Post by RS Davis on Nov 10, 2004 13:34:57 GMT -5
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS
by James W. Harris
by James W. Harris
592 Ways To Cut $1.65 Trillion in Federal Spending
H.L. Mencken once defined an election as "an advance auction of stolen goods." Never has that description sounded so accurate.
This campaign season most candidates sound like they're running for Santa Claus instead of political office. They eagerly promise voters all kinds of goodies -- to be paid for with other people's money, of course -- in exchange for their vote.
And with government spending exploding and deficits soaring, it seems that almost no one in government is serious about cutting spending.
Still, for any candidate or elected official who *is* interested -- or any voters or journalists who want to challenge self-declared "fiscal conservatives" to live up to their rhetoric -- information is readily available on common-sense, specific, and achievable ways to cut over $1.65 trillion in federal spending in just a few years.
Prime Cuts 2004 is published by Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), a respected government watchdog group with over a million members and supporters. Prime Cuts 2004 makes 592 recommendations that, if enacted, would save taxpayers $217 billion in fiscal 2005 and $1.65 trillion over the next five years.
CAGW's Sean Redmond says his organization "scrutinizes every department and agency to identify waste, fraud, and abuse." In Prime Cuts, federal agencies can find simple ways to reduce waste without limiting their ability to serve the public.
For example, the Department of Health and Human Services can save almost $15 billion by reducing spending for Medicare administration. Terminating the international space station would saving $9.3 billion over five years. Eliminating the Advanced Technology Program would save $873 million over five years. Eliminating the current contract for the Defense Travel System and re-soliciting the contract to the private sector would save $245 million over five years.
Prime Cuts is filled with hundreds of similar reasonable and workable examples, and can be browsed at CAGW's web site.
The 108th Congress did enact 29 Prime Cuts recommendations -- and they will save taxpayers $8 billion in one year and $57 billion over five years. But that's just pocket change when put alongside CAGW's other proposed cuts.
As Redmond notes: "The overall fiscal record of the 108th Congress remains abysmal, emphasizing the urgent need to further downsize government."
To some of us, cutting $1.65 trillion dollars in five years sounds… well, like a good starting point. We prefer the meat axe to the carving knife when it comes to cutting government -- for instance, Congressman Ron Paul's Liberty Amendment to eliminate the income tax altogether. But unquestionably, CAGW's proposals would bring enormous benefits. And it's wonderful to have 592 specific examples and dollar amounts handy the next time politicians and media cry that there's no place to cut the federal budget.
(Source: Citizens Against Government Waste "Prime Cuts"
www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_primecuts )
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