Increase AIDS/Military spending?

[Lunar]

Eh?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

option 2

[A18]

Federal spending on AIDS research is unconstitutional.

[Lunar]

Federal spending on AIDS research is unconstitutional.

The question is "should."  The methodology is not implied (Constitutional ammendment, whatever).

[A18]

Okay, well I oppose any federal involvement.

[Richard]

No to both.

[Moooooo]

Okay, well I oppose any federal involvement.

Why dont you take a trip to St. Judes childrens hospital and tell the kids there why you oppose federal involvement and while your at it explain why it is unconstitutional.

[A18]

Why don't you do good with your own money for a change?

[Moooooo]

Why don't you do good with your own money for a change?

Good one. LMAO

[Dave from Michigan]

cutting the defense budget would be a bad idea

[ilikeverin]

2

[Moooooo]

cutting the defense budget would be a bad idea

I agree.  Especially with Chinas GDP growing faster than ours and their defense spending rapidly increasing.

[The Duke]

3

We spend a lot of money on AIDS research, and I'm not sure its helpful for the government to determine where the moeny (and therefore the manpower) goes in science research.  I'm undecided now on whether to keep NIH at all, because I'm not sure how effective it has been, it seems like we never cure anything anymore.

[nclib]

Option 2

[David S]

Okay, well I oppose any federal involvement.

Why dont you take a trip to St. Judes childrens hospital and tell the kids there why you oppose federal involvement and while your at it explain why it is unconstitutional.

Nothing in the constitution gives the federal government authority to be involved in healthcare. Therefore it is unconstitutional.
More importantly, if you pay for research you get research. The drug companies will happily spend all of your research grants and come up with nothing. If the government were to offer a reward for a cure that would make more sense, but the reward is not necessary. Aids patients would pay  a handsome sum to be cured.

[opebo]

I voted #2, obviously.  The military budget is about 75% waste, pork, and corruption, and the arguments for it are mostly political deception. 

However I doubt we'll see much aids spending - at least on cures or treatments, we might get some spending on abstinence.  That disease is I think well liked by those in control of the country.

[Richard]

Important question to thsoe that want to increase spending:  Where is the money going to come from if the debt is already almost $7 trillion?

[opebo]

Important question to thsoe that want to increase spending:  Where is the money going to come from if the debt is already almost $7 trillion?

Cut military spending by around 25-30%, remove business tax loopholes, and make the top income tax rate 40%.  Reinstate the estate tax but at 20%, with a ten million dollar exemption indexed to inflation.  Also reinstate the capital gains tax, at 20%, but with an adjustment for inflation.

[Lunar]

Important question to thsoe that want to increase spending:  Where is the money going to come from if the debt is already almost $7 trillion?

The AIDs budget really isn't that big (and would continue to be so even if one doubled it).   Most of those who voted to increase this also voted to decrease (or keep) military spending, so that's another potential source.

The military budget is a bit more tricky.  It's HUGE.  I imagine those who want to increase it would advocate decreasing social programs to pay for this, but that sounds pretty silly to me (increases the cost of living without decreasing taxes = bad).

[phk]

Most conservatives often wrongly assume that the military and other security agencies spend money more effectively than governmental departments that administer social services. Unfortunately, the same incentives operate when the government manufactures guns as they do when it provides butter.

 For instance, although food stamp and public housing programs are ostensibly designed to benefit the poor, the biggest recipients of their welfare are probably the respective large agricultural corporations and housing contractors that profit from them.

Similarly, most of the recent defense budget increases have little to do with fighting terrorists and more to do with providing welfare for politically connected defense contractors.