US Politics |OT|

[deskpro2k3]

BFR said:

zorg1000 said:

This is what I find funny about the “fiscal responsibility” people, the federal government had about $6.8 trillion in outlays for fiscal year 2024 and their solution is to nickel and dime on a handful of projects that combined make up less than a percent of the budget.

Sure, you can find examples of overspending on specific things or spending on dumb things but about 65% of federal outlays come from defense, healthcare, social security & interest. Add in things like infrastructure, education, housing, environment, disaster relief, nutrition assistance, etc. and you’re now close to the entire budget with none of those categories being a popular thing to make cuts to.

You can nickel and dime all these small projects but the end result is outlays go from something like $6.8t to $6.75t, mission accomplished!

1. The biggest amount of money goes to entitlements like Social Security - so, raise the retirement age and increase the SS payroll tax, it's been stuck at 6.2% for years.

2. Cut defense spending - kill the LCS, V-22 Osprey, and V-280 Valor for starters.

     Do we really need 11 aircraft carriers? Do we really need 60 nuclear powered attack submarines?

3. Raise the federal gasoline tax - to help pay for infrastructure - it's been stuck at 18.4 cents per gallon, since 1993.

To fix Social Security without making us all work until we're 85, we could bump up the payroll tax a smidge, make the rich pay their fair share by raising the income cap or taxing their benefits more. Or, let’s throw some Trust Fund money into the stock market and hope it grows like a viral cat video. We could also trim benefits for the super rich or slap on a wealth tax. Basically, let's make the system work without making it feel like a never ending job interview.