Phony Cuts/Real Taxes
One of the many depressing things about the “debt ceiling” circus now playing in Washington is the patent asymmetry between the two sides of the debate: the cuts vs. the taxes (aka “revenue enhancements” and other mendacious equivocations designed to conceal an unpleasant reality).
When it comes to cuts, virtual reality rules. When it comes to taxes, it is cash on the barrel, none of this “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”
Let’s start with the “cuts” our masters are proposing. Here’s a real-life example: “We’ll cut a trillion dollars — a trillion dollars, ladies and gentleman! — by the simple expedient of saving on the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars over the next ten years. How’s that for fiscal responsibility?” That’s what the putative cutters in Congress said. Now let’s wheel out a chart showing what the Congressional Budget Office projected the wars would cost, adjusted for inflation, vs. the “savings” we might realize by ceasing to pour our national treasure into those hell holes for another decade. Chris Edwards at the Cato Institute has the handy graphic:
The problem, as Mr. Edwards observes, is that “nobody expects war spending to continue rising like that. Rather, spending is supposed to fall in coming years as troops are withdrawn.” That blue line is not a cut in any normal sense of the word, it is simply a more realistic estimate of what we are likely to be spending. Writing in June of this year, Mr. Edwards admitted that he was “getting very suspicious that party leaders will deliver phony ‘cuts,’ not actual terminations in programs or reductions in entitlements.”
His suspicions, as these last weeks have demonstrated beyond cavil, were well founded: it’s all phony cuts. Looking for “actual terminations in programs or reductions in entitlements”? Forget about it, mon brave. There aren’t any.
When it comes to taxes, however, there is none of this smoke and mirrors. Sure, our masters in Washington have submitted the word “taxes” to the office of circumlocution, and so they have an entire lexicon of obfuscating words to deploy in addition to the dread T word. But where the proposed “cuts” are merely virtual cuts, the new taxes are real: the $100 you were going to get yesterday has suddenly been whittled down to — what? $90, $85?
Who knows what clever new ways to fleece the serfs of this mighty nation our masters in Washington are even now devising. Doubtless there will be some candid increases in the marginal rates of the income tax. But let’s not forget the many other strategies of “revenue enhancement” that the mismangers in Washington have at their disposal, from inflation to a variety of stealth- and semi-stealth taxes, e.g., the 3.8 percent federal sales tax on a wide range of investment income, including home sales above $500,000. Not everyone is aware of that provision, which was snuck into the ObamaCare legislation and which goes into effect in 2013. “We have to pass the bill,” said Nancy Pelosi, “so that you can find out what is in it.” Surprise! Not “trick or treat,” just “trick.”
Phony cuts? Tell it to the Congressional Budget Office:
“According to the CBO on Wednesday, Reid’s plan, which is backed by Senate Democrats and President Obama, would shave $2.2 trillion off the deficit over 10 years—nearly three times the amount estimated in Republican Speaker John Boehner’s proposal.”
Yes Dummy – they are phony.
In any given fiscal year after this one, it only takes a majority in Congress and a Presidential signature to get rid of any “cut”. Or another “grand bargain”.
I decided to spend $5,000 less in 2016 – what a saver!
Joseph. Let me guess, you’re a Democrat. And as the rest of the deceitful lying Dems., you are peddling your phoney budget garbage without wanting to cut anything from the bloated government. Well have it your way, if we go into the 2012 election without starting to cut the wasteful overspending of Washington, I predict it will be our last election.
STOP SPENDING!
http://reason.com/blog/2011/07/27/debt-plan-gimmicks-are-go
Debt Plan Gimmicks Are Go!
Peter Suderman | July 27, 2011
So much for devastating debt-deal cutbacks: House Republicans are pointing to news reports noting that the debt deal proposal put forth by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fails to meet his stated deficit reduction target of $2.7 trillion. According to the Congressional Budget Office, Reid’s plan undershoots its deficit goal by about $500 billion.
Nor is that the only way in which Reid’s plan falls short: $1 trillion of its scored deficit reduction comes from war-spending gimmickry: Typically, the Congressional Budget Office factors in war spending at constant level that grows with inflation—even in the midst of a troop drawdown. Reid’s plan takes advantage of this by essentially instructing the CBO to go ahead and price an already-planned troop reduction into the budget. So Reid’s plan gets credit for roughly a trillion bucks in savings that would happen anyway, regardless of whether or not his plan passed. The AP calls this a “glaring $1 trillion ploy.”
