Things you should know (according to CNN)about budget

[pauldun170]

Things you should know about budget


STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Small businesses that hire new employees or boost wages would get a tax break
Funding for Pell grants to help college students would increase by $17 billion
President Obama would spend $734 million for full body scanners at airports
Washington (CNN) -- President Obama on Monday unveiled a $3.8 trillion budget for next year. Here are some key points. Remember, these are Obama's suggestions. Congress controls the purse strings.

Still a little extra in your paycheck

The Making Work Pay tax breaks would be extended for a year. These were part of last year's stimulus and resulted in slightly higher paychecks for 110 million families, the White House said.

More money for education

Obama wants $3 billion more for elementary and secondary education programs and $1.35 billion for his Race to the Top program. Pell grants, which help students pay for college, would increase by $17 billion.

Big-shovel items

The president is seeking more than $100 billion for state and local infrastructure projects and $4 billion for national and regional infrastructure work.

Debt reduction

The president's budget would reduce the nation's debt by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. Obama would let the Bush tax cuts expire for high-income families, impose a "financial crisis responsibility fee" on large banks and end fossil-fuel tax subsidies for oil, gas and coal companies. Discretionary spending that is not defense-related would get a three-year cap, saving $250 billion over the next 10 years. Read more

Big incentives for small business

Small businesses would get a $5,000 tax credit for every net new employee hired this year. Startups launched this year would be eligible to halve the tax credit. Businesses also would be reimbursed for Social Security taxes they pay on increased payrolls this year. Companies could earn the credit by raising pay or increasing hours worked. Read more

Defense

To pay for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama is seeking $33 billion in supplemental funds for this budget year and $159.3 billion for next year's. Funding for military families would increase 3 percent to $8.8 billion. The president would appropriate in advance $50.6 billion for veterans' medical care.

Research and development

Clean energy research and development would get $6 billion and civilian research and development would get an extra $3.7 billion.

Security at home

The administration seeks $734 million to install 1,000 new full body scanners at airports. Overall Department of Homeland Security funding would increase 2 percent to $43.6 billion.

What do you think about the budget?

Proposed budget savings

• Discontinue the program to build a repository for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Savings in 2011: $197 million

•End oil and gas company tax preferences. Savings in 2011: $2.6 billion. Over 10 years: $36.5 billion

• End coal subsidies. Savings over 10 years: $2.3 billion

• Terminate program to develop an alternative engine program for the Joint Strike Fighter. Savings in 2011: $465 million

• Terminate production of C-17 transport. Savings in 2010: $2.5 billion

• Cancel the Constellation Systems program intended to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. Savings per year: $2.5 billion to $5 billionRead more

• Eliminate subsidies to student loan providers and increase the Department of Education's capacity to make loans directly to students. Savings over 10 years: $43 billion

• Terminate program to build EP-X manned airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. Savings in 2011: $10 million

• End grants to manufacturers of worsted wool. Annual savings: $5 million

• Eliminate grant program for inter-city bus security. Annual savings: $12 million

• End competitive grant program for local communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Savings in 2011: $10 million

• Terminate the Navy's Next Generation Cruiser. Savings in 2011: $46 million

• End Corps of Engineers low-priority construction projects. Savings in 2011: $214 million

• Terminate Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, aimed at fostering "new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind." Savings in 2010: $1 million








Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/...ex.html?hpt=T1

[CrazyKell]

I thought this was going to be an article about Budget rentacar.

[derf]

Proposed budget savings

• Discontinue the program to build a repository for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Savings in 2011: $197 million - dumb, where is the nuke waste gonna go?

•End oil and gas company tax preferences. Savings in 2011: $2.6 billion. Over 10 years: $36.5 billion - thanks I blame expensive gas on you mr prez

• End coal subsidies. Savings over 10 years: $2.3 billion - cool I'm down with this

• Terminate program to develop an alternative engine program for the Joint Strike Fighter. Savings in 2011: $465 million - cool I'm down with this

• Terminate production of C-17 transport. Savings in 2010: $2.5 billion - no the DoD is hurting for transport capabilities, and you want what?

