So, now what?

[maxiep]

A thread for ideas and advice for the new House and Senate members

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...588612828579920.html?mod=WSJ_newsreel_opinion

 

[maxiep]

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/gop-dance-with-the-one-who-brung-you/?singlepage=true

 

[maxiep]

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/what-republicans-need-to-do-now/?singlepage=true

 

[maxiep]

A list of potential areas to cut: http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/what-spending-should-the-gop-cut/

 

[MrJayremmie]

Start by cutting defense spending and waste.

But WTF are we even talking about, nothing will get done. I think that a majority of the people who have been elected don't want to work across the isle. It is the "my way or the highway" view that will keep us gridlocked. With the president's veto power, you will def. see nothing repealed either.

 

[tlongII]

It's time for change. Change you can believe in.

 

[Minstrel]

So now what?

[video=youtube;axXvxpzMe_0]

 

[BrianFromWA]

Start by cutting defense spending and waste.

But WTF are we even talking about, nothing will get done. I think that a majority of the people who have been elected don't want to work across the isle. It is the "my way or the highway" view that will keep us gridlocked. With the president's veto power, you will def. see nothing repealed either.

If by "waste" you mean SS/M/M overruns, I agree.

 

[barfo]

If by "waste" you mean SS/M/M overruns, I agree.

No, actual waste. If we all stopped crapping, we could eliminate millions of expensive restrooms and sewer plants.

barfo

 

[BrianFromWA]

one man's waste is another man's fertilizer

 

[maxiep]

Fantastic!

http://dailycaller.com/2010/11/03/c...k-debt-limit-increase-to-force-spending-cuts/

Basically, Coburn is telling Obama to trim $350B or he'll work against raising the debt limit.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

one man's waste is another man's fertilizer

Would that make me an entremanure?

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Wait till 2012 then rinse and repeat.

 

[blazerboy30]

No, actual waste. If we all stopped crapping, we could eliminate millions of expensive restrooms and sewer plants.

barfo

This post is an excellent example.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Medicare.....ss.......fannie and freddie......200 million dollar a day vacations.

 

[Denny Crane]

Bring the troops home. Cut $200B, minimum from the defense budget.

$60B in medicare fraud.

Fire as many govt. employees as possible. Question for anyone who likes govt. - how many private sector jobs does it take to tax/fund to pay a single public sector worker?

Undo the medicare deal that Bush enacted.

Any unspent TARP or "emergency" stimulus funds not spent returned to the treasury to buy back T-Bills.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

This post is an excellent example.

+1.

 

[Sug]

Do you really think the republicans are going to do anything? Wow.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Do you really think the republicans are going to do anything? Wow.

There's not much they can really "do". However, I like the fact the Houses are split. It's time to force these people to learn to work together for the common good of all. My big hope is for some sense of civility to return. ("Some" being the operative word)

There will be big fights in the House as what's left are very liberal dems and a mod-conservative GOP. It should be interesting.

 

[maxiep]

Do you really think the republicans are going to do anything? Wow.

The Republicans won't be able to do squat. They'll certainly try, however.

 

[Denny Crane]

How to cut the deficit to under $300B:

1) Federal Government now employs 2.1 people. Less than a decade ago, it employed about half that many. Cut the workforce in half and save $125B a year.
2) Eliminate the Bush Medicare drug program. Saves $360B a year.
3) Bring the troops home and cut military and related spending by 1/3. Saves $300B+ a year. We'd still be spending $700B.
4) Stiffen requirements for Medicare payments to eliminate up to $60B in fraud.
5) Eliminate TARP spending. Saves $368B.

Add it up and it's over $1.2T in savings.

Moderate GDP growth along with controls on increasing new spending and the deficit will disappear sometime in Obama's 2nd term.

And there's no tax hikes involved. Both the Left (medicare program cut) and Right (military cuts) have their oxes gored. Few people on Main Street will feel any pain at all.

 

[barfo]

How to cut the deficit to under $300B:

1) Federal Government now employs 2.1 people. Less than a decade ago, it employed about half that many. Cut the workforce in half and save $125B a year.

2.1 people? That doesn't sound like a lot. Whatever you actually meant, I'm not sure I believe the workforce has doubled in 10 years. Link?

barfo

 

[bluefrog]

They Republicans could pass some sort of bill that would energize the base. Some social issue like anti-gay marriage or anti-abortion. It doesn't really matter since it will die in the Senate.

