Comments on: Breaking Down the Federal Budget http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121 make it happen Sat, 11 Feb 2012 06:41:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Jamie http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13850 Jamie Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:15:34 +0000 http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13850 God bless Bill.... Of course, I'm sure Steve is right and years from now we'll all be discussing GWB as the greatest president in our fine country's history. God bless Bill…. Of course, I’m sure Steve is right and years from now we’ll all be discussing GWB as the greatest president in our fine country’s history.

]]> By: Michael http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13846 Michael Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:13:04 +0000 http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13846 So Steve, how did it feel when Dan tore you a new one? Dan, well done. So Steve, how did it feel when Dan tore you a new one?

Dan, well done.

]]> By: Dan http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13845 Dan Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:08:33 +0000 http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13845 The link you posted was the budget -request-, rather than the amount of money that actually wound up being spent. Often there are discrepancies between the two figures, so to me it makes more sense to use data from completed years. I also think it's a bit odd that Bush requested less money for interest this year than what wound up being spent last year, considering that the federal debt has increased by 3.6% during the last year. And for all the 'support the troops' rhetoric, he is also requesting substantially less for veteran's benefits than was spent last year. The link equivalent to what you posted but for a completed year would be: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_budget,_2007 It's also worth noting that the DoD budget itself doesn't include things like maintenance of the nuclear arsenal (9.3 billion/year from the budget of the department of energy), and secret research projects, which are never officially added to budgets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_the_United_States http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_by_U.S._presidential_terms Clinton was the best president a true conservative could hope for! The data can be located here for those interested: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2007/pdf/hist.pdf The link you posted was the budget -request-, rather than the amount of money that actually wound up being spent. Often there are discrepancies between the two figures, so to me it makes more sense to use data from completed years. I also think it’s a bit odd that Bush requested less money for interest this year than what wound up being spent last year, considering that the federal debt has increased by 3.6% during the last year. And for all the ’support the troops’ rhetoric, he is also requesting substantially less for veteran’s benefits than was spent last year.

The link equivalent to what you posted but for a completed year would be:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_budget,_2007

It’s also worth noting that the DoD budget itself doesn’t include things like maintenance of the nuclear arsenal (9.3 billion/year from the budget of the department of energy), and secret research projects, which are never officially added to budgets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_by_U.S._presidential_terms

Clinton was the best president a true conservative could hope for! The data can be located here for those interested:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2007/pdf/hist.pdf

]]> By: steve http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13844 steve Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:53:44 +0000 http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13844 Source for the numbers please. Source for the numbers please.

]]> By: Dan http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13843 Dan Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:17:47 +0000 http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13843 Just for the numbers - the federal budget has increased by an average of 9.9% per democratic term and 12.1% per republican term, over the past seven presidential elections. Meanwhile, the GDP has increased by an average of 12.6% per democratic term and 10.7% per republican term. Republicans lower taxes only by shoveling the consequences of their irresponsibility onto successors - federal debt increases by an average of 4.2% per democratic term and 36.4% per republican term during the same time period. And despite that, they still lose to democrats in terms of GDP growth. The federal government is now spending 243.7 billion/year on interest alone. And 72.6 billion on veteran's benefits, which in my mind is a military-related expenditure. Those two together easily surpass Medicaid. "Total requested Dod/WoT spending is $699 billion, or 65% of total net Discretionary spending." "I would hasten to add this increase is transitory and will be reduced as those conflicts come to an end." Aren't you the one who has argued that we should stay in the middle east for decades if that's what it takes? And for extending the war to Iran? Yes, these are policies that will cause reduction of federal budget. "This might sound cold, but if you can’t hack it without a heap of government help, maybe you weren’t meant to make it. Social programs stifle favorable human adaptation" Accepting the deaths of a sector of the population is problematic from a practical standpoint because people who 'aren't making it' have an unfortunate tendency to cause problems for the rest of the population over the course of their downward spiral - especially if they feel they have nothing to lose. If you're terribly concerned about genetic drift, you could suggest making sterilization of an individual and his/her extant progeny a prerequisite for receipt of entitlement money. However, I doubt this would be a popular proposal. On the subject of budget: "The IRS estimated that there were about $345 billion in uncollected taxes" (in 2007) Just for the numbers - the federal budget has increased by an average of 9.9% per democratic term and 12.1% per republican term, over the past seven presidential elections. Meanwhile, the GDP has increased by an average of 12.6% per democratic term and 10.7% per republican term. Republicans lower taxes only by shoveling the consequences of their irresponsibility onto successors - federal debt increases by an average of 4.2% per democratic term and 36.4% per republican term during the same time period. And despite that, they still lose to democrats in terms of GDP growth.

The federal government is now spending 243.7 billion/year on interest alone. And 72.6 billion on veteran’s benefits, which in my mind is a military-related expenditure. Those two together easily surpass Medicaid.

“Total requested Dod/WoT spending is $699 billion, or 65% of total net Discretionary spending.”

“I would hasten to add this increase is transitory and will be reduced as those conflicts come to an end.”

Aren’t you the one who has argued that we should stay in the middle east for decades if that’s what it takes? And for extending the war to Iran? Yes, these are policies that will cause reduction of federal budget.

“This might sound cold, but if you can’t hack it without a heap of government help, maybe you weren’t meant to make it. Social programs stifle favorable human adaptation”

Accepting the deaths of a sector of the population is problematic from a practical standpoint because people who ‘aren’t making it’ have an unfortunate tendency to cause problems for the rest of the population over the course of their downward spiral - especially if they feel they have nothing to lose. If you’re terribly concerned about genetic drift, you could suggest making sterilization of an individual and his/her extant progeny a prerequisite for receipt of entitlement money. However, I doubt this would be a popular proposal.

On the subject of budget: “The IRS estimated that there were about $345 billion in uncollected taxes” (in 2007)

]]> By: boose http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13842 boose Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:15:51 +0000 http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13842 technically we aren't in a war. We are in a "military engagement" or some other bulls*** political term. Still, i agree, our government largely wastes our taxes. technically we aren’t in a war. We are in a “military engagement” or some other bulls*** political term. Still, i agree, our government largely wastes our taxes.

]]> By: Michael http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13841 Michael Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:00:19 +0000 http://enableate.com/steve/2008/1121#comment-13841 God, don't remind me. Seriously, our forefathers would be vomiting into their tricorne hats if they saw how bloated our federal government had become, what a burden the federal tax was. Hell, they were completely against a federal income tax from the beginning! It's unbelievable how much some people rely on the federal government to provide them with life. This might sound cold, but if you can't hack it without a heap of government help, maybe you weren't meant to make it. Social programs stifle favorable human adaptation, allowing those who can't really make it to leech off those who can. And so we breed better and better leeches. God, don’t remind me. Seriously, our forefathers would be vomiting into their tricorne hats if they saw how bloated our federal government had become, what a burden the federal tax was. Hell, they were completely against a federal income tax from the beginning!

It’s unbelievable how much some people rely on the federal government to provide them with life. This might sound cold, but if you can’t hack it without a heap of government help, maybe you weren’t meant to make it. Social programs stifle favorable human adaptation, allowing those who can’t really make it to leech off those who can. And so we breed better and better leeches.

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