• Cancel the Constellation Systems program intended to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. Savings per year: $2.5 billion to $5 billionRead more - Fuck you Obama, dipshitiest move, I think Palin just won my next vote

• Eliminate subsidies to student loan providers and increase the Department of Education's capacity to make loans directly to students. Savings over 10 years: $43 billion - hmmmmm interesting, so you want to cut the middleman, crazy idea

• Terminate program to build EP-X manned airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. Savings in 2011: $10 million - no opinion, its only 10mil

• End grants to manufacturers of worsted wool. Annual savings: $5 million - ok, its only 5 mil

• Eliminate grant program for inter-city bus security. Annual savings: $12 million - yeh you ride the bus now, tell me how safe you feel

• End competitive grant program for local communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Savings in 2011: $10 million - is 10mil there to make me feel good?

• Terminate the Navy's Next Generation Cruiser. Savings in 2011: $46 million - i guess it could be good

• End Corps of Engineers low-priority construction projects. Savings in 2011: $214 million - which bridge is gonna collapse next, trust me these folks are not the most efficient people, I'm one of them, bad idea

• Terminate Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, aimed at fostering "new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind." Savings in 2010: $1 million - is this supposed to make me feel good, like charging me $.99 because it is less than $1?

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by derf

Discontinue the program to build a repository for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Savings in 2011: $197 million - dumb, where is the nuke waste gonna go?

Yucca is so locked down in NIMBY/HIPPY lawsuits, it's probably not a viable option anyway. Maybe we could send it to the moon?

Originally Posted by derf

End oil and gas company tax preferences. Savings in 2011: $2.6 billion. Over 10 years: $36.5 billion - thanks I blame expensive gas on you mr prez

End coal subsidies. Savings over 10 years: $2.3 billion - cool I'm down with this

So high gas is bad, but you're OK with high electricity?

Originally Posted by derf

Terminate program to develop an alternative engine program for the Joint Strike Fighter. Savings in 2011: $465 million - cool I'm down with this

Seriously. Pick a fucking engine already.

Originally Posted by derf

Terminate production of C-17 transport. Savings in 2010: $2.5 billion - no the DoD is hurting for transport capabilities, and you want what?

The DoD has been trying to stop buying C-17's since 2007, but Congress people from California keep voting for the funding to make themselves look better at home. The Pentagon said they have plenty of cargo capacity with the C-17's they've already paid for, and the C-5's that are still in good shape. I think the Joint Chiefs probably know more about what they need, than Diane Feinstien.

Originally Posted by derf

Cancel the Constellation Systems program intended to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. Savings per year: $2.5 billion to $5 billionRead more - Fuck you Obama, dipshitiest move, I think Palin just won my next vote

Fuck. There goes my moon idea.

Originally Posted by derf

Eliminate subsidies to student loan providers and increase the Department of Education's capacity to make loans directly to students. Savings over 10 years: $43 billion - hmmmmm interesting, so you want to cut the middleman, crazy idea

Stop giving tax money to banks, so they can loan it back to us? Works for me.

Originally Posted by derf

Terminate program to build EP-X manned airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. Savings in 2011: $10 million - no opinion, its only 10mil

End grants to manufacturers of worsted wool. Annual savings: $5 million - ok, its only 5 mil

Ten million here, five million there, pretty soon it starts to add up to real money.

Originally Posted by derf

Eliminate grant program for inter-city bus security. Annual savings: $12 million - yeh you ride the bus now, tell me how safe you feel

Too many buses to make them all "safe".

Originally Posted by derf

End competitive grant program for local communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Savings in 2011: $10 million - is 10mil there to make me feel good?

I'm not sure what that's supposed to be.

Originally Posted by derf

Terminate the Navy's Next Generation Cruiser. Savings in 2011: $46 million - i guess it could be good

The CG(X) has no air or ballistic missile defenses, so it's fucked anyway. Do not want.

Originally Posted by derf

End Corps of Engineers low-priority construction projects. Savings in 2011: $214 million - which bridge is gonna collapse next, trust me these folks are not the most efficient people, I'm one of them, bad idea

Key words here are "low-priority".

