Sequestration: Stop the Madness!

Here's a few ideas I had on how to fix the budget issues that are now facing America..  They're fairly basic, but they would eliminate the deficit AND allow us to start paying back our grandchilren's legacy that we've stolen from them.

1. Eliminate the Fed Dept of Education (it has failed to meet any of the goals set for when founded). Education is a state matter, not a Federal one.
2. Eliminate the TSA. Turn over airport security to the airlines. Make them liable (in civil court) for ANY terrorist acts that occur on their airlines.
3. Eliminate Dept of Homeland Security.
4. Eliminate the Dept off HHS
5. Eliminate Dept of HUD
6. Cut back ALL Federal spending by 25% (40% would be better...that's how much the Dem's racheted it up after they took control of Congress in 2006).
7. Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the US Constitution.
8. Repeal ObamaCare...government doesn NOTHING efficiently...and this act has already increased the costs of health care by 25%.
9. Have 37 states pass an amendment to the US Constition requiring ALL laws passed by Congress to APPLY to Congress (no more exemptions)
10. Eliminate ALL exemptions from the tax code. Pass a flat tax for ALL individuals AND businesses. No more subsidies for "green jobs" or oil companies or...the auto industry.
11. Eliminate ALL government subsidies to business and agriculture.

If we could do this, we would be able to begin paying off the debt within 4 years...but our political class consists of cowards, rogues and thieves. They don't have the will to make the tough decisions that are required to save our Republic. We have just about run out of other people's money. It's time to face facts, we've been borrowing from our great grand children for more than 70 years. They're going to demand payback very soon. What can't go on, won't...

 

The Budget: How I Would Pare Down The Deficit

If I were president...(fat chance that, ed.) I would take the last GOP congressional budget, which what was considered to be a huge deficit...$400+ billion dollars, and I would make across the board cuts...of  30% in every single program, across all departments.  Additionally, I would layoff 30% of all federal workers.

I would also require means testing for Medicare, Medicaide and Social Security.  I  would also submit a bill to Congress that would repeal ALL of ObamaCare, as well as a bill that would:

propose the following as the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

28th Amendment to the United States Constitution
The purpose of this amendment is to restrict the duration and number of consecutive terms any President, United States Senator and Congressman may serve consecutively.  It will additionally limit the number of days Congress may meet and so designate the meeting times of those sessions.

1. No citizen of the United States shall be elected to the House of Representatives to more than four (4) consecutive, two (2) year terms to office.
2. No citizen of the United States shall be elected to the United States Senate for more than two (2) consecutive, six (6) year terms of office. 
3. No citizen of the United States shall receive any retirement benefits from serving in either the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate.
4. The term of office of the President of the United State shall be for one (1), six (6) year term and he may not succeed him or herself.
5. Congress shall not exempt itself from any laws of the United States of America, in whole or in part. 
6. Congress shall be in session for a period of not less than 60 consecutive days in the Spring, and 60 consecutive days in the Summer of each year. Each sitting of Congress may be extended by the President for a period not to exceed 15 days. The Spring session shall start on the first Monday of March. The Summer session shall begin on the first Monday in August. An additional 15 day session to begin on the 2nd Monday of December may be called by the President if so deemed necessary by declaration of a national emergency and voted so by a 2/3rds majority of the sitting Congress and may not be extended. 

as well as this one:

29th Amendment to the United States Constitution
The purpose of this Amendment is to provide that the Congress of the United States will not spend monies that exceed those taken by the IRS and Treasury Department.

• Section 1. Prior to each fiscal year, the Congress shall adopt a statement of receipts and outlays for that year in which total outlays are no greater than total receipts. The Congress may amend such statement provided revised outlays are not greater than revised receipts. Whenever three-fifths of the whole number of both Houses shall deem it necessary, Congress in such statement may provide for a specific excess of outlays over receipts by a vote directly to that subject. The Congress and the President shall ensure that actual outlays do not exceed the outlays set forth in such statement.
• Section 2. Total receipts for any fiscal year set forth in the statement adopted pursuant to this article shall not increase by a rate greater than the rate of increase in national income in the last calendar year ending before such fiscal year, unless a majority of the whole number of both Houses of Congress shall have passed a bill directed solely to approving specific additional receipts and such bill has become law.
• Section 3. The Congress may waive the provisions of this article for any fiscal year in which a declaration of war is in effect by affirmative vote of two-thirds..
• Section 4. The Congress may not require that the states engage in additional activities without compensation equal to the additional costs.
• Section 5. Total receipts shall include all receipts of the United States except those derived from borrowing and total outlays shall include all outlays of the United States except those for repayment of debt principal.
• Section 6. This article shall take effect for the second fiscal year beginning after its ratification.
• Section 7. If Congress fails to pass a balanced budget, then both chambers will be disolved and a Special election will be held in 90 days following the recess without passage of a bill. This election will be fore the remainder of the current session of Congress.

