Sunday, June 19, 2011

Best Budget Plan

It occurs to me that the President of the United States, ought to be the main person in charge of putting our National Financial House in Order!  He is the one that can and should present a Budget every year, that will keep our Country running smooth.  Quoting two past Presidents:  Truman said, "The Buck Stops Here";  And Coolidge, "the chief business of the American people is business". 
However this current President and the last one has put US way further into debt, instead of wanting to balance our books.  Our economy will naturally improve once we are out of debt as a nation!  A Struggling Ship Way Out on the Ocean will Never make Port, unless and until it turns it's bow in the right direction.  Then it Will Arrive in Port, even if it can only make one knot an hour!  We as a Nation must begin slowly and methodically to move in the proper direction in paying-off Our National Debt! 
Below, I look at the Executive Departments of our National Government as to legitimate areas within them that ought to be cut in order to bring our government within it's means.
I do feel also that the upper middle class and those wealthier in American should not shirk their obligation for taxes.  They have been the ones blessed by the system has it has been, and they clearly are the ones that need to pay the lion's share of taxes.  This nonsense about thwarting job-creation is just that.  The lower classes could not pull the nation back from the brink even if they were taxed at 100%!  Look around at the Luxury present today in America and try and tell me the wealthy can't pay anymore.   HA-HA!
As I've stated elsewhere in my Blog, Means-Testing is the way to tackle Entitlement Spending!  If anyone doesn't have money-worries heading into retirement, than they certainly do not need a government check coming from Uncle Sam when we are in such an overdrawn condition as a country!!  Also there should be no cap on the amount of income (work, inheritance, or investments) which is taxed for the Social Security-Medicare System.  This one fix would go a long way in solving our Budget Problems!  Eventually we should phase-out the Medicare System and provide a lifetime health and dental benefit based on a term of enlistment, in any of several  Government Service Programs! 
Any Great Nation takes care of it's poor elderly and disabled citizens, otherwise anarchy and oppression reigns, as is in third-world nations.
Wars that are not effectively passing along Our Cherished Values to the vanquished peoples, such as freedom of religion, and the others, should be Immediately Ended, and the money saved for our national coffers.  In truth Afghanistan and Iraq still do not have Religious Freedom!  Our money and our Troops Lives are only being wasted!!  Some however which hold the strings of political power also profit in the 'war-industries'.  They generally vote Republican.
STATE DEPT.-  The main function of the State Department ought to be securing positive relations with all other nations of the World.  However, we should not waste our time on making happy with dictators, and those that are not making good attempts at bringing Freedom and Democracy to their own Peoples!  In fact we should shun those types!  That would include Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and all the others like them.  We should highly encourage those national leaders to reform their governments, but never give them Aid and Monies from our nation to theirs.  Only on the occasion of epic natural disasters ought we to assist non-democratic nations.  If we have obligated debt to the United Nations we must pay that, however we must also work diligently to make the U.N. a place that operates on Democratic Principles for all the People of the World and not a place where vendettas are adhered to.
TREASURY DEPT.-  Formed in 1789, the Treasury Department ought to end its policy of having the Government operate in a perpetual state of Debt!  That was Alexander Hamilton's idea.  He was killed in a gun-duel in 1804, and we've kept that same bad policy all along.  Only President Andy Jackson had the sense to deviate from it during his Administration of 1829-37.  I wonder what he'd be thinking today?  We are seeing the 'chickens coming home to roost' now with this National Debt Wrecking Our Economy!  Tax Revenue is at an all time Sixty year Low! 
We must end All Regressive type tax systems in the U.S. which include all manner of Sales Taxes!  They only make the rich richer and the poor poorer!  We should go to a Income Tax with no loopholes, shelters, or exemptions for anyone.  Tax only People, not Businesses!  Corporations and Business pass along all their expense to the consumers.  The Customer pays what amounts to another Regressive Tax.
Once we work through our budget problems and achieve a level of discretionary spending, we must set aside a percentage yearly (say 14%) to pay exclusively on reducing our principal debt!
DEFENSE DEPT.-  The United States is in a 'World of Hurt' today Defensively, more than anytime in it's History!  At the whim of the leader in Russia, Our culture and population can be Wiped Off the Map.  So we need the brightest minds and our greatest resources to advert such a Catastrophe!  So where do we find the Money to work on this Problem?  As I have stated above, the amount of good we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan is nil.  We can immediately save money by pulling out of those two theatres -ASAP !
