Take Medicare and Social Security off the table as well as most of Social Security disability, that's an insurance benefit too. What's left?
Medicaid and Food Stamps. Less than 10% of the Federal Budget.
Cut that 10% out completely and what have you accomplished?
You haven't solved the budget problem. You certainly haven't solved the structural issues in the economy.
But you will have created enormous ill will towards Republicans and Conservatives. And you will probably have incurred the Almighty's wrath who repeatedly warned kings to consider the cause of the poor and needy.
But you may also have created a will and motivation for some people to actually work to better themselves. And I continue to be dismayed by the duplication of many of these programs (along with legitimate charity). How many meals a day do we have to provide to the children who get 2 or 3 free meals a day at school, year-round, plus sending food home with them on weekends - AND - they get food stamps every month, which are not adjusted for the freebies coming in? How much in school supplies do we have to provide if they are already paid for by our tax dollars, and then collected by charities to give to these same students? How much health care do we pay for, when they have “free clinics” at the schools, and the people are also on Medicaid?
I don’t mind helping the truly needy, once, but I find it offensive that some of these “benefits” overlap so much and are so vulnerable for corruption, that many of those who receive some of these benefits (free cell phones, subsidized rents, financial assistance with utilities, etc., etc.) have a standard of living that many hard-working, tax-paying Americans cannot afford.
The first thing that I said to you in the very first line is that I am not an economist and don’t know if Ryan’s plan would solve anything. All I said was that “welfare” should be off of the table, period...because I am simply tired of the feds taking...just TAKING my money to GIVE it to, at their discretion, anyone THEY so choose.
The budget problem/deficit problem can be solved only by eliminating MANY whole fed depts/agencies and jobs, from the Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches.
Taxation WITH representation hasn’t worked out so well, either, has it?