 In 2007, Nancy Pelosi, as Speaker of the House, and Harry Reid, as Majority Leader of the US Senate increased spending by 30 percent.  Once Barack Obama assumed office, that rate was excellerated...until the deficit in each of the last 3 years has been FOUR TIMES the size of the last GOP controlled Congress.  They have added one-third to othe national debt...and have set the country on the course to financial ruin. 

It's well past time that the Constitution be amended to first, eliminate the "professional political class," and secondly, force Congress to do what every one else must do...not spend money we don't have except in times of emergency.

I'd also eliminate the Dept of Energy (there's no energy policy derived from there...failed dept), Homeland Security (isn't that what the dept of Def is for?), Education (that's a function of the states and counties), HUD, Transportation (beyond their investigating plane, train accidents, and broad planning regime, the rest is a function of the states), HHS, BATF, and a whole host of other alphabet "security" agencies...as well as several other departments. Suggestions on what else to cut? 

Senate Earmarks

Here is a list of Senate earmarks.  If your Senator has taken out earmarks please call them and demand that they drop their corrupt practice.

Cochran (R-MS) 230

Wicker (R-MS) 199
Murray (D-WA) 172
Harkin (D-IA) 152
Reid (D-NV) 129
Menendez (D-NJ) 123
Feinstein (D-CA) 121
Lautenberg (D-NJ) 120
Lincoln (D-AR) 114
Inouye (D-HI) 113
Schumer (D-NY) 106
Johnson (D-SD) 105
Landrieu (D-LA) 104
Specter (D-PA) 103
Pryor (D-AR) 96
Levin (D-MI) 93
Stabenow (D-MI) 91
Boxer (D-CA) 90
Brown (D-OH) 87
Grassley (R-IA) 86 -hypocrit signed the anti-earmark pledge
Bingaman (D-NM) 86
Durbin (D-IL) 86
Akaka (D-HI) 83
Wyden (D-OR) 83
Cardin (D-MD) 79 - this one is mine...he's up for reelection in 2012...we'll rememer this you corrupt...
Merkley (D-OR) 79
Gillibrand (D-NY) 79
Bond (R-MO) 78  -  another hypocrit
Bennett (R-UT) 76 -  paying off his supporters...this is why he was voted out.
Casey (D-PA) 76
Udall (D-NM) 73
Reed (D-RI) 70
Kerry (D-MA) 69
Cantwell (D-WA) 69
Hagan (D-NC) 69
Voinovich (R-OH) 68 - retiring corrupt politician
Klobuchar (D-MN) 68
Rockefeller (D-WV) 67
Dodd (D-CT) 66
Mikulski (D-MD) 65 -  my senator, she campaigned as a fiscal conservative who saved US money...right
Tester (D-MT) 65
Lieberman (ID-CT) 64
Hutchison (R-TX) 63 -  she's up for reelection soon...we'll remember this one.
Burr (R-NC) 63 -  The North Carolina Tea Party needs to have a chat wit this one...
Baucus (D-MT) 62
Dorgan (D-ND) 60
Warner (D-VA) 60
Webb (D-VA) 58
Franken (D-MN) 58
Collins (R-ME) 57  - Ms. Collins is up for reelection in 2012, if I'm not mistaken.
Leahy (D-VT) 56
Murkowski (R-AK) 55  - This woman was rejected by her party...but believes she too important...
Whitehouse (D-RI) 55
Kohl (D-WI) 54
Conrad (D-ND) 52
Vitter (R-LA) 48 -  Mr. Vitter, we need to have a chat.
Cornyn (R-TX) 45 - ditto
Snowe (R-ME) 44 - ditto
Nelson (D-FL) 43 - he's up for reelection in 2 years
Chambliss (R-GA) 42
Crapo (R-ID) 41 - hypocrit
Risch (R-ID) 41 -  ditto
Bennet (D-CO) 40
Brownback (R-KS) 39 -  he's not in Kansas any more...and perhaps he should be, permanently
Carper (D-DE) 39
Begich (D-AK) 37
McConnell (R-KY) 35  -  Mr. McConnell is part of the problem and not part of the solution
Roberts (R-KS) 35 - ditto
Sanders (I-VT) 33
Shelby (R-AL) 32 - Addicted to earmarks
Inhofe (R-OK) 32 -  not serious about ending corruption in our political system.
Shaheen (D-NH) 32
Alexander (R-TN) 30  -  Mr. Alexander is another one who isn't part of the solution...and needs to go.
Udall (D-CO) 30
Lugar (R-IN) 29 -  time to retire this one.
Graham (R-SC) 27 -  RINO who needs to have a serious primary challenge in 2012.
Thune (R-SD) 26 -  needs primary challenge.
Isakson (R-GA) 24 - ditto
Nelson (D-NE) 23
Sessions (R-AL) 21 -  ditto
Bunning (R-KY) 21 - ditto
Ensign (R-NV) 20 - ditto
Gregg (R-NH) 13 -  ditto
Barrasso (R-WY) 4 - ditto
Enzi (R-WY) 3 - ditto
Hatch (R-UT) 1 - ditto, though he's going in the right direction....though 1 earmark is 1 too many
Bayh (D-IN) 1 -  ditto
Corker (R-TN) 1 -  ditto
Brown (R-MA) 1 - ditto
McCain (R-AZ) 0 -  these are where the GOP needs to be.  the zero earmark zone
Feingold (D-WI) 0
Kyl (R-AZ) 0
DeMint (R-SC) 0
Coburn (R-OK) 0
McCaskill (D-MO) 0 - though she's now afraid after her Dem colleague was slaughtered at the polls...
Johanns (R-NE) 0
LeMieux (R-FL) 0
Manchin (D-WV) 0 -  he's up for reelection for a full term in 2012...he barely won this time around...
Coons (D-DE) 0 -  he's not had enough time to begin his corruption...
Kirk (R-IL) 0

