How would you solve the budget?

[Dr. Love]

Here is a little web app that allows you to make some choices on how to balance the budget for 2015 and 2030.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html

Here's my choices:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html?choices=s11166m5

My ratio is 54% tax increases, 46% spending cuts.

My selections:

Cut foreign aid by 50%
Eliminate earmarks
Reduce military to pre-Iraq War size and further reduce troops in Asia and Europe
Reduce the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to 30,000 by 2013
Cap Medicare growth starting in 2013
Reduce Social Security benefits for those with high incomes
Tighten eligibility for disability
Return the estate tax to Clinton-era levels
Raise capital gains tax to 20% for those making $250k+ per year
Expire Bush tax cuts for income above $250,000 a year
Raise Millionaire's tax on income above $1 million
Eliminate tax loopholes, reduce rates (Bowles-Simpson plan
Introduce a National sales tax
Increase Bank Taxes

[FORD]

The options here are far too limited, but here's what I picked from what was available......

Cut foreign aid in half (Why the Hell are we giving money to countries doing better than we are??)
Eliminate earmarks (Actually, I'd really go for more oversight here than elimination)
Eliminate farm subsidies (MonSatan and ADM don't need our help. Eliminate HFCS and grow hemp for biofuels)
Cut 250,000 government contractors (specifically Blackwater, Halliburton, and any similar criminal enterprises)
Reduce nuclear arsenal and space spending (Let's fix this planet before we worry about Mars)
Reduce military to pre-Iraq War size and further reduce troops in Asia and Europe
Reduce Navy and Air Force fleets
Cancel or delay some weapons programs (The US Military should be adequate to defend the United States of America. It is not needed - nor should it ever again be used - for any other purpose)
Reduce the number of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to 30,000 by 2013 (Actually, I would reduce them to ZERO)
Reduce Social Security benefits for those with high incomes (why do they need any?)
Return the estate tax to Clinton-era levels (or preferably better)
Return investment tax rates to Clinton-era levels (or better)
Allow Chimp tax "cut" expiration for income above $250,000 a year (and the Reagan tax "cuts" at the same level)
Payroll tax: Subject ALL incomes above $106,000 to tax
Millionaire's tax on income above $1 million
Eliminate loopholes, but keep taxes slightly higher
National sales tax (I would not tax food, or add any tax to gasoline, utilities, or other everyday expenses)
Bank Tax (Would taxing Chase and Shittybank out of existence be a bad thing?)
Carbon tax (Make the polluters pay? You bet your ass!)

[Nitro Express]

Cut the Federal Government back to running the military, regulating interstate commerce, securing the borders (it would be nice if they did this), and eliminating all the other garbage and let the states regulate themselves.

Stop nationalizing everything and let the states run themselves as they see fit.

Stop playing policeman of the world and bring the troops home and cut the military budget and pay our debts off with that money.

Eliminate income tax and replace it with a value added tax.

Stop making government the major employer and let real free market capitalism return real jobs based on real free trade in a free market place. People need to learn productive work again instead of just playing a government mandated system to get money. They need to learn about competing on quality and innovation much like it was a sport. The government should not be the employer but the referee making sure the game is fair. Today the game is rigged with bought off referees.

[Hardrock69]

I would also tax the churches, as well as businesses owned by the churches.

[ace diamond]

here is my version:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html?choices=vrtr846z

i'm sure i'll likely catch a ton of shit for my budget proposals, but at least the budget deficit would become a budget surplus under the
cuts and taxes hikes i am proposing.
we simply need to learn to live within our means.
pure and simple.

[BigBadBrian]

I would also tax the churches, as well as businesses owned by the churches.

That would violate the Constitution. No can do.

[ace diamond]

That would violate the Constitution. No can do.

YES IT WOULD VIOLATE THE CONSTITUTION.
see, i agree about taxing churches and church owned businesses.
so with that in mind, i propose that the constitution should be so amended to allow taxation to churches and the businesses they own and operate.
after all, a church is a business, and is run like a business, and has a "board of directors" like a business.........
if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck......it's a duck.
churches have been allowed to duck paying taxes for far too damned long.
this really needs to change.

[Dr. Love]

yeah, ace, I think you try to do too much too fast. You do too much and you risk having more unintended side effects.

[knuckleboner]

That would violate the Constitution. No can do.

technically, it wouldn't. nothing says that churches must be immune from taxation. the government has to be careful about clear and unbiased rules to make sure that it does not favor one religion over another. but there's nothing that says the government can't change the non-profit laws and levy a corporate income tax against all religions operating in the country.

[ELVIS]

Yeah, churches are putting the world into debt...

Retards

[kwame k]

Not really sure how you get that taxing a church is unconstitutional.........

The First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Article Six states, "The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

So where are you guys getting that taxing a church is unconstitutional......."the free exercise thereof", part. Separation of Church and State is a concept and the wording is not in our Constitution. The Supreme Court has made numerous rulings about the separation but the taxation....

How would taxing a church take away it's freedom to practice it's religion?

It's an excepted practice that churches are not taxed.....part of the IRS code, I'm sure but..... part of the Constitution?
Churches should be taxed but considering the political influences that the religious sects yield in this country it will never happen.

IMO......

1. Close the loopholes that let multi-billion dollar corporations get away with paying little to no taxes.
2. Cut our defense budget to only 10% of our GDP.
3. Stop allowing war profiters to gouge our Military and stop the outsourcing.
4. Tax the rich but the 50% tax that people are purposing for certain income brackets is stupid. No one should have half their income taken, period.
5. Simplify the tax codes and gut the bloated entity that is the IRS.
6. Get the Trade Balance....balanced at least.
7. Bring our fucking troops home, now!
8. Streamline the Government, there's no reason in this day and age, with the technology we have, that Washington has to be as big as it is.

[kwame k]

technically, it wouldn't. nothing says that churches must be immune from taxation. the government has to be careful about clear and unbiased rules to make sure that it does not favor one religion over another. but there's nothing that says the government can't change the non-profit laws and levy a corporate income tax against all religions operating in the country.

Shit....didn't see your post!

Excellent points

[kwame k]

Yeah, churches are putting the world into debt...

Retards

Who fucking said that

Why shouldn't churches be taxed, as stated before, they are a work for profit business and should be taxed accordingly.

[Seshmeister]

If you can't turn a good enough profit to pay your taxes selling eternal life to the superstitious then you shouldn't be in business.

They can always make up some more shit if they need to increase the revenue. Increase the threats of hell or something.

Pay up or you spend eternity at a BBQ with Sammy Hagar telling you how much he gives to charity.

If anyone queries it just say the voices in your head from the invisible sky daddy told you.

[ELVIS]

I guess people become preachers because they are greedy and see opening a church as a way to sell bullshit to people and make off like a bandit...

And not pay taxes...

Do I have it correct now ??