Reid, however, wasn’t the first Congress critter to rely on this all-too-obvious trick: House Republicans used the same scoring gimmick in the budget plan they voted for earlier this year. Of the roughly $6 trillion in deficit reduction they claimed Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s plan would produce, about a trillion bucks came from factoring in the troop drawdown.
Well, if a person is honest, one would have to recall there was an offer put on the table for $3 Trillion in cuts and $1 Trillion in revenue IN ADDITION to approaching Social Security and Medicare cuts.
The Tea Party GOP rejected that ‘offer’ before it could even be explored more and analyzed. I don’t care what side a person is on! If you have a BIG offer on the table even though it contains an ‘obvious’ element or two that is objectionable, you explore it and negotiate it…..IF you’re a serious player for problem solving.
Now look at the plans being bantered about! Simply tells me and ‘shows’ me, that neither side are about solving problems and are more of the same disingenuous political hacks.
They’re all frauds. Nobody wants to do the right thing: REVERSE THE WASHINGTON EXPANSION and start cutting back. The dems are chronic liars, their MO is to pass through bills with hidden and vague riders that no one reads, and then later tell you what they really meant. The health-care bill is the biggest piece of corrupt legislation ever written. It’s all to push the progressive agenda, TAKE OVER everything they can. The bigger a government gets the more freedoms are lost. If you’re OK with that, along with the 47% who don’t pay taxes and don’t care about government spending, then we are done.
TT, don’t be a dope! Those cuts were 10 years out and we NEVER would have seen them. The new revenue (taxes) was immediate. It was the worst deal ever – read the fine print, man.
JudyM, don’t be a dope! Every plan is ten years out! Thats the process! You think the CBO, congress and the executive branch just now dreamed up a ten year budget framework and process? They can forecast even a single year much less then years but thats the process.
“…..$1 Trillion in revenue…..”
You mean “taxes”. Call a spade a spade. And, since when does a Congress in the future have to do what a Congress in the past agreed to? If that’s the case, why have elections? Can we trust the Democrats, especially Pelosi, Reid and Obama? The Democrats have broken promises in the past. Tax increases during a recession are idiotic. That’s money that private enterprise can use for expansion. The Democrats continue clinging to Keynesian economic theory that hasn’t worked since Obama took office. He continues to listen to advisers that say, “if only we spend a little more, we will be prosperous, just a little more”.
You are implying certain GOP congressmen are obstructing a compromise under influence from the Tea Party. By that you are obscuring the fact that many on the Democratic side, such as ACORN, moveon.org, Planned Parenthood, unions, environmentalists are also applying pressure on the Democrats to not reduce spending and to increase taxes. These are true special interest groups that receive government funding in one way or another, and have an interest in increasing or continuing government spending at its current pace. The Tea Party is a grass roots organization getting no financial benefits from the government. And why shouldn’t the Tea Party be reminding these same representatives that they ran on campaign platforms of deficit reductions, no new taxes and reduced spending. So, you are saying it’s OK for our representatives to lie during campaigns – “people, this offer of ONLY $1 trillion in tax increases is just too good to pass up, and they are PROMISING us $3 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years”. With all those special interest groups pressuring the Democrats, would you believe their promises? Don’t be naive.
jarmo…if the Tea party is everything all of you on here purport them to be, by all means, grow some hanging brass and go form or own legal party and get on with finding out how much you have any majority of anything or anybody in your pocket. Let me guess! That would never be entertained by any Tea party comrades of sound mind and only a tad of common sense. Easier to go down in history as having tried to destroy the GOP while leaving the socialist progressives standing unscrtached.
What an arrogant, self serving mob mentality the Tea Party has evolved into.
Very SAD indeed!
“would shave $2.2 trillion off the deficit over 10 years”
That’s “deficit” not “debt.” Meaning, under Reid’s plan, each budget for the next 10 years will still run a deficit, just not as large as baseline budgeting would otherwise allow. So each year, the US Government would still spend more – much more – than it takes in, and nothing would be actually cut, just not grow as fast.
The only way the Reid plan “cuts” anything is under the mythical rules (which would amount to dozens of felonies if perpetrated by anyone other than government) of baseline budgeting, which say that a “cut” includes a reduction in the amount of additional spending automatically budgeted for next year, even though you still spend more the next year than the year before.
the savings for next fiscal year is $1 billion. Color me impressed.