While the $8 billion dollar price tag of these earmarks is literally a drop in the bucket compared to the $1,200,000,000,000.00 Senate/Congressional Omnibus spending bill, it's not Congress' money they're spending it's our money they are using to pay off corrupt supporters who have bought their votes. That's the issue here. These earmarking Senators are bought and paid for and this is how they pay off their campaign donations by wasting your money on earmarks
These are some of the "pressing issues" our corrupt politicians are wasting our money on...during the most acute recession since the great depression, 70 years ago...Call your senators and congressmen and voice your opinion, they obviously didn't pay attention to last month's election results.


H/T Jamiewearingfool

UPDATE: via Jamie Dupree's Washington Insider, here are links to the earmarks themselves: 

EARMARKS PART 1 - How about a 98 page list of earmarks for Labor & Health programs? http://is.gd/iKI18



EARMARKS PART 2 - Then there is the 90 page list of Transportation & Housing earmarks http://is.gd/iKIgU

EARMARKS PART 3 - There is the short four page list for Military Construction http://is.gd/iKIoq

EARMARKS PART 4 - Here is the 16 page list of earmarks for Interior/Environment programs http://is.gd/iKIt2

EARMARKS PART 5 - Check out the 3 pages of Homeland Security earmarks from FEMA, etc http://is.gd/iKIAQ

EARMARKS PART 6 - And add in the 11 pages of earmarks for Agricultural programs (pdf) http://is.gd/iKIIW

EARMARKS PART 7 - Also the five pages of earmarks in the Financial Services bill (pdf) http://is.gd/iKIRb

EARMARKS PART 8 - And there are 29 pages of earmarks from Commerce/State/Justice programs http://is.gd/iKJ4X

EARMARKS PART 9 - And don't forget the 23 pages of Energy & Water project earmarks http://is.gd/iKJiU

Mr. Dupree comments,

When you take a long look at those earmark numbers, you can see that more Democrats are up on the high end in terms of earmarks, with a lot more Republicans down here on the low end of the scale. The projects include the usual smattering of things that make some lawmakers go nuts, like $300,000 for the Polynesian Voyaging Society. "I'm not making it up," said Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who again took to the floor on Tuesday to denounce the thousand of earmarks in this bill from both parties."The American people said just 42 days ago, 'Enough!'" said McCain. "Are we tone deaf? Are we stricken with amnesia?"

That there are any Republicans at all is damn near criminal.  Here's what America voted against and these bastards have utterly forgotten the lesson.  It's time to toss all  the rat bastards out.