Post by ltfred on Jun 13, 2009 22:20:42 GMT -5
Okay. Making some assumtions about spending. The president will want to create an efficient health insurance system, meaning either single payer or Public Option. Let's presume that that will cost half a trillion dollars. Also presume that the government will want to invest some money in education.
Obvious spending cuts: No child left behind- gone. 21 billions dollars freed up. Department of Homeland Security- fold into existing intelligence services like the FBI, CIA, ect- 30 billion dollars saved. Foreign millitary financing- cut in half. 2.5 billion saved. GWOT- gone, all of it. Over 189 billion saved. Total saved- 242.5 billion dollars.
Non-obvious spending cuts: Space Operations, marked under Air Force. Gone- no weaponizing space. 1.887 billion dollars saved. Either Join Strike Fighter or F-22 cut: some amount of money saved. Personally, I'd go for cutting the F-22, but that's just me. Also, surely some of these administration costs can be reduced- the army, for instance, spends more money on administration than on Land Forces. IED funds can go away, so long as you withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, saving over 4 billion (because it's logged in two places). Also, some of those general research funds- like the 'Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency' can become civilian, and their money can be added to the (dreadfully underfunded) National Sciences Foundation. That Project alone would add half again onto the NSF. That's about all I can find.
That's 250 billion saved. Not enough to cover health insurance or Education without further tax raises.
Obvious spending cuts: No child left behind- gone. 21 billions dollars freed up. Department of Homeland Security- fold into existing intelligence services like the FBI, CIA, ect- 30 billion dollars saved. Foreign millitary financing- cut in half. 2.5 billion saved. GWOT- gone, all of it. Over 189 billion saved. Total saved- 242.5 billion dollars.
Non-obvious spending cuts: Space Operations, marked under Air Force. Gone- no weaponizing space. 1.887 billion dollars saved. Either Join Strike Fighter or F-22 cut: some amount of money saved. Personally, I'd go for cutting the F-22, but that's just me. Also, surely some of these administration costs can be reduced- the army, for instance, spends more money on administration than on Land Forces. IED funds can go away, so long as you withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, saving over 4 billion (because it's logged in two places). Also, some of those general research funds- like the 'Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency' can become civilian, and their money can be added to the (dreadfully underfunded) National Sciences Foundation. That Project alone would add half again onto the NSF. That's about all I can find.
That's 250 billion saved. Not enough to cover health insurance or Education without further tax raises.