JC

[derf]

Not OK with high electricity, coal is a bad energy source, it is only good because it is cheap, however if we were to have continued to build nuke and hydro electric plants in the 70's and 80's, this wouldnt be THE cheap alternative

Try flying mil air, and look at the limitations of the current fleet, many pilots are flying the planes their parents flew when they were in the airforce a generation early. Modern C17's are the answer, Amorok, care to chime in? IMHO, the DoD says that they have capabilities that they dont have all the time.

I spend $5 mil each year (in my work budget), are you gonna cut my budget? Trust me th gov pisses $5 mil into the toilet every day, 5 mil here, 10 mil there, its not gonna do shit, its just a big number (to the average joe) that is thrown around to make joe the plumber feel good. $5 mil is like you being happy you saved 5 cents on your grocery bill, that nickle aint doing shit except keeping your couch stocked with coins.

That bridge in MN that collapsed was considered low priority, it also had an imminent danger threat or something along that line, low priority to you and me vs low priority the corps of engineers are 2 very different versions of low priority. Their low priority is high cost to fix vs replace where my low priority is I dont expect people to die on their way to work.

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by derf

Not OK with high electricity, coal is a bad energy source, it is only good because it is cheap, however if we were to have continued to build nuke and hydro electric plants in the 70's and 80's, this wouldnt be THE cheap alternative

Yes, but we didn't. I'm no fan of Coal at all. It's dirty, and strip mining, from an environmental stand point, is a fucking disaster.

Unfortunately, we still need coal, until some Country Western singer writes a hit song called, "I was born a Radiation Protection Technician's Daughter".

Originally Posted by derf

Try flying mil air, and look at the limitations of the current fleet, many pilots are flying the planes their parents flew when they were in the airforce a generation early. Modern C17's are the answer, Amorok, care to chime in?

That's always been the case. They laid the keel of the first ship I served on, in 1944, and even in the late 70's, she was still one of the baddest motherfuckers in the fleet. If your kid grows up to be a pilot in the Air Force, he/she will be flying C-17s.

Originally Posted by derf

IMHO, the DoD says that they have capabilities that they dont have all the time.

Well, as former and current military guys, I think we can all agree that Generals, generally speaking, are generally full of shit. However, we are in the middle of two wars, so if they wanted more C-17's, they could probably get them.

Originally Posted by derf

I spend $5 mil each year (in my work budget), are you gonna cut my budget? Trust me th gov pisses $5 mil into the toilet every day, 5 mil here, 10 mil there, its not gonna do shit, its just a big number (to the average joe) that is thrown around to make joe the plumber feel good. $5 mil is like you being happy you saved 5 cents on your grocery bill, that nickle aint doing shit except keeping your couch stocked with coins.

That may be so, but I'm not in favor of wasting money in any amount.

Originally Posted by derf

That bridge in MN that collapsed was considered low priority, it also had an imminent danger threat or something along that line, low priority to you and me vs low priority the corps of engineers are 2 very different versions of low priority. Their low priority is high cost to fix vs replace where my low priority is I dont expect people to die on their way to work.

If that's true, then we should stop giving money to the Corps of Engineers altogether, since they seem to suck at what they do.

JC

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by askmrjesus

Yucca is so locked down in NIMBY/HIPPY lawsuits, it's probably not a viable option anyway. Maybe we could send it to the moon?

Barbara Bain and Martin Landau would have your balls for doing that.

[askmrjesus]

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

Barbara Bain and Martin Landau would have your balls for doing that.

Wow, well played. Talk about your obscure sci-fi references...

JC

[Papa_Complex]

Originally Posted by askmrjesus

Wow, well played. Talk about your obscure sci-fi references...

JC

Wait until you give me the chance to reference "Jeffty is Five"

[pauldun170]

More C-17s are on the way and as AMJ mentioned they ordered more than they need. Whether they are allocated efficiently is in the hands of planners. what Gates is saying is thats it, stop adding on (Armed Services Committee just added another 9 or something like that)

The lines aren't going to be shut down because of other customers.