What Does It Take To Cut $2 Trillion of Fat, Muscle and Bone From the Federal Budget?

Posted by freedomforall 1 week, 1 day ago to Politics
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Excerpt:
"A goal of $2 trillion of budget savings is crucial to the very future of constitutional democracy and capitalist prosperity in America. In fact, the soaring public debt is now so out-of-control that the Federal budget threatens to become a self-fueling financial doomsday machine. So more power to the DOGE of Musk & Ramaswamy. In spades!

For want of doubt, just recall this sequence. When Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 on a call to bring the nation’s inflationary budget under control, the public debt was $1 trillion.

By the time Donald Trump was elected the first time it had erupted to $20 trillion, which has now become $36 trillion. And under current built-in spending and tax policies it will hit $60 trillion by the end of the current 10-year budget window.

Thereafter, however, soaring interest expense will ignite a veritable fiscal wildfire."
SOURCE URL: https://internationalman.com/articles/david-stockman-on-how-to-cut-2-trillion-of-fat-muscle-and-bone-from-the-federal-budget/


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  • Posted by jack1776 1 week, 1 day ago
    I’ve done contracting with both federal and local government entities and I can tell you this rule that last years budget sets the next years budget has to go. Every department, every bureau, everyone is trying to wast this years budget so they get that among and more next year. Departments even grant money to other departments so they can help spend this years budget. The county of Sacramento bought two large industrial line printers, one was a backup, to print welfare checks. They sat in the warehouse because no one had the expertise to install and setup. Later, the county submitted a RFQ for a company to setup and operate these printers for the county, the printers were gifted to the winner of the contract. The printers cost 2 million each, in 2001 dollars…

    In the federal government, we couldn't make capital expenditures that exceeded our allotted portion of our yearly budget because we were not allowed to carry funds forward between years. As such, making a large purchase for a Storage Area Network device (would last 5-7 years) is impossible and needed so they would wast money on crap they didn’t need to get rid on the money.

    I would immediately suspend all budgets, institute a simple feedback loop giving an incentive for returning unspent funds. This alone would cut a massive amount of wast.
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  • Posted by CTYankee44 1 week ago
    First, don't think that muscle & bone are the targets.
    The target of the cutting is the 2 trillion of CANCEROUS tissues & the pork fat it has infested.
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    • Posted by jack1776 1 week ago
      When you cut out that much cancerous tissues, you have to take some muscle and bone. The department of education has to go, same as that cancerous toe.
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      • Posted by CTYankee44 1 week ago
        I wanted to take the helm at the Department of
        Energy.

        I sent in a plan to absorb the EPA into the DoE, and do some horse trading with the Dept of the Interior, to clean up a few Superfund sites in exchange for them ceding control of ALL offshore energy pies they've stuck their dirty thumbs into.

        Alas, the President gave it to Chris Wright, who is ostensibly another oilman. I'd've thought he learned his lesson with Rick Perry. But at least he's not a former politician. Let's hope he's not the wrong man for the job.

        I had planned to axe 25% of the combined DOE & EPA workforce on day one. Seriously, fresh pink slips for one out of every four people, on the first day. And then cut ~$20 billion of waste in the first 30 days. No contingencies, just identify the spending that isn't producing results and mark the projects TERMINATED.
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        • Posted by 1 week ago
          "mark the projects TERMINATED."
          That would be the entire EPA.

          Actually they do have results, but they results are the opposite of what a freedom loving person would want.
          So they are negative results.
          Fire them all and let us have inexpensive vehicles again if that is what the free market desires.
          Bring back the diesel engine in private cars
          (that the EPA wiped out because VW didn't follow the EPA's stupid counterproductive moronic rules.)
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          • Posted by CTYankee44 1 week ago
            More or less. Don't get me wrong, I like clean air & clean water. But I agree that the EPA is a complete clusterfck and needs to be 'deeply purged'.

            I would task the DoE with keeping the environment very
            CLEAN* by applying a series of very simple yet very effective rules that would apply to the polluters.

            Remember that scene from Erin Brockovitch when Erin tells the executives "We had that water brought in special for you from Hinkley." and they suddenly lost their thirst... Yeah, that's pretty much exactly how I'd run the EPA under the DOE.
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  • Posted by jack1776 1 week ago
    The government workers simply don’t work, the hire contractors to do the work for them; I’d fire them all. Setup their jobs for contacts between the government entity and individuals or other businesses. The federal government no longer employees people because you can’t have one looter hire more looters so they can all loot together. Seriously, I did Server Based computing for the county of Sacramento and they had me publish MS solitaire because “The employees need it to practice mouse dexterity”, I shit you not… I published MS solitaire to 2500 county workers so they can play solitaire on a data system that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars over computers that were turned into thin clients.

