We are saved
Mar. 11th, 2011 06:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumThe Republican controlled House did what we needed. Sadly the Senate has blocked them from cutting the budget in the ways which "are necessary to show that we are serious about returning our nation to a sustainable financial path, according to Hal Rodgers (R Ken). Rodgers is the head of the House Appropriations committee.
What's in that list of needful cuts (realise the military budget isn't up for negotiation, all that's available for reducing the deficit/balancing the budget is the 740 billion which is "discretionary".
Since the budget has a projected shortfall of about 1.6 trillion, the needed cuts to balance the budget are... impossible. This is correctable, all it takes is the willingness of the "fiscally responsible" types: the ones who are, "serious" about making the budget balance, the people who threatened to close down the gov't by refusing to allow the amount of the deficit to be expanded to meet the obligations the government already has, those people, the one's lecturing about "living within our means, to let the taxes in effect when Bush took office to be returned to normal. That, and looking at what we are getting for the money we're spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If those two wars are that important, then we need to raise the money to pay for them.
So, we have a deficit of twice the "discretionary spending. What do they want to cut? What was in that essential slashing of funding?
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. You know, the guys who track the weather. Things like tornadoes, hurricanes and tsunami.
Think Progress has a breakdown of what's in that cut.
The tsunami watch is actually, all things being equal the least of the problems. The rationale here is that, according to Ralph Hall (R Tex), this is the, "first step in cutting spending, putting Americans back to work." One of those steps is 27 day furloughs. In plain english, that's an unpaid vacation. One hasn't been laid off, so there is no way to collect unemployment. One just has to make do on less money. Heckuva Job Hall. Put people back to work by laying them off.
They also want to cut funding to the CDC, because... well I don't know why. Are we supposed to believe that germs will stop being infectious because the CDC can't pay as much attention to them?
I remember, back in the '80s, NASA had a publication, "Spinoff" which was all about the things that had been second, or third, etc., level benefit to the world. Things like microwave ovens, osmotic filters, specialised polymers, medical techniques, telemetry, etc..
That's what the Republicans are cutting, in the interest of "putting America back to work." Busting unions, that's good for America. Research, and the fruits that come of it, that's bad.
First responders to disaster, also set to be cut.
And hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunami? We can fend for ourselves, first, last and always.
Heckova job guys.
What's in that list of needful cuts (realise the military budget isn't up for negotiation, all that's available for reducing the deficit/balancing the budget is the 740 billion which is "discretionary".
Since the budget has a projected shortfall of about 1.6 trillion, the needed cuts to balance the budget are... impossible. This is correctable, all it takes is the willingness of the "fiscally responsible" types: the ones who are, "serious" about making the budget balance, the people who threatened to close down the gov't by refusing to allow the amount of the deficit to be expanded to meet the obligations the government already has, those people, the one's lecturing about "living within our means, to let the taxes in effect when Bush took office to be returned to normal. That, and looking at what we are getting for the money we're spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If those two wars are that important, then we need to raise the money to pay for them.
So, we have a deficit of twice the "discretionary spending. What do they want to cut? What was in that essential slashing of funding?
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. You know, the guys who track the weather. Things like tornadoes, hurricanes and tsunami.
Think Progress has a breakdown of what's in that cut.
The tsunami watch is actually, all things being equal the least of the problems. The rationale here is that, according to Ralph Hall (R Tex), this is the, "first step in cutting spending, putting Americans back to work." One of those steps is 27 day furloughs. In plain english, that's an unpaid vacation. One hasn't been laid off, so there is no way to collect unemployment. One just has to make do on less money. Heckuva Job Hall. Put people back to work by laying them off.
They also want to cut funding to the CDC, because... well I don't know why. Are we supposed to believe that germs will stop being infectious because the CDC can't pay as much attention to them?
I remember, back in the '80s, NASA had a publication, "Spinoff" which was all about the things that had been second, or third, etc., level benefit to the world. Things like microwave ovens, osmotic filters, specialised polymers, medical techniques, telemetry, etc..
That's what the Republicans are cutting, in the interest of "putting America back to work." Busting unions, that's good for America. Research, and the fruits that come of it, that's bad.
First responders to disaster, also set to be cut.
And hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunami? We can fend for ourselves, first, last and always.
Heckova job guys.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-12 05:09 am (UTC)I know, $42 billion in revenue by refusing tax cuts to the top brackets won't actually fix the $1.6 trillion deficit. But that's before actually getting into fundraising options.