strange and meaningless way to look at inflation.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
__________________

Au contraire NT, It is a game the government plays to deny the inflation of the printing of dollars not backed by productivity and the financing of bubbles with ridiculously low interest rates. When the diminished costs of production that has passed to the third world and incorporated into the calculations of inflation plus the inclusion of such things as Automobiles and the larger purchases of OCCASIONAL items more than over balance the things that are essential to our standard of living such as food, energy, transportation, etc,,, when computed together give a false figure of the inflation. We eat every day, but we buy a car once in 4 or 5 years. Also, the taxes that increase with alarming regularity with the inflation of the home prices are not a part of the inflation figures, but they must be paid with dollars of a stagnant or declining value.

Government figures are politically motivated and are always suspect.

The one thing the government has not been able to suppress is the relationship of the dollar to Gold. You are sophisticated enough to understand that when the price of gold doubles in just a few years there is something rotten in the economy! It has the odor of inflation getting out of control regardless of how it is reported in a compliant media!

[UnkHiram]

Balance the budget and eliminate the National Debt.

Easy, STOP paying for things that are not specifically called for in the Constitution.

[Turret Gunner A20]

[quote=dajoga]

If all "Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States" then taxing the rich more than others is unconstitutional, right?? :question:

Until the 16th Amendment came along. -- the Socialists won that one. :flushlib.

[Turret Gunner A20]

Pay Congress to stay home. :rolleyes: {and I'm not real sure i'm kidding.}

[Nutrider99]

PART 1
If you want to balance a budget you have 3 options.
1. Increase income.
2. Decrease expenditures
3. Both 1 and 2 combined.

Now then, How does the federal government derive income? From tax revenue. If you want to increase the federal income, then, you simply increase tax revenue. What matters is the increase in the total revenue, NOT in the RATE of taxation. Since money in a capitalist system comes from the exchange of goods and services on the common market, and since tax money is a percentage of the profits of that exchange, it has been long since established that increasing the flow of capitalism increases tax revenue, while restricting the flow of capitalism, even with a higher RATE of taxation, results in a net loss of tax revenue. For this reasons, tax reform must become permanent, but also with it legislation reform that makes America more competitive abroad. This means easing regulations that strangle business. Capitalism cures lack of capital.

[Naturalized-Texan]

Etaoin: Sorry, but I don't believe in conspiracy theories like the one you posted above.

[Etaoin]

Etaoin: Sorry, but I don't believe in conspiracy theories like the one you posted above.

That's O.K. NT, I don't believe the gov'ts distortions which you obviously do trust. We'll see which one the economy and the market rewards. Care to place a small wager???

[Eagle1]

balanced budget: cut taxes and cut social programs

not only will you have a surplus but a significant one, and possibly start to pay down the trillions we have of debt

the idea that we need to get revenge on the rich through high taxes because they are somehow injustly wealthy is insane. just a bunch of other rich people whose wealth is protected encourage the greedy masses to reach for something that they didnt earn

and even failed military programs is money well spent

[Rhino]

I know my response is a little bit late, but.....

Let most of the tax cuts expire, especially for those earning over 250k/yr.Why? The top 50% of wage earners already pay 96.54% of the income taxes. Increasing their taxes won't significantly affect our revenues, at least not directly, and not in the way you think. It will however likely reduce our revenues indirectly, as it has many times in the past. And besides, I thought liberals were supposed to be all about fairness. The top 50% are obviously now being taxed far beyond what is fair. If you want to raise their rates even more, then I'd say the sentiment is not motivated by the prospect of increased revenues, but rather by envy and a desire to punish those more successful than yourself, simply for being that successful. Shame on you.
:bdh:

[pinqy]

Government figures are politically motivated and are always suspect.
Then you have zero idea as to how they're calculated. But please, explain, where in the process are the figures manipulated and by whom? How many of the BLS employees are political appointees?

[Republican_Legion]

Hmmm I havent posted how I would balance the Budget yet.

I would : Cut Income Taxes by 95% but add a National Sales Tax. I would remove useless taxes like the tobacco and alcohol taxes.
I would give Businesses who hire AMERICAN WORKERS a Sales tax deduction which will encourage the business world to NOT outsource.
I would cut all PORK funding of planned parenthood and all things similar.
I would make Social Security Business only and no goverment involvement.
I would cut all other useless forms of PORK.
I would keep welfare for the Mentally Retarded unless they are able support themselfs finacially. All other welfare will be CUT.
I would cut funding to anti-goverment programs such as NPR/PBS.