Yeah, and in California the moonbeam man couldn’t get the taxes raised, but he signed off on another 5 billion in borrowing on the bond market ( even after more tax revenues materialized then predicted) while giving illegal aliens more enhanced state grants to go to state colleges and calling it the “dream act”. Yes, it’s all a dream. At least in a Mad Max world you would know who your friends and enemies are, but here they call them selves progressives to better pick your pocket.
The sky will not fall if the debt limit is not raised. There is plenty of monthly revenue to pay our creditors, SS, medicare, and the troops. The House must hold firm for real and immediate cuts in spending. The markets will respond positively.
“Isn’t it time to rebel?”
Is it time to hold politicians responsible? I gave up on the Democrats. Is it time to give up on the Republicans? Boehner fell into the trap of negotiating with himself. This is hindsight now but he should have steadfastly demanded the Senate produce a budget. Now we are stuck with the prospect of more phoney budget cuts coming from Republicans and another promise reneged on. If we support these same Republicans in the next election we are rewarding bad behavior. If we don’t we get something far worse. For now the 89 are holding the line and may force Boehner to come up with a better plan. Hope may not be a strategy but right now it is all we’ve got.
Civil disobedience may be the only recourse. As has been pointed out many times, we have passed the tipping point where more than 50% of the voting population is comprised of entitlement recipients, government workers, other public service employees, union members, AGW believers, eco-extremists and those on the “winners” side of over-reaching government regulations.
We need to band together, decide on an appropriate flat tax rate and send only that to the IRS as conscientious objectors to the growth in government beyond that specified by the Constitution. The rate will be reduced if they try to compensate with increases in borrowing. They can’t put 30 million people in jail.
An inferior health care plan that no one wants and CANNOT afford to pay. The threat to jail and/or fine those who don’t purchase the government enforced plan.
Massive spending as if there is no tomorrow. Fighting wars we have no money for. Massive borrowing. The Massive giving away of Billions of dollars every year to other countries, including the oil-wealthy Middle East, Hamas-controlled Gaza and the Palestinian Authority organization who fill their war chests, build mansions and laugh all the way to the bank with free infidel money. Whilst in America, homeless shelters are filled to capacity; tent cities have sprung up all over the U.S. filled with desperate, jobless, homeless, NEGLECTED Americans.
Massive debt. The massive printing of paper money out of thin air to DELIBERATELY create out-of-control inflation. There is no question that the total DESTRUCTION of America’s economy is planned. The results will be horrifying. In the once wealthy and great nation of America, millions of Americans will become destitute, hungry and homeless with no money or resources to help them.
Thank all of those who voted for Obama. Every time you see them.
Also thank all those who didn’t bother to vote because they didn’t like either candidate. McCain was no prize for sure, but he’s not a marxist.
Would we have obamney care now if McCain was prez? Would there be a stop to drilling for oil in America if Palin was vice-prez?
I have to say we would be better off with McCain.
You are right we would be better off with McCain.
However, we would probably have had cap and tax passed and Fed spending would still be unspeakably high.
Still we wouldn’t have the two new loons on the SCOTUS.
Organic, non-gmo avocado, fruit and nut trees and berries must be planted in all of our nation’s cities’ and towns’ parks to help the many millions of Americans who will soon be in a desperate struggle to survive.
Watch it. And weep for our great nation and people:
FALL Of The Republic – The Presidency Of Barack H Obama – The Full Movie HQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8LPNRI_6T8&feature=player_embedded
Why GMO? And Organic? Referring to a means of cultivation, I suppose? The sad fact of fruit trees is that it takes a fair amount of care ( and yes, incecticides) to keep the aphids down, the trees must be properly pruned, Tees staked and watered, cxompost dug into the ground prior to budding, the fruit picked and stored. You think the homeless are going to do all this? I don’t.
Rebel? Yes! Where should we meet? Oh, how I wish we could. Great article Roger.
The biggest problem with Government Spending is how much it spends on ITSELF, not with the actual dollar amount of anyones SS, medicaid/care, or unemployment check..
But notice how these are the only things they mention when discussing potential cuts….Grandma gets less, the kids get less…
Hey, I have a novel idea….how about an immediate across the board PAY CUT for EVERY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE earning more than $100,000 a year?
Make it Progressive, with a mere 3-5 % cut for the 100-150K “middle class” government workers, and really “soak the rich” Federal Employees of 200K and above with a 7-15% pay cut.
Because after all, “I do believe at some point you’ve earned enough (taxpayers) money”
Right?
Nah, start the highest bracket at $175k, that’s the lowest amount I could find the Congress-critters making and I want to make sure they ALL eat the increased tax rates.