As well, why do we need to have some 750 bases in nearly 100 foreign nations? {Google:  American Military Bases around the world}  Let's close all these excess bases globally!  America will have to withdraw from the rest of the world, until we get our 'own house in order'!  This is what we did in times past and were then able, to rebound for crisis situations.  God Knows we will not be able to defend ourselves when we can't even pay our own bills!  Right now China is stealthily penetrating the Internet World We Created by 'buying-out' our biggest Computer Software and Hardware Companies.  They may have an American Address, but they work for THEM!  Just last week the U.S. Senate's Computers were hacked into!  And, when I tried to bring-up the Freedom House website (which shows China as a totalitarian Government), Norton antivirus, owned by Symantec, in partnership with a Chinese firm wouldn't let me look at it!
Another place to save money at the Defense Dept. and to obtain money for the Treasury is to just LEVY HEAVY FINES to those Companies that are found to be Cheating our Government in overcharges and Imprisoning Officials with very long sentences that are conspiring with them! 
{Google:  current overcharge in U.S. military procurement?}
Another area would be to reduce redundancy between the Branches and improve operational communications between them.
JUSTICE DEPT.-  One area that Sticks-Out where taxpayer money may be saved by the Justice Department is the Legal Enforcement of Our Immigration Laws, not fighting against them!  The President is to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed".
    I'm not opposed to immigration, but we should do it by, thought out Law and Consensus, not by what we can by hook or crook finagle pass our fellow Americans.  Homeland Security has only ask the Justice Department to deport Illegals that have run afoul of local American Authorities and nothing with the millions of others streaming in, who are changing the fabric of the United States. 
By the way, many Mexicans and Arabs are related by blood and look and even act similar!  It's possible many terrorists have already walked across our southern border, mixing in with the Latinos!
 If the Mexican Government would straighten Itself out, and provide a working democracy for it's People, It would become a very prosperous nation in a short amount of time. 
{Google:  How much is Illegal Immigration saving taxpayers?} 
$100 Billion Plus a Year are the estimates and projections that Illegal Immigrants are Costing US now and off into the future without end!  It appears our Political System is Broke, because both major Parties in Washington seem to want the Illegals here.  Jobs for U.S. Citizens could be Created (current 9-10% Unemployment rate) by Rounding-Up and Deporting these Persons back to Latin-America!  The minors born here, showing those documents may return as full U.S. citizens when they turn eighteen!! 
An Authentic U.S. Birth Certificate, Naturalization Papers, or Work Visa should now be required of anyone and of the parent of a minor, to obtain treatment at a hospital (may receive urgent treatment but be detained for deportation), obtain government welfare of any kind or a Social Security Card, enroll in any public school, get a drivers license, get a library card, obtain employment which requires a social security number, apply for credit, for public housing, to travel by U.S. transportation companies, obtain a business license, etc. etc. etc.  If anyone attempts these without a U.S. birth certificate, their naturalization papers or visa they should be arrested for deportation if indeed they are in the Country without Proper Permission.  After all, is this a Nation of Laws, or Wink Wink Nudge Nudge?
INTERIOR DEPT.-  One area where lots of money is spend unnecessarily is in the eradication of invasive species effort.  Nature is Nature whatever it looks like or from wherever it came.  Once it is here it is Our Nature!  The clock can't be turned backward.  Those critters or plants don't know any better, they are just doing their thing!  Survival of the Fittest on this Planet!  It's not for us to spend borrowed money, which might be better budgeted helping poor American kids, etc., than to try and rub out a Species we think is out of place.  It is a waste of Money!  However if one species or another is Endangered, that is probably Man's fault, not another plant or animal.  Nature becomes most abundant and rich in resources, when man doesn't disturb an area.  It works its own problems out!  Nature works with Nature.  Only Man works against Nature, and He's doing it again!  These 'Make-Work' eradication jobs are actually harming the environment and costing US scarce funds!  Save money by stopping these species at the border in the first place and then allowing all citizens to eradicate harmful or dangerous species through non-environmentally-detrimental means on their private property as they see fit. 
On a different note, I also can not see the logic in reintroducing dangerous animals like rattlesnakes, wolves, or panthers, etc. back into areas were humans are going to be living or recreating!
AGRICULTURE DEPT.-  {Google: Wasteful Agricultural Subsidies}
Enough Said, except it's also reported some greedy Republicans want to stop Food Safety Inspections so they can pay for their tax-cuts.
COMMERCE DEPT.-  Some Corporate Welfare giveaways here.
As well, we shouldn't spend tons of money promoting particular groups or industries over all others in their export or import negotiations.  Let each American Company, Industry, or Producer do all their negotiating on their own.  It is so appealing for Government Officials and Private Industry to work-up one sweetheart deal or another for this or that Company or Particular Industry.  The obvious problem with this is, Government is no longer an impartial Referee who maintains the same ground rules, but has become a bribe machine and monopoly maker, not working for All the People but for only Some.  Government and Business Should Always Be Divorced!!
