quote:

ORIGINAL: thompsonx

End 20 year retirement for any government employee (state, local, or federal). Implement 401k.
Cut federal salaries 25%.

Hmmm cut military pay by 25% and 20 years is not enough time to spend getting shot at for a pension? Perhaps we should also charge them for their ammo their weapon and their chow ?

quote:

ORIGINAL: cloudboy
Everyone filed their taxes or extensions by this past April 15, 2014. If you were able to reallocate US tax dollars in order to improve the general welfare of the nation, how would you do it? See the chart below and adjust your own percentages accordingly.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Phydeaux

Means test social security. That would cut a few % off of social security.

Unfair. If you paid in, you should get paid out. Better solution: Pay SSI on all income, not just earned income, and don't stop at 113 grand. If it was on all income (profits on sales of stock/property/etc.) and the limits were raised to at least a half million in income, the rates could fall from their current approx. 15% combined to under 9% combined while still increasing the "take" by easily 50%. What do people with under 250K income do with extra money? They spend it. That extra 6% (3% on each payer) would get in to the economy. Fast.

Then, every 2 years, raise the entry point by 6 months until the first check arrived at age 70. People live far longer than the average age of 61 when SSI was first proposed.

Means test Medicare, Medicaid. Ie., if you have 2 mil in assets but only income in the 1000 a month range - doesn't matter no free medical care for you.

Might need some fudging on that but it's essentially a good plan.

Eliminate block grants to states. Collecting money from the states to allow politicians to give money back to the states is just stupid.

Well said.

Sell the post office. Only keep postal inspectors. Why keep them?

Sell the TVA. Off load debt. Sell everything that can be handled better by private industry (including roads).

Remove corporate welfare.
End all the farm subsidies.
End all energy subsidies.

Yes/Yes/Yes

End DoD cost Plus accounting.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha....uh huh...agreed. (Nice gig if you can get it though).

Downsize the army 30%. Eliminate 1/3 of all officers over Major.

Well, first, find out if (without being in everyone else's shit) what we need, then fund accordingly AND....charge the Saudi's and others the REAL cost pf protecting their ports, and waterways.

Do the military BRAC recommendations

Eliminate food stamps debit cards. Institute fraud control measure. Ditto for social security disability.

Not so sure about 1 and 3 there....there are real needs out there, but item #2....absolutely and anyone who abuses the system...jail.

Increase taxes on lawyers and politicians to 70%

Increase taxes on all such that all citizens pay federal taxes, and regardless of source, tax all income at the same rate as any other income.

Mandatory retirment for athletes.

End the 501c3 for the NFL.

The tax breaks for the NFL are misleading. The NFL pays little to no taxes....because they pay out (to coaches and others) ungodly sums in income. All of which is taxed.

Cut the salaries of politicians.
End taxpayer subsidized junkets, including transportation to home districts.

End subsidies for hybrids.
End 20 year retirement for any government employee (state, local, or federal). Implement 401k.
Cut federal salaries 25%.

Require schools to have apprentice ship (ie scholarships) for students.
If schools offer scholarships to athletes, its for full rides.


For a start.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Phydeaux

quote:

ORIGINAL: thompsonx

End 20 year retirement for any government employee (state, local, or federal). Implement 401k.
Cut federal salaries 25%.

Hmmm cut military pay by 25% and 20 years is not enough time to spend getting shot at for a pension? Perhaps we should also charge them for their ammo their weapon and their chow ?

Well, when I indicated cutting federal salaries, I actually intended civil service. Even there I would have carve outs.

To be more specific:

The first 24K is untouched, the rest is trimmed 1/3.

Exempt intelligence & law enforcement. Pretty much the rest goes. In the private sector no one has pensions. Whats good for the goose is good enough for the gander.

As for science, I would increase funding for basic research, however, one scientist would propose the idea - and then it would go up for reverse auction at NSF
Whoever bids lowest gets the grant.

Each grant submission published.

I would close NEA. Also EEOC. Merge dept of labor and commerce. Eliminate Dept of Education.

.
Every department would be required to downsize 10%.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Phydeaux

quote:

ORIGINAL: thompsonx

End 20 year retirement for any government employee (state, local, or federal). Implement 401k.
Cut federal salaries 25%.

Hmmm cut military pay by 25% and 20 years is not enough time to spend getting shot at for a pension? Perhaps we should also charge them for their ammo their weapon and their chow ?

Well, when I indicated cutting federal salaries, I actually intended civil service.

Then that is what you should have said.


Even there I would have carve outs.

But even then there are exceptions to your pets.

To be more specific:

The first 24K is untouched, the rest is trimmed 1/3.

Wouldn't that be essentially making the minimum wage for all govt employees about 12 dollars an hour?

Exempt intelligence & law enforcement.

Why?


Pretty much the rest goes.

Please be a bit more specific.

In the private sector no one has pensions.

This would be your ignorant unsubstantiated opinion. Until you can validate it it will remain ignorant unsubstantiated opinion.


As for science, I would increase funding for basic research, however, one scientist would propose the idea - and then it would go up for reverse auction at NSF
Whoever bids lowest gets the grant.

That would seem to guarantee the least productive results.



I would close NEA.

Why

Also EEOC.



Why?
Merge dept of labor and commerce.

Why?


Eliminate Dept of Education.

Why?

.
Every department would be required to downsize 10%.

Why?

(in reply to Phydeaux)

quote:

ORIGINAL: cloudboy

I know we'd all like to be king, but the question is -- how would you allocate the proceeds of tax revenues as they are collected now. Ron raised the point of raising taxes, but changing the tax code is another question altogether.

Let us try to focus on the chart and where how and where would reapportion the existing funds. For instance, I did I that in post#3 as an example.

Phydeaux, Thompson, Jeff, Look, and Mnot all failed to give any percentages. In your reallocations - try to be somewhat realistic.

Leave taxes out of the question. Last year we all paid an existing rate under an existing system.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Musicmystery

Since multiple threads are devoted to insisting knives do the job as well as guns, I would eliminate firearms for the military and supply them with knives.

quote:

ORIGINAL: cloudboy

Everyone filed their taxes or extensions by this past April 15, 2014. If you were able to reallocate US tax dollars in order to improve the general welfare of the nation, how would you do it? See the chart below and adjust your own percentages accordingly.