Posted on 02/22/2013 8:40:56 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The U.S. government is one week away from the sequester deadline, when $1.2 trillion of across-the-board spending cuts will go into effect.
The budget slashing is set to hit everything from NASA to food inspectors, and members of both parties are alternately playing the blame game and trying to come up with a solution to avoid the cuts.
Still, it's worth noting that there are some things the government spends money on that could definitely go. Each year, the conservative Heritage Foundation combs through the budget and points out some particularly egregious expenditures and redundancies.
Here are forty cuts they've identified that the government can totally afford to make.
* The government wasted $115.3 billion in improper payments, paying money either to the wrong person, in the wrong amount, or for the wrong reason.
* Amtrak lost $84.5 million having food and beverage services, a total of $833.8 million in 10 years. It has never broken a profit on serving food.
* The Conservation Reserve Program of the Department of Agriculture pays farmers $2.1 billion every year not to farm in order to reduce soil erosion.
* The Department of Agriculture spent $2 million on an intern program for the Office of the Chief Information officer. One intern was hired.
* The government spent $1.7 billion maintaining 77,700 unused buildings.
* The Government Accountability Office found 34 areas where federal agencies have overlapping goals or duplicative services, costing billions annually
* There are 80 economic development programs operating out of four different agencies alone. Many of these programs have overlapping or competing missions
* Seven different agencies have more than 20 different programs addressing homelessness
* Within the Department of Transportation are over 100 economic development programs in five agencies in the Department of Transportation alone
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Congress could start by proving their bona fides; eliminate all of the perks of office. Cut tax-payer funded Congressional staffing to 2 persons per Congressman/Senator, somebody to answer the phone and somebody to schedule his appointments. Eliminate tax-payer funded pensions for elected officials. Lower their own salaries.
Then start on the flagrant excesses in non-program executive department expenses. How about cutting the White House staff to 1950’s levels? Reduce the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Secret Service security details to what they were in Truman’s day. Eliminate the Secret Service security details for everybody else; especially ex-Presidents and Presidential candidates. No tax-payer funded pensions for elected or politically appointed officials. No tax-payer funded offices and libraries for ex-presidents.
I could go on...and on...and on, but this is just the start, and Congress won’t even do this. :-(
But you know they can't ski or play golf in DC!!!
Obama needs to take a 3 year vacation to save $$$$
Keeping them the He!! out of Washington PERMANENTLY would save trillions!
Regards,
GtG
PS Never stop with the job half finished...
Do not insult TEENS by comparing them to this MARXIST in the white HUT...
There is absolutely no need for DHS, TSA, EPA and several other agencies. We did just fine without them before they were created, we will do fine without them when they are disbanded.
Doh, sorry about that!!
It's okay!!!
Most of these cuts mentioned in the article are pointless; they’d barely qualify as rounding errors in the federal budget. $55,660 to a dairy farm? That doesn’t even come up to THAT level.
If you’re going to look at dairy farmers and food on Amtrak you’ll be looking forever. How about some REAL cuts? How about eliminating the Dept. of Education?
The average American hasn’t a CLUE how much of our tax money Obama has sent down Muslim sh*t holes while he plans to slash the military, CUTS MEDICARE and threatens to withhold senior’s social security checks!
BILLIONS FOR JIHAD! Obamas 2009 Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Pandemic Flu was revised and passed by the full committee. It gives billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to countries and entities that support Sharia law and/or harbor, hide and support those who want to destroy the U.S. and our allies. http://creepingsharia.wordpress.com/2009/05/1...
Read the summary from David Obeys office that was quietly released last week with nary a word from any media.
$3.6 BILLION, matching the request, to expand and improve capabilities of the Afghan security forces
$400 MILLION, as requested, to build the counterinsurgency capabilities of the Pakistani security forces
AFGHANISTAN: $1.52 BILLION, $86 MILLION above the request WEST BANK AND GAZA: $665 MILLION in bilateral economic, humanitarian, and security assistance for the West Bank and Gaza
JORDAN: $250 million,$250 million above the request, including $100 million for economic and $150 million for security assistance
EGYPT: $360 MILLION, $310 million above the request, including $50 million for economic assistance,$50 million for border security, and $260 million for security assistance
PAKISTAN:$1.9 billion,$591 million above the request
IRAQ:$968 MILLION,$336 million above the request
Oversight: $20 million,$13 million above the request, to expand oversight capacity of the State Department, USAID, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan to review programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq
Lebanon:$74 million
International Food Assistance:$500 MILLION,$200 million above the request, for PL 480 international food assistance to alleviate suffering during the global economic crisis
REFUGEE ASSISTANCE:$343 MILLION,$50 million above the request, including humanitarian assistance for Gaza.
Funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency programs in the West Bank and Gaza is limited to $119 million (Note: Gaza = Hamas)
Disaster Assistance: $200 MILLION to avert famines and provide life-saving assistance during natural disasters and for internally displaced people around the world, including Somalia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, the Middle East and South Asia
Peacekeeping:$837 MILLION FOR UNITED NATIONS peacekeeping operations, including an expanded mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a new mission in Chad and the Central African Republic
Department of Justice: $17 million, matching the request, for counter-terrorism activities and to provide training and assistance for the Iraqi criminal justice system
OBAMA GIVES YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO REBUILD MUSLIM MOSQUES AROUND THE WORLD! http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/... #
ACCORDING TO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION WILL GIVE AWAY NEARLY $6 MILLION OF AMERICAN TAX DOLLARS TO RESTORE 63 HISTORIC AND CULTURAL SITES, INCLUDING ISLAMIC MOSQUES AND MINARETS, IN 55 NATIONS. See the State Department document here. http://exchanges.state.gov/media/pdfs/office-...
And THAT’S just the tip of the iceberg.
THIS will blow your mind!! http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/ They should have 2010 up, but they don’t. That’s where you’ll find Obama’s largesse towards Muslim countries really go off the charts.
http://www.foreignassistance.gov/DataView.aspx charts: http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/data/fast-facts.html .
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Obama Increased Foreign Aid 80%; Spent 76% More on Foreign Aid Than Border Security cnsnews
CNSNews.com) - From fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2011, according to the U.S. Treasury, the federal government increased spending on foreign aid by 80 percent and, in fiscal 2011, spent 76 percent more on foreign aid than it did securing the borders of the United States.
In fiscal 2008, the government spent a total of $11.427 billion in international assistance programs, according to the Monthly Treasury Statement. In fiscal 2011, according to the statement, it spent $20.599 billion—an increase of $9.172 billion, or 80 percent, from 2008.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obama-increased-foreign-aid-80-spent-76-more-foreign-aid-border-security
I think they forgot the $2 billion per year for Obamaphones.
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