[Lazarus]

...I would : Cut Income Taxes by 95% but add a National Sales Tax. I would remove useless taxes like the tobacco and alcohol taxes....That's a good start RL, but in reality you'd have to eliminate the Income tax altogether, because eventually the Dems would cause it to slowly creep back up... Its like cancer - You cant leave even the tiniest piece of it still in the system or it WILL grow to consume everything again... The Leftists will never be happy until they have control of ALL our income - They wan tto control us from cradle to grave...

Persoanlly Im a big fan of the flat rate income tax... A flat 10% for ALL income levels with no tax deductions whatsoever... This would fund every possible government need and would grow the economy too because of the increase in disposable income for everyone... Of course the Leftists would fight such a flat tax with their last breath because a flat rate tax does not give the government the power to control our behavior - And power over people's lives is what the Left lives for...

BTW, as a deficit cutting measure, lets not forget to cut out all foreign aid to anyone who isnt an open, fully supportive ally of the USA... Im sick of sending money to these countries who hate us in the misguided attempt to BUY their love... That money is much better used here at home...

[Republican_Legion]

BTW, as a deficit cutting measure, lets not forget to cut out all foreign aid to anyone who isnt an open, fully supportive ally of the USA... Im sick of sending money to these countries who hate us in the misguided attempt to BUY their love... That money is much better used here at home...

Damn, I forgot all about foreign aid. I would cut all foreign aid to countrys not supporting us. I would Tax the UN lol.

[Un Con Troll Able]

Okay, it's time for a logical plan. Ergo:

First, I would grind up all of the old people and turn them into crackers for the young people to eat--just like in the movie Soylent Green. That, in turn, would eliminate the need for Social Security and Medicure.

Second, I would make every criminal offense punishable by execution within 30 days and eliminate all appeals not relating to actual guilt or innocence. That would eliminate the need for all of those prisons.

Third, I would require anyone making less than $8.00 per hour to use public transportation to get around. That would eliminate a lot of wear and tear on the highways and the arrogant presumption of equality by low-rent denizens.

Fourth, I would deport anyone who insists on hyphenating a proper name. That would eliminate all the abortion-funding feminists and the "I eez American toooo" card-carrying FLFs (Fuzzy Little Foreigners).

Fifth, I would seize all the Arab oilfields and add a huge, price-gouging tax to be charged only to countries that annoy me (and that's about all of 'em).

Sixth, I would force every country in the world to repay America every dime they've ever begged, borrowed, or stolen from us but never repaid.


Let's see, that should balance the budget and eliminate the national debt.

[Rhino]

Would make for an interesting Presidential platform. LOL! I'd love to see the libs' faces!

[Republican_Legion]

I would make every criminal offense punishable by execution within 30 days.

Would that include crimes such as DUI and being drunk in public.
I dont think even Saudi Arabia has such punishments for all crimes.
If I remembered correctly the saudis cut someones hand off if a person is convicted of stealing.
I dont think even Pat Robertson would support what you said.

[Un Con Troll Able]

I talk about grinding up old people into crackers and the only thing you can cite is my item about immediate executions????

Man, I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

[pinqy]

What kind of crackers?

[Un Con Troll Able]

Well...hmmm. Old people...they'd probably be some variation on Sour Cream and Chives, or maybe Salt and Vinegar. Those are actually potato chip flavors, but when entering a competitive market, you have to remember that first impressions are lasting impressions.

[DoctorDoom]

I talk about grinding up old people into crackers ...Soylent green is PEOPLE!

How would I balance the budget? First, I'd find a humoungous scale. On one side of the scale I'd put 2.77 trillion $1 bills (the proposed 2007 budget). On the other side I'd put an equivalent mass, 31 USS Ronald Reagan carriers at full displacement, plus 8,114 tons of extra mass. And the budget is balanced.

BTW, the libeRATs are already whining about the cuts in the budget.

[Etaoin]

By far the best way to balance the budget is to eliminate everything from the budget that violates the Constitution, i.e., eliminate everything that is not specifically authorized by Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution. Doing that would reduce the federal government by about two-thirds.

Remember, the Bush tax rate cuts have actually increased tax revenues and have reduced the deficit.

I am in shock NT. I thought my heart would stop and I'd have to go to the hospital. FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT!

I would add another caveat though. Another thing that MUST BE DONE is for the porky Congress to eliminate 3 laws prior to the enactment of another encroachment on civil liberty! It would take some years before they got down to the nitty gritty of eliminating significant attacks on taxpayer liberties!

[DoctorDoom]

And EVERY law should have a sunset provision. If renewing it can't be justified, it shouldn't be on the books.

[Naturalized-Texan]

I am in shock NT. I thought my heart would stop and I'd have to go to the hospital. FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT!
I've probably said the same thing about a dozen times since I've been here. I guess you must have missed them.