What should come first regarding the Federal Budget? (1 Viewer)

[MyOwnDrum]

What should come first regarding the Federal Budget? Lowering taxes, balancing the budget, expanding social programs, such as healthcare, maintaining strong military presence abroad, jump starting the economy, or other thoughts? Poll will follow.

 

[Maximus Zeebra]

What should come first regarding the Federal Budget? Lowering taxes, balancing the budget, expanding social programs, such as healthcare, maintaining strong military presence abroad, jump starting the economy, or other thoughts? Poll will follow.

Clearly the budget must be balanced. The US is at the moment running Irish/UK/Greek style budget deficits, and will quickly have their government debt reach Italian/Greek levels in few years and Japanese levels in a decade. If this continues.

I am glad no eyes are on Japanese state debts atm

 

[MyOwnDrum]

I agree, balancing the budget should be the top priority, above all else.

 

[webrockk]

Slashing it by one third.

 

[Redress]

Balancing the budget as soon as feasible should be the top priority. However, it should not be the only priority.

 

[MyOwnDrum]

I feel strongly that both the traditional Republican policy of tax cut promises, and the Democratic policy of more government programs, has contributed to the morass we find ourselves in. We need both tax hikes and cuts in spending to dig ourselves out.

 

[repeter]

I am glad no eyes are on Japanese state debts atm

That really surprises me...they have a debt-to-GDP of 200%. Wonder what'll happen once everyone realizes this...

 

[pragmatic]

What should come first regarding the Federal Budget? Lowering taxes, balancing the budget, expanding social programs, such as healthcare, maintaining strong military presence abroad, jump starting the economy, or other thoughts? Poll will follow.

Probably should have included an explicit "Cut Spending" as one of the options in the poll. Balancing the federal budget is not going to happen any time in the foreseeable future (or maybe ever).

But we can/must slow down the bleeding. As many/most realize, our current deficit levels and rates of increase are unsustainable. And with our current crop of congress pricks in office, there is little to be hopeful for in the possibility that those jackasses are going to curtail it.



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[mpg]

reduce spending dramatically

 

[rathi]

Its a somewhat complicated question. If we were fighting world war 3 against the godless space-nazi's, defending the country would be worth running up a deficit. However, if I had to look at the here and now, balancing the budget would be top priority. Balancing the budget is quite simple in concept, what we need is the conviction to see it done.

 

[TurtleDude]

actually enforcing the tenth amendment and returning the federal government to living within the boundaries set by the constitution would solve most of the problems

 

[ronpaulvoter]

See my comment on "Could You Support a Debt Reduction Plan like This?"

 

[Kandahar]

What should come first? Jump starting the economy. Tax hikes, budget balancing, and entitlement reform are long-term problems. We need the economy to improve NOW, starting with another stimulus. Anyone bitching about the cost of a stimulus simply hasn't looked at the math. The cost of a non-repeating stimulus item on the long-term budget outlook is approximately nil.

 

[Kandahar]

Clearly the budget must be balanced. The US is at the moment running Irish/UK/Greek style budget deficits, and will quickly have their government debt reach Italian/Greek levels in few years and Japanese levels in a decade. If this continues.

I am glad no eyes are on Japanese state debts atm

That's because Japan's debt, like the United States but unlike Greece, is mostly held in its own currency. Therefore Japan can never be forced to default unless it wants to.

 

[Calabrese]

What should come first? Jump starting the economy. Tax hikes, budget balancing, and entitlement reform are long-term problems. We need the economy to improve NOW, starting with another stimulus. Anyone bitching about the cost of a stimulus simply hasn't looked at the math. The cost of a non-repeating stimulus item on the long-term budget outlook is approximately nil.

Stimulus Plans will not bring the economy back. Look at the difference between the 1920's depression that ended so quickly and the Great depression that was dragged out for so long. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. The economy will rebound when taxes are lowered and small businesses can expand and hire more people.

The government, federal and state, must be cut, and taxes cannot be lowered as much as possible, because the interest that our children will have to pay for on this debt is unbelievable, however they must be lowered to the point that unemployment goes under 7 percent.

Balancing the budget and giving people jobs should be at the top of the list.

 

[samsmart]

I think we should balance the budget. However, unlike many of the conservatives who favor such a strategy, I would call for the increase of some taxes, along with the cutting or reform of some government programs. This is because I'm all for compromise, and favor legislation that both Republicans and Democrats alike will hate.

 

[Calabrese]

I think we should balance the budget. However, unlike many of the conservatives who favor such a strategy, I would call for the increase of some taxes, along with the cutting or reform of some government programs. This is because I'm all for compromise, and favor legislation that both Republicans and Democrats alike will hate.

I think both sides would appreciate this approach

 

[Jucon]

It would be impossible to balance the budget without changing SS, changing Medicare, changing Medicaid, raising taxes or cutting military spending (would likely have to be a combination of all of these).

I voted other as you didn't include cutting military spending in your poll. After that I'd change SS, Medicare and Medicaid. After that if the budget still isn't balanced, raise taxes.

 

[samsmart]

I think both sides would appreciate this approach

They will until it's one of their programs whose funding gets cut.

 

[samsmart]

It would be impossible to balance the budget without changing SS, changing Medicare, changing Medicaid, raising taxes or cutting military spending (would likely have to be a combination of all of these).

I voted other as you didn't include cutting military spending in your poll. After that I'd change SS, Medicare and Medicaid. After that if the budget still isn't balanced, raise taxes.

The biggest change I would make to Social Security is pass a federal law that money paid into Social Security can be used only for Social Security programs. I would then try to pass it as a Constitutional Amendment to prevent future Congresses from repealing this law.

I think we should also instantly cut all military (but not veterans) programs, services, and spending by a flat 5%. That way there won't be any bickering from the Pentagon about which programs will stay and which ones will go - all programs will be cut by an equal percentage.

Medicare and Medicaid, I'm not so sure about, as I have little to do with it and haven't studied it as much and have little experience with it.