    Fire all government workers, they don’t work. Go to contract for anything required...
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  • Posted by CaptainKirk 1 week ago
    I will add that what I've heard so far is IMPRESSIVE. Musk is talking about paying their monthly salaries for 2 years. Even after they find work. But NOT in a lump sum. They explained their logic. This allows them to CUT DEEP, without impacting the economy, and without an uprising. And gives people time to relocate to a cheaper place, and not have everyone in a FINANCIAL PICKLE day 1.

    I love it. very intelligent approach!
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  • Posted by jack1776 6 days, 21 hours ago
    Milton Friedman PREDICTED Elon Musk's (D.O.G.E.) Program!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCPaI...

    Abolish:
    Department of Agriculture
    Department of commerce
    Department of Education
    Department of Energy (accept nuclear, move to Department of Defense)
    ½ of the Department of Health and Human services
    Department of Housing and Urban development – sell the properties to the current owner
    Department of the Interior – sell of all of the land
    Department of Labor
    Department of Transportation
    Department of Veteran Affairs – lump sums and be done with it

    Keep:
    Department of Defense
    ½ of the Department of Health and Human services
    Department of Justice
    Department of State
    Department of the Treasury – keep it to collect taxes

    Giving the outstanding job our government did with COVID, I'd ax the Department of Health and Human services. I’d also implement a flat tax (or none at all) and do away with the Department of the Treasury. I’d also shrink Defense, Justice and State to next to nothing.
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  • Posted by mspalding 1 week ago
    People whine that there is only a bit of descretionary spending to cut. BS. Everything is discretionary. We could phase out SS. The Department of Agriculture burns a 1/2 trillion each year. Maybe medicaid goes away and poor folks get low end health insurance policies instead.
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  • Posted by CaptainKirk 1 week ago
    First, they have to make DEEP CUTS.
    Second, the bottom 10% of employees MUST BE FIRED, and CANNOT replace more than 1/2 of them.
    Third, their budget is designed to keep decreasing over time. If they fail to live within their budget, the money comes from the RETIREMENT program of their Agency. Furthermore, it is structured so the largest percentage comes from those at the TOP of the food chain, INCLUDING those recently retired.
    Fourth, every agency has to have a marker of when they achieved their goal. When accomplished, it is shut down completely, and that is the ONLY THING that can guarantee a retirement is paid out.

    Fifth, absolute financial caps are in place, so retirements cannot exceed some calculation (Looking at you Fauci).

    Finally, taking bribes in a federal position is declared to be Treason, and when convicted, execution is required. This includes their children and spouses getting special jobs, etc. with the companies they regulate, using the IRS "Arms Length" transaction rule.

    You must build a legal framework that prevents as much rot from growing, for as long as possible!
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    • Posted by jack1776 5 days, 20 hours ago
      You have number 2 wrong, and everything after that...

      "Second, the bottom 10% of employees MUST BE FIRED, and CANNOT replace more than 1/2 of them."

      The employees don't work, simply that... They hire contractors to perform the work they should be doing. Fire them all and outsource anything to contractors and firms willing to make some money. This will cost the tax payers next to nothing compared to employing these idiots, and paying for their lack of work by hiring contractors anyways. Also, we save on the benefits and retirement. Maybe a few key people within the government but most are there because they can't hack it in the real world. You'd be closer with keeping the top 10%; sorry, its the truth. I've seen it first hand.
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    • Posted by 1 week ago
      I agree with almost everything, especially treason penalties. ;^)
      They are all parasites.
      If social security still exists, then there should never be ANY additional retirement for ANY government employee.
      As Gene Wilder as Willie Wonka said, "You get NOTHING!"
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      • Posted by VetteGuy 1 week ago
        I don't think federal gov employees are on social security, unless it has changed. Both my parents were federal gov and they were on a separate 'gov employees retirement plan'. Which meant they didn't have to pay into SS. I always thought that was a little fishy.
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        • Posted by 1 week ago
          No worries. "All federal employees' retirement plans are hereby and forever more converted to social security - and to be treated no differently than anyone else in that program."
          Memo to all federal employees: 'You are fired, but may be considered for future employment based solely on merit along with other applicants.'
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  • Posted by $ SpiritWoman 6 days, 18 hours ago
    Speaking of Friedman, he was also a proponent of floating exchange rates, and he, like Irving Fisher in the 1920's (and Isaac Newton in the 18th century), may have done some speculation in the currency markets.

    I am not saying that to denigrate his great contribution to the monetary theory of macroeconomics; I studied his work---with Anna Schwarz---on the "Great Contraction", and it is why I am a monetarist, in most respects at least, today.
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