LABOR DEPT.-  This Department often makes free grants to this or that or whatever. 
There are many many people that have worked in Washington D.C. their entire career in charge of the outflow of money.  That kind of fantasy-power going across ones desk is addictive.  Lots of people there are going to go bonkers when they find out the money is drying up.  They won't know how to react in Washington!  This is one glaring reason Our Nation is Fourteen Trillion dollars in Debt!
One of the Labor Department's foremost mandates is to assist United States Citizens in their pursuit of full employment.  President Obama has decided giving the full weight of the Federal Government to assist Illegals from south of our border find full employment within the United States is as well part of his duties as President.  The Unemployment Rate, that is persons seeking employment at their local Workforce Office has Doubled since 2008!
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPT.-  Pharmaceutical, Insurance, Medical Companies, and Practitioner Fraud in the Medicare System has to have a Bone-Saw taken to it!  These Fraud overcharges have been going-on since Medicare began.  Why hasn't Congress fixed it?  Generally if we stop slapping wrists in this Country, but rather let the punishment fit the crime, we'd save a bundle from 'criminals' ripping US off all the time.  Alas, too many bleeding hearts in the crowd!
This is Another reason to Means-Test the Bloated Elephant Medicare.  There needs to be something left after the budget ax falls for lower-middle class to low-income people to survive on. 
Often the Medicaid Program comes out much better on Fraud Issues compared to Medicare.  Medicaid is a very needed program, which bridges the gap for many many low-income families.  The alternative for these Americans if Medicaid would be taken away is accumulating multiple high debt with no way to repay every time their kids see a doctor!  Medicaid always has been Means-Tested, so only those who need it get it.
Lower income people aren't lazy, they have just often had many doors slammed in their face, possibly due to them having some lifetime disability.  They are as smart, only in ways that society hasn't up to now traditionally recognized. We as a Society should find solutions to help overcome causal effects and help develop every persons talents.
Yet, we have to admit our whole American Society now is pretty neurotic.  We heap criticism upon people for acquiring harmful addictive habits, yet all these things are made readily available for reaching out and taking, approved by law.  Booze, Gambling, Porn, Satanic/Violent Movies and Games, Etc.  If we'd be of one mind and put all these negative things off as a Country, we'd be Saving Crime-Enforcement, Divorce-Costs, Etc., Money Big-Time!  Some will be saying 'you can't legislate morality'; But stop and think about it, every law on the books today was someones idea of morality!
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPT.-  This Department's task is to see that everyone gets a fair deal when it comes to having a place to live!  The Folks in Joplin no doubt are glad to hear that. 
Even in this Department, Fraud has been exposed.  Last month it was found that the Philadelphia Housing Authority through events surrounding Stimulus money, has become highly suspect of pilfering funds over an extended time.  This may be going on nationwide and no one reports it.  It's discovered that Housing Directors will take-on salaries that are higher than the Governors in their States.   Saving money in our Government often means 'bringing the hammer down' on employee thieves working in the government offices!  This requires a vigilant, and determined Attorney General at the Justice Department, and on down the line to the local level.
Another continuous high cost is due to Legislatures at every level of Government having the propensity to form committees to make it look like they are doing something, which take up substantial time and add volumes of writings on multiple copies of paper per meeting. Everyone around the table gets their own thick copy.  This adds layer upon layers of new complicated rules, confusion for the citizen, and  tax-money wasted. 
Maybe we should form a Committee to look into that! 
To really get back to the People, Every Level and Branch of Our Governments needs to be Subject to easily availed 'SUGGESTION BOXES'. Physical and Online.  They ought to be on the front page of every government Website to be read everyday by the Legislatures, Execs, and Supervisors who work in those agencies!  The People's Agenda would Prevail!
TRANSPORTATION DEPT.-  We shouldn't be subsidizing Amtrak.  This is something Private Enterprise can handle much better.
We shouldn't every time we turn around build another highway in order to boost sagging unemployment rates.
Too much is spent on mowing grass along our interstates.  I know the States do the work, however the money has to filter down from the Federal treasury somehow.  The grass won't grow through the concrete and asphalt.  We really don't need to cut it back thirty yards on both sides.  That's a waste of resources and borrowed money from the Peoples Republic of China!  Let the little flowers, prairie grass and trees grow, it's actually amazingly beautiful.  Besides I'm seeing serious deterioration in many of the Interstate System Bridges, etc.  That fixing-money has to come from somewhere!
We ought not bugger off now and plop down anther Trillion or Three for a pie in the sky High Speed Rail System.  Some People really don't get It.  WE ARE OUT OF MONEY ! ! ! ! !     If Private-Enterprise wants to do it .... that's OK.
