Atlasian Citizens for a Balanced Budget

[afleitch]

The whole reason I posted this was because all you have been doing is proposing motions to postpone the budget; a vitally important part of the Atlasian economy and of prime concern to her citizens. Do what you were elected to do, don't postpone the inevitable.

[Gabu]

The whole reason I posted this was because all you have been doing is proposing motions to postpone the budget; a vitally important part of the Atlasian economy and of prime concern to her citizens. Do what you were elected to do, don't postpone the inevitable.

The only reason I'm doing that is because it's constitutionally impossible (see section 8, clause 8 ) for us not to implement slash-and-burn tactics at this point.  Unless we vote to delay the budget, it's illegal for us to consider my constitutional amendment to remove that clause of the Constitution before drafting the budget.  I didn't propose the delay just so we could get out of doing the budget.

[afleitch]

I think the Constitution needs its own round of 'cuts' in that case. It seems to be about as dynamic as a dead elephant.

[Bono]

If someone posts the current budget, a thing you all seem too eager not to do, I'll give you a balanced budget out of it in no time.

It's readily available in the budget thread.  I don't think anyone has stated that a balanced budget is impossible, only that it's not preferable to what we would have to do to obtain one.  It obviously is quite easy to get a balanced budget if you just rip giant chunks out of it until you've eliminated enough spending.

More specifics could be needed.

[Gabu]

I think the Constitution needs its own round of 'cuts' in that case. It seems to be about as dynamic as a dead elephant.

...which is exactly what my proposed constitutional amendment is doing.

[Bono]

I think the Constitution needs its own round of 'cuts' in that case. It seems to be about as dynamic as a dead elephant.

no, the trouble is that it's too dynamic. It gets changed all the time, and not with much thought given to it either.

[KEmperor]

I think the Constitution needs its own round of 'cuts' in that case. It seems to be about as dynamic as a dead elephant.

The Constitution is fine, the Senators need to bite the bullet and start cutting some programs.

[Ebowed]

I think the Constitution needs its own round of 'cuts' in that case. It seems to be about as dynamic as a dead elephant.

The Constitution is fine, the Senators need to bite the bullet and start cutting some programs.

Yes!  I think we can get five Senators to agree to the chainsaw budget cuts (maybe PBrunsel and MasterJedi in addition to DanielX, TexasGurl, and myself).  Though apparently more will need to be cut.

[Brandon H]

A few ideas, with some being more practical and realistic than others.

Cut spending and move some services to the regions. Regional governments could provide the services their citizens need better than the federal government does.

Raise income taxes. No one wants to do that but things are getting desperate.

Put a tariff on foreign goods though with the Free Trade Bills that may not be an option.

More tax on gas (it's what the real country is doing).

Sin-tax: Tax on Alcohol, Cigerettes, Marijuana, and Pornography. That's stuff's bad for you anyway.

Create the "celebrity tax". Put a tax on all professional sporting events, movies, and music album profits. (To the liberals: Those people make too much money anyway, so put a tax on them. To the conservatives: Most Hollywood celebrities are liberal anyway so let's tax them.)

[afleitch]

My apologies for the constitution remark. We lowly citizens care not for the details. We just want action on the budget

[The Duke]

Cut spending and move some services to the regions. Regional governments could provide the services their citizens need better than the federal government does.

Unfunded mandates?  Thanks a lot.

[Gabu]

My apologies for the constitution remark. We lowly citizens care not for the details. We just want action on the budget

Well, as John has said, we have a budget.  It's just that it's currently un-Constitutional.

[Emsworth]

Cut spending and move some services to the regions. Regional governments could provide the services their citizens need better than the federal government does.

Unfunded mandates?  Thanks a lot.

The regions should be allowed to provide, or not provide, these services as they see fit.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Though apparently more will need to be cut.

Well, according to the stuff Gabu did on the budget thread, under the "chainsaw" cuts, the deficit would be $224.478 billion

[Gabu]

Though apparently more will need to be cut.

Well, according to the stuff Gabu did on the budget thread, under the "chainsaw" cuts, the deficit would be $224.478 billion

Yes, and that's not quite low enough.  The deficit needs to be under something like $221 billion before it's constitutional.

