Osama bin Laden is dead

**Lady's Human** · 05-07-2011, 08:54 AM

No one wants their pet project cut.

No one wants to touch Medicaid and Medicare.

No one wants to touch Social Security.

Discretionary and defense spending only account for 39% of the budget. That leaves 61% of the budget as sacred cows. Time to slaughter a few. We're beyond the point of being able to please everyone.

**lizbud** · 05-07-2011, 11:59 AM

There's no need to slash funds from SS and Medicare. If anything
needs triming back they can start with foreign aid. Did you know we give
aid to adout 153 countries? Current figures are hard to come by as they
are not published every year. Here's just a hint at some past figures.

http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/politics/

**Karen** · 05-07-2011, 12:04 PM

I think if everything gets looked at, there are likely many people's "pet projects" that could get cut without causing hardship anywhere but that one district or state. Let a politician or two take it on the chin for once, and take some responsibility for the overall deficit.

**Marigold2** · 05-07-2011, 02:52 PM

There is so much we don't know about foreign aid, finance, the stock market what goes on behind closed doors at government meetings.
We all live on this one planet. And what effects one country will effect others.
Yes we give a lot of foreign aid. But being poor in America is different then being poor in other parts of the world.
Being poor in America means you might have to take the bus, rent instead of own a home, shop at Goodwill or Walmart for most things.
It most likely means you are recieving food stamps, Medicaid for Wellcare, Caresource, Buckeye or another insurance.
You get cheaper housing, you might get you gas or electric paid for, you have dental insurance and eye insurance for free. Not all but many poor have these programs.
Being poor in India or Pakistian means not having clean water, not having shoes, a toothbush, cloths, a bowl, a glass. Not having a bed or medicine for vaccines for kids. It means no heat, no electic. No nothing. Maybe you have one blanket to share with three peope. You might never have a pair of shoes in your life time. Watching your child or your brothers and sisters starving to death. That is poor.
Their poor and our poor and a world apart.
Many days MANY when I am tired or sore and I get in the shower I thank God for that shower. I think it just goes back to my mom and her time in the concentration camp but I know that I am TRULY BLESSED, for how many millions of people have never had the simple joy of a warm shower?
I remember my mom thanking God for the food, just simple food, for she remembered a time when she starved and saw others die from lack of food.
A warm shower. Just think of what a blessing that would be to a poor women who has just given birth to have a warm shower, or a man, comimg home dirty and tired how has never bathed in his life or a child just to be clean and go to bed on something soft and comfy and cozy.
Anyway...............

**wombat2u2004** · 05-08-2011, 01:53 AM

Originally Posted by Marigold2

Yes we give a lot of foreign aid. But being poor in America is different then being poor in other parts of the world.
Being poor in India or Pakistian means not having clean water, not having shoes, a toothbush, cloths, a bowl, a glass. Not having a bed or medicine for vaccines for kids. It means no heat, no electic. No nothing. Maybe you have one blanket to share with three peope. You might never have a pair of shoes in your life time. Watching your child or your brothers and sisters starving to death. That is poor.

And why is that in this day and age ????

**Lady's Human** · 05-07-2011, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by lizbud

There's no need to slash funds from SS and Medicare. If anything
needs triming back they can start with foreign aid. Did you know we give
aid to adout 153 countries? Current figures are hard to come by as they
are not published every year. Here's just a hint at some past figures.

http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/politics/

Liz, look at my post above. Our foreign aid budget is about $32 Billion.

Our deficit for FY 2010 is 1.2 TRILLION.

We could eliminate foreign aid entirely and not even touch the deficit, never mind the debt.

**lizbud** · 05-07-2011, 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by Lady's Human

Liz, look at my post above. Our foreign aid budget is about $32 Billion.

Our deficit for FY 2010 is 1.2 TRILLION.

We could eliminate foreign aid entirely and not even touch the deficit, never mind the debt.

I never said it would eliminate the deficit, it is just a good place as any
to START to cut down on spending. Next place we could look is the huge
subsidies given to American "farmers', Oil Companies,,Energy industries,etc,etc.

**Lady's Human** · 05-07-2011, 06:30 PM

Okay, so now we're up to 50 billion..........

The Deficit is NOT going to get fixed without doing something about SS, Medicaid and Medicare.

It's simple math, guys, you can't leave 61% of the budget untouched and expect to fix the problems.

**pomtzu** · 05-08-2011, 06:59 AM

Originally Posted by Lady's Human

The Deficit is NOT going to get fixed without doing something about SS, Medicaid and Medicare.

What "something" would that be? I depend on SS for my existence and am barely scraping by. Medicare is fine if you don't have to use it, but if you have only minor health issues even, the amount you have to put out in co-pay and deductibles could sink you in no time flat. So you then really need to purchase a supplemental plan to cover these expenses, so that's more money to put out from that big

SS check that you receive.

If the government makes cuts in these programs, then I do believe that they will see a MAJOR increase of people filing for welfare and food stamps. What else can they do???? They worked all their lives, paid into the system, expecting to get some of it back when they retired, and now they might be told "sorry about your luck"??? Gives you a real warm and fuzzy feeling, doesn't it???

**Lady's Human** · 05-08-2011, 08:19 AM

I've been paying into SS and medicare for my working life, and frankly I don't expect to see a single dime of it, which is why I'm making other plans.

Ponzi schemes eventually fail, even if they're sponsored by the government.

**wombat2u2004** · 05-08-2011, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by pomtzu

They worked all their lives, paid into the system, expecting to get some of it back when they retired, and now they might be told "sorry about your luck"??? Gives you a real warm and fuzzy feeling, doesn't it???

In what way do you mean "expecting to get some it back" ?? You mean by Aged or Disability SS ???