A new CBS News poll finds that Americans strongly prefer cutting spending to raising taxes to reduce the federal deficit.
While 77 percent prefer to cut spending, just nine percent call for raising taxes. Another nine percent want to do both.
Yet most Americans could not volunteer a program they'd be willing to see cut in order to reduce the deficit - only 38 percent could name a program they would support cutting. The top responses were military/defense (six percent), Social Security/Medicare (four percent) and welfare/food stamps (four percent).
However, Americans are more willing to consider cuts when presented with specific ideas, as the chart above illustrates. The most popular ideas for reducing the deficit are to reduce Social Security benefits for the wealthy, reduce the money allocated to projects in their own community, reduce farm subsidies and reduce defense spending. More than 50 percent supported reductions in each of those programs.
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We could start with abolishing the Department of Energy. Created in the 1970's under the Carter administration, it's goal was to make the US less dependent on foreign oil.
ReplyDeleteThat mandate is obviously a huge failure, since we are now more dependent than ever on foreign oil imports. That is just one huge bureaucracy that can bite the dust.
Another one is the Dept. of Education. We have state and local school boards, there is no need for one of the federal level. Apparently, their purpose of existence is to dole out federal (borrowed) funds to the states, with lots of strings and stipulations attached.
There are many more examples of federal programs, agencies, bureaucracies, etc. that could be cut out completely without the country coming to a grinding halt.
Two good examples 10:54, another would be the massive foriegn aide doled out each year.
ReplyDeleteAdd the USPS to the list. I can read the grocery ads online, pay most bills online, and receive many via email. The market has shifted to parcel delivery that UPS and Fedex handle quite well. The delivery vehicles that USPS uses are simply too small to handle any additional parcel delivery business and it doesn't make sense to replace the entire fleet when the Private Sector has shown they can do the job more efficiently.
ReplyDeleteCut and limit how much Congress can be paid.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Energy and Education need to go. I believe the only way we are going to make a start at the cuts is across the board-say 10% off every thing including entitlements.
ReplyDeleteboycutt all plastics since it/they come from petroleum.
ReplyDeleteYou could easily cut the DHS and the TSA and put the FBI in charge since they are the ones in charge of keeping our country safe.
ReplyDelete