I don't know how many more 'Pie in the Sky' Politicians we are going to have to Elect, until Common Sense takes-Over.  This also leads me to consider that many Public Servants are Way Over-Paid these days.  Considering an average worker in the private sector may make $30,000/yr.; most middle end public workers are very way above that.   So, Who's going to take a cut to save the Country? 
ENERGY DEPT.-  I'd say we don't need to spend any more money building Nuclear Bombs.  They make us 'more' of a threat to the other nations, and so creating more insecurity for US.  Yet we keep pouring money in there!  Rather we should be either praying a lot or begin building an umbrella against them!  As of NOW, WE have no Umbrella against THEM.
A difficulty with trimming down the budget and paying off the national debt is that we have people working in our federal government right now feverishly working on plans as to how we are going to be spending Billions 20-30-40-50+ years into the future.   GIVE ME A BREAK !  We ought to heavily cut back the number of persons working in government!
Overall about Energy, the private sector will always come up with better solutions, that is if government hasn't used up all the Capital in the Economy.
EDUCATION DEPT.-  I suppose if it weren't for Public Education, I wouldn't be writing this.  As a kid going to school I often wondered what kind of sick and twisted things go through adults heads, that make them sent children to twelve continuous years of torture.  Well now we know it is part of the grand scheme of Corporate Owners who have to find something for the kids while Mom and Dad are slaving at the Factory.  We're only a number in the huge machine of public education until, like Oliver Twist one steps out of line!
These top local school officials today are grabbing all the gusto they can.  Often padding their salaries well-up into the six digits, while very often Johnny or Suzy isn't learning to read.  Even with the 'no child left behind', I was the one that had to teach my child to read!  She's an Education Major now.  What did I do wrong?
President Obama has got all the bases covered however.  If it's decided not to kill the little ones before they're born, than a mere 1/2 billion dollars spending will require the five year olds to sit still in kindergarten.  {Google:  early learning initiative }  We can't ruffle the teachers you know, that's not in their union contract.  I didn't read anything about using drugs to do this, yet that may be part of his plan.  If you are a good candidate to send your children to public schools, these people 'will' show-up at your house while the kid is just learning to roll over with some garbage about "parents as teachers".  I guess they are just trying to prepare you for your upcoming duties.
VETERANS AFFAIRS DEPT.-   This Department was established the same year that I became a Veteran.  I'm saddened that my nation wasn't able to lay down her sword and shield with me.  The Eagle is ever Vigilant.
The Department could really be updated.  They still rely on the paperwork method of doing things, which really slows things down.  They always have a backlog of cases and it is difficult for the Vets to find out at any time what the status of their case is.  Then one or two variants may change and they're back in the log jam again, having to do the whole paperwork by snail-mail over again.  At least that's what's happened with me.  I've proposed to them that they need to have every one's forms right online, similar to the Student Aid Applications, so they can be kept updated, and they could e-verify with Institutions and the like.  But when you get a bunch of ex-military personnel together, they want to do everything to the tee and by the book. The old way, the only way they know.  That makes it complicated for the Vet. and ultimately wastes money.
I'm wondering, is this the picture of our whole federal bureaucracy??
HOMELAND SECURITY DEPT.-  This newest Department perhaps has gone a bit overboard spending money in educational avenues.  The American People haven't completely lost all of their common sense since the 911-attack in NY.  The government may have flipped-out but not the People.
A lot of what they spend is 'Grant Money'.  There is a whole new segment of the economy now, which is 'Asking the Government for No-Strings-Attached-Free-Money'.  Do we need to be doing that when just the Interest of our Country's debt is near $400,000,000,000. each and every Year ?   { http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/ir/ir_expense.htm }
I think we can safely bet that all this money that has been thrown out of the proverbial airplane window by Homeland Security, hasn't all landed in the pockets it may have been, even remotely intended for!  So I'm asking, Congress Where do we Cut??  One more Yacht for the Wealthy from another tax off-set or Medicaid ?  How is that going to make the American People Feel?  Will it make them feel Satisfied that they got theirs, when they see children trying to get to school with rags for clothes and no shoes?  Do We Really want to return to the Depression Days ?  Are we going to feel smug and tingly-inside when we see Old People on every Corner selling pencils  ?
United We Stand Divided We Fall.  Let's take Everyone along in the Same Direction.  Do We Want some living behind Ivory Tower Walls, while Others are Dying in the gutters?  Is That the America You have in mind ?


I am including here, this link to one of my previous posts which deals with necessary changes needed for Our U.S. Election System. :   http://worldemoc.blogspot.com/2009/10/public-sponsored-election-campaigns.html  





Friday, June 10, 2011

Caylee Anthoney

I am of the mind to believe that as the Law restricting abortion slackened from the mid-1950's to today, overall Filicide in America has spectred those numbers.