 

[maxiep]

They Republicans could pass some sort of bill that would energize the base. Some social issue like anti-gay marriage or anti-abortion. It doesn't really matter since it will die in the Senate.

The Tea Party is based on three ideas: Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government, and Free Markets. The Evangelicals are so 2000-2004.

 

[Denny Crane]

2.1 people? That doesn't sound like a lot. Whatever you actually meant, I'm not sure I believe the workforce has doubled in 10 years. Link?

barfo

2.1M people.

 

[barfo]

2.1M people.

This link disagrees with you completely.

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

This link disagrees with you completely.

barfo

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/02/burgeoning-federal-payroll-signals-return-of-big-g/

The Obama administration says the government will grow to 2.15 million employees this year, topping 2 million for the first time since President Clinton declared that "the era of big government is over" and joined forces with a Republican-led Congress in the 1990s to pare back the federal work force.

Most of the increases are on the civilian side, which will grow by 153,000 workers, to 1.43 million people, in fiscal 2010.

...

The new figures are contained in the budget that Mr. Obama sent Monday to Congress.

Mr. Obama says the civilian work force will drop by 80,000 next year, mostly because of a reduction in U.S. census workers added in 2010 but then dropped in 2011 after the national population count is finished. That still leaves 1.35 million civilian federal employees on the payroll in 2011.

From 1981 through 2008, the civilian work force remained at about 1.1 million to 1.2 million, with a low of 1.07 million in 1986 and a high of more than 1.2 million in 1993 and in 2008. In 2009, the number jumped to 1.28 million.

Including both the civilian and defense sectors, the federal government will employ 2.15 million people in 2010 and 2.11 million in 2011, excluding Postal Service workers.

 

[barfo]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/02/burgeoning-federal-payroll-signals-return-of-big-g/

The Obama administration says the government will grow to 2.15 million employees this year, topping 2 million for the first time since President Clinton declared that "the era of big government is over" and joined forces with a Republican-led Congress in the 1990s to pare back the federal work force.

Most of the increases are on the civilian side, which will grow by 153,000 workers, to 1.43 million people, in fiscal 2010.

...

The new figures are contained in the budget that Mr. Obama sent Monday to Congress.

Mr. Obama says the civilian work force will drop by 80,000 next year, mostly because of a reduction in U.S. census workers added in 2010 but then dropped in 2011 after the national population count is finished. That still leaves 1.35 million civilian federal employees on the payroll in 2011.

From 1981 through 2008, the civilian work force remained at about 1.1 million to 1.2 million, with a low of 1.07 million in 1986 and a high of more than 1.2 million in 1993 and in 2008. In 2009, the number jumped to 1.28 million.

Including both the civilian and defense sectors, the federal government will employ 2.15 million people in 2010 and 2.11 million in 2011, excluding Postal Service workers.

Surely you see the logical error you are making in your choice of bolding. Apples are not oranges.

barfo

 

[Denny Crane]

Surely you see the logical error you are making in your choice of bolding. Apples are not oranges.

barfo

Surely you see that when cutting the Military by 1/3 a lot of those employees will be cut as well.

Cutting the workforce from 2.1M to the 1.1M to 1.2M we had from 1981 to 2008 does in fact save $125B.

And why should postal workers be fired? The post office is semi-private and generates income from the sale of stamps, courier services, and other goods and trinkets. Maybe they should raise the price of stamps or something so they break even.

 

[barfo]

Surely you see that when cutting the Military by 1/3 a lot of those employees will be cut as well.

Cutting the workforce from 2.1M to the 1.1M to 1.2M we had from 1981 to 2008 does in fact save $125B.

It's simply not true that it went from 1.1 to 2.1. You are comparing civilian employees to total employees. The correct comparison (assuming the numbers in your link are valid, which is questionable since it's the Washington Times) is 1.43 to 1.1. Not 2.15 to 1.1.

And why should postal workers be fired? The post office is semi-private and generates income from the sale of stamps, courier services, and other goods and trinkets. Maybe they should raise the price of stamps or something so they break even.

Huh? Who said anything about firing postal workers? Or are you trying to change the subject?

barfo