[The Duke]

Cut spending and move some services to the regions. Regional governments could provide the services their citizens need better than the federal government does.

Unfunded mandates?  Thanks a lot.

The regions should be allowed to provide, or not provide, these services as they see fit.

That got more to do with principles of federalism, an entirely seperate debate, than it does with budgets.  If you move all these services to the Regions, all that happens is we have higher levels of taxation and spending at the Regional level.  It move the deck chairs around on the Titanic, the same decisions on taxes and spending will still have to be made, they'll just be handed off to someone else as the Feds pass the buck.

[Emsworth]

Here are a few specific ideas (savings in parantheses):

- Abolish the Bureau of Indian Affairs ($2.4 billion): Native American Tribes make billions of dollars in gambling revenue. It is not the federal government's job to subsidize them. Furthermore, subsidizing individuals simply because of their ethnicity is fundamentally unfair.

- Abolish the Indian Health Service ($2.9 billion): I see no reason for which Native Americans should have a special government health service.

- Privatize the Tennessee Valley Authority ($22 billion) and Bonneville Power Marketing Administration ($15 billion): There is no reason for which the government should continue to run these programs; they can and should be fully privatized. According to the CBO estimate, the TVA would fetch $22-30 billion, and the Bonneville PMA $15-20 billion.

These three steps alone would reduce the deficit by approximately $42 billion-$55 billion. No doubt, a few more similar actions will quickly wipe out the whole deficit.

[afleitch]

The Native Americans have a special health service? Axe it.

[Ebowed]

The Native Americans have a special health service? Axe it.

Indeed.  I think the majority of the Senate can agree that extra programs based on ethnicity should go.

[The Duke]

Here are a few specific ideas (savings in parantheses):

- Abolish the Bureau of Indian Affairs ($2.4 billion): Native American Tribes make billions of dollars in gambling revenue. It is not the federal government's job to subsidize them. Furthermore, subsidizing individuals simply because of their ethnicity is fundamentally unfair.

- Abolish the Indian Health Service ($2.9 billion): I see no reason for which Native Americans should have a special government health service.

- Privatize the Tennessee Valley Authority ($22 billion) and Bonneville Power Marketing Administration ($15 billion): There is no reason for which the government should continue to run these programs; they can and should be fully privatized. According to the CBO estimate, the TVA would fetch $22-30 billion, and the Bonneville PMA $15-20 billion.

These three steps alone would reduce the deficit by approximately $42 billion-$55 billion. No doubt, a few more similar actions will quickly wipe out the whole deficit.

I'd actually back those proposals.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

- Privatize the Tennessee Valley Authority ($22 billion) and Bonneville Power Marketing Administration ($15 billion): There is no reason for which the government should continue to run these programs; they can and should be fully privatized. According to the CBO estimate, the TVA would fetch $22-30 billion, and the Bonneville PMA $15-20 billion.

[CheeseWhiz]

- Privatize the Tennessee Valley Authority ($22 billion) and Bonneville Power Marketing Administration ($15 billion): There is no reason for which the government should continue to run these programs; they can and should be fully privatized. According to the CBO estimate, the TVA would fetch $22-30 billion, and the Bonneville PMA $15-20 billion.

Do you have any other suggestions?

I'm glad we have this requirement, because it forces us to take a long look at where our money is going.

[The Dowager Mod]

I did try to do what was necessary but it won't pass.

[Gabu]

The Native Americans have a special health service? Axe it.

Indeed.  I think the majority of the Senate can agree that extra programs based on ethnicity should go.

I have no problem with Emsworth's proposals, although I would like more information about the third one, as I'm unacquainted with that topic.

[Jake]

Y'all deliver a plan that doesn't include gutting public services or the military and that you can get five senators to agree on, and I'll vote for it. Until then, sit down son.

That's exactly the problem; the inability to compromise.  You can't "gut" public services?  Fine, let's do a tax hike.  Or is that too controversial as well?

A tax hike is the only way to raise enough money without gutting government to extreme levels. If y'all want a balanced budget (which in all actuality will still have a 200 billion deficit) it's not going to come when revenue is down and we're fighting a war. It's just not.