Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Proposed GOP Cuts to Federal Budget

Another post forwarded from my friend Ron Durrant. It's interesting to see just how much "pork" is in the government budget...

For example, the White House employees three full-time calligraphists.  They make the hand-written invitations to WH functions, etc.  Their pay?  Over $270,000 per year--the "Senior Calligraphist" makes over $90,000 a year!

State government isn't exempt, either.  The superintendent of the Alpine School District in Utah County makes over $270,000 per year by himself--over twice as much as the governor!!  You'll find similar salaries for other school superintendents.

The head of the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), which manages the TRAX light rail and Front Runner Commuter Rail system in Utah, just retired with a RETIREMENT of over $200,000 a year!!!

So, we can't just blame the Federal Government for excessive spending, nor can we just blame Democrats or Liberals.

Greed really knows no political, social, or religious boundaries.

Anyway, here's some interesting information regarding cuts the Republicans want to make to the Federal Budget.I'm not sure I agree with all the proposed cuts... but Exchange Programs for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts????

Note that Social Security and the Department of Defense aren't included...Also, unless it's titled differently, I don't see the Federal Government subsidy of oil companies.

I've highlighted those that I think are especially egregious.

Smitty




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These are all the programs that the new Republican House has proposed
cutting.

Read to the end.

* Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy -- $445 million annual
savings. (I wouldn't eliminate this subsidy, but cut it back by 20%--the same amount DoD civilians are cut back)
* Save America 's Treasures Program -- $25 million annual savings.
* International Fund for Ireland -- $17 million annual savings.

* Legal Services Corporation -- $420 million annual savings. (Another candidate for 20% reduction)
* National Endowment for the Arts -- $167.5 million annual savings. (50% reduction--we shouldn't be funding "nice to have" programs when our national security and Constitutionally-mandated government services are being pared to the bone).
* National Endowment for the Humanities -- $167.5 million annual Savings. (Ditto)
* Hope VI Program -- $250 million Annual savings.(What does this program do?)
* Amtrak Subsidies -- $1.565 billion annual savings. (Cut back AMTRAK subsidy and put the money to Veteran's Administration Hospitals, etc.)

* Eliminate duplicating education programs -- H.R. 2274 (in last Congress)--
   authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually. (Why hasn't this been done years ago???)

* U.S. Trade Development Agency -- $55 million annual savings.
* WoodrowWilsonCenter Subsidy -- $20 million annual savings.
* Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding -- $47 million
annual savings.
* JohnC.StennisCenter Subsidy -- $430,000 annual savings.
* Community Development Fund -- $4.5 billion annual savings.
* Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid -- $24 million annual savings.
* Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half -- $7.5 billion annual savings (I don't agree with this as an across-the-board cut.  It certainly needs to be more selective--Congressional Junkets could certainly be reduced.)
* Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20% -- $600 million annual savings.Again this needs to be done selectively, not just across the board.
* Essential Air Service -- $150 million annual savings.
* Technology Innovation Program -- $70 Million annual savings.
* Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program -- $125 million annual
savings.
* Department of Energy Grants to States for Weatherization -- $530 million
annual savings.
* Beach Replenishment -- $95 million annual savings.
* New Starts Transit -- $2 billion annual savings.
* Exchange Programs for Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Their
Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts -- $9 million annual savings

* Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants -- $2.5 billion annual savings.
* Title X Family Planning -- $318 million annual savings.
* Appalachian Regional Commission -- $76 million annual savings.
* Economic Development Administration -- $293 million annual savings.
* Programs under the National and Community Services Act -- $1.15 billion
annual savings.

* Applied Research at Department of Energy -- $1.27 billion annual savings.
* Freedom CAR and Fuel Partnership -- $200 million annual savings.
* Energy Star Program -- $52 million annual savings.
* Economic Assistance to Egypt -- $250 million annually. (This is a big one for me, considering the political situation in Egypt.)
* U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment -- $1.39 billion annual savings.
* General Assistance to District of Columbia -- $210 million annual savings.
* Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority -- $150 million
annual savings.
* Presidential Campaign Fund -- $775 million savings over ten years.
* No funding for federal office space acquisition -- $864 million annual
savings.
* End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.
* Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act -- More than $1 billion annually. (This act requires government contractors to pay their employees at the local union rate--people scream about separation of church and state, but there's an unholy alliance between the Federal Government and Big Labor)
* IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it
offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget -- $1.8 billion savings over ten years.
* Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees -- $1 billion
total savings.




* Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees -- $1.2
billion savings
over ten years.  WHAT IS THIS ABOUT? (Federal employees can't use government resources (including email and computer time) for political activities, but the government subsidizes UNION activities--they're political as well.)

* Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of -- $15
billion total savings.

* Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress.WHAT???

* Eliminate Mohair Subsidies -- $1 million annual savings. (I guess people will have to buy sweaters and coats made from sheep wool...)

* Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change -- $12.5 million annual savings.
(As long as the government subsidizes research on climate change, it will be a self-perpetuating issue... there's big money to be made here, folks!!) .

* Eliminate Market Access Program -- $200 million annual savings.

* USDA Sugar Program -- $14 million annual savings. (Gee, maybe it would reduce obesity and the number of hyperactive kids!)

* Subsidy to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
-- $93 million annual savings.
(Just what do they do???)

* Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program -- $56.2
million annual savings.

* Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs -- $900 million savings. (But ObamaCare is "affordable"--we have the President's assurance on that)

* Ready to Learn TV Program -- $27 million savings.. WHY?????

* HUD Ph.D. Program. (It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Government Housing is a disaster!!)

* Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act.

* TOTAL SAVINGS: $2.5 Trillion over Ten Years

(Ron's Comment) MY QUESTION IS--WHAT IS ALL THIS CRAP DOING IN THE BUDGET IN THE FIRST PLACE??

Smitty's Comment-- Most people have forgotten that President Obama pledged to balance the budget within his first term--seems he hasn't even seriously looked at it).


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