Unbelieveable

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/House-GOP-Lists-25-Trillion-usnews-2718863982.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=

Here is a link that should make every American angry. Some of us believe in more government spending than others, but a listing like that on this link, and those listed below, is enough to drive anyone mad. We may each have our own pet projects on this list that we like, but as a whole, every single one of these items should be scrapped. It is my hope that a large portion of these ideas are put into place.

"Stimulus" Repeal: Eliminate all remaining "stimulus" funding. $45 billion total savings. - This makes sense. Many governments try to squeeze everything they can out of a budget in order to be given the same or larger budget the next year, which creates waste. Not just the stimulus, but all projects should be accountable to unused funds.

Eliminate federal control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. $30 billion total savings. - Any federal organization that operates as a business, collecting fees and such, should be expected to survive on its own. The Post Office and the Federal Reserve both operate outside of the US Budget. Not to mention the incredible problems both these organizations have caused our country in the last several years.

Repeal the Medicaid FMAP increase in the "State Bailout" (Senate amendments to S. 1586). $16.1 billion total savings. - This is one of those items that people would probably scream over. However, consider this. States have to balance their budgets (just look at what's going on in Wisconsin), but the Federal Government has TRILLIONS of dollars in debt. Would it not be better to allow each state to handle the replacement of these federal funds in the way it sees fit? They can raise taxes or cut expenses, but it would be their ultimate choice. Further, budget conscious states would not have to shoulder the burden for states that require more hefty federal assistance.

More than 100 specific program eliminations and spending reductions listed below: $330 billion savings over ten years (included in above discretionary savings figure).

Here is the full list of cuts:

Additional Program Eliminations/Spending Reforms

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy. $445 million annual savings. - Public broadcasting utilizes a combination of Federal funds and donations (and corporate funds) to operate. So why do we even need tax dollars to go here? Make it compete on the market - I am sure there are tons of corporations willing to donate in order to have their name mentioned once or twice. Further, is it really so wrong to have advertisements on these stations?

Save America's Treasures Program. $25 million annual savings.

International Fund for Ireland. $17 million annual savings. - Why are we giving money to Ireland? I just watched a web broadcast about taxes in Ireland, and to hear Ireland tell the story, they are doing great! Why would we just ship money over there if we are the ones with huge debt problems? Why not just use this money to incentivize corporations to repatriate to America? I have a lot of respect for the Irish, and because of that respect, I really don't see Ireland as a country that needs our charity.

Legal Services Corporation. $420 million annual savings.

National Endowment for the Arts. $167.5 million annual savings. - Frankly, I think that arts should have to stand on their own. Who says what art is, anyway? There seems to be a mindset that people will not buy the great art and it needs to be subsidized. But by that definition, is not "art" just anything crummy enough that no one wants it? I think that "art" is something that I would be willing to PAY FOR and hang up in my living room. Further, this money sometimes goes toward creations that are just sick - remember Piss Jesus? The picture of a crucifix in urine? No one's tax dollars should have to go to that.

National Endowment for the Humanities. $167.5 million annual savings. - Doe anyone even know what this is?

Hope VI Program. $250 million annual savings.

Amtrak Subsidies. $1.565 billion annual savings. - Once again, a corporation should survive on its own. The airlines are constantly struggling to turn a profit, and we don't bail them out.

Eliminate duplicative education programs. H.R. 2274 (in last Congress), authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually. - Preposterous! 68 duplicative education programs! We spend so much money on education, and no one thought to check to see if the job was already being done?!

U.S. Trade Development Agency. $55 million annual savings.

Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy. $20 million annual savings.

Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding. $47 million annual savings. - Congress going green! I say cut it by 75%. (Admit it, they need notepads to doodle on and play hangman while people are debating on the floor).

John C. Stennis Center 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. - Again, I would say cut this even more. I would make states pay for any travel expenses incurred by their representatives. Senator Moran, I am happy that you were elected, and I love it that you like Kansas so much that you want to come back every weekend. But if you expect me to pay for it - and for people in other states to pay for it - then you are mistaken. By all means, stay the weekend in D.C!

Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20%. $600 million annual savings.

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. - What does that even mean? I am picturing people wheeling sand onto beaches in a constant but futile effort to keep the beach from eroding away.

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. - See, this is an item I could get behind in certain circumstances. Start-up costs for rail programs are beyond most mid-size city budgets. But at the same time, how could this be done that is fair to the states? Why should people in Wyoming subsidize a high speed rail in Kansas City? Cities do have bonds for these types of things.

Title X Family Planning. $318 million annual savings. - I wanted to find out what this was, so I googled it, of course. I was taken to the "Office of Population Affairs." Another national committee of some sort that I have never heard about. Why not defund that while we are at it? So I usedc their search engine to find a "family planning" center "near me." Sure enough - Planned Parenthood. This is just despicable - federal money being used for abortion providers. The House actually did just pass the budget that defunds Planned Parenthood, and we will see if it passes the Senate.

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.

FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership. $200 million annual savings.

Energy Star Program. $52 million annual savings.

Economic Assistance to Egypt. $250 million annually. - This may be an item we cannot do without, given the recent regime change in Egypt. However, assistance to foreign countries should be given carefully and following the Bush protocol. That is, the purpose should be to create allies and prevent terrorists and promote freedom. Also, specific goals should be set as to how to use the money, and there should be accountability with the receiving government.

U.S. Agency for International Development. $1.39 billion annual savings.

General Assistance to District of Columbia. $210 million annual savings. - I think D.C. should be able to raise money the way any other city would. The fact that the Federal Government operates there should not stop this. In fact, it should help - D.C. could levy a property tax on the White House! All the monuments should fall under national park service jurisdiction. Tourism and business travel should provide nice streams of revenue.

Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. $150 million annual savings. - See above.

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. - Was not this supposed to end when Obama took office?

Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. More than $1 billion annually.

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. - THAT should outrage every honest taxpayer in America!

Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees. $1.2 billion savings over ten years. - We are seeing this in Wisconsin now. Taxpayers pay union workers, who are required by the union to fork over a portion of their salaries in dues, which are then funneled to political candidates for their campaigns. Many good, honest, union workers disagree with the ideology of the people their dues go to elect, and at least half of the rest of Americans don't like the idea of their taxes becoming free campaign money for the "other side."

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

Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress.

Eliminate Mohair Subsidies. $1 million annual savings. - Say what?

Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. $12.5 million annual savings.

Eliminate Market Access Program. $200 million annual savings.

USDA Sugar Program. $14 million annual savings.

Subsidy to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). $93 million annual savings.

Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program. $56.2 million annual savings. - Once again, let's think about the free market here. If the FDA can create a certain type of ruling on what an organic item is, then companies can and will find ways to fit the description. Customers who are organic-happy are already willing to pay a premium for organic food, so if the organization that labels the food as organic has to be a real business, so be it. Organic food prices may go up, but that is the choice of the consumer.

Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs. $900 million savings.

Ready to Learn TV Program. $27 million savings.


One final note - the fact that most people don't recognize most of these items is a huge red flag. It means that:

1. They are not working - if they were working, we would have heard of them. Everyone knows what the U.S. Military or Customs is.

2. They are helping a very small, obscure subset of the population or a special interest group.

3. They are complementing or doubling up on other efforts already in place, including established charities, business, and other government programs.

Read the list again, and if you think you can live without even half these programs, I think it's worth considering dropping them all. We can alwas re-fund special programs, but we can do it this time in a reasonable manner! Let's get realistic with the national budget.

One more thing - crying about the fact that these cuts are a drop in the bucket does not mean that this spending is responsible! Yes, we need to address entitlement programs, but we also need to clean up our own budgets. I cannot imagine having this many wasteful, useless items on my personal budget - why do we want our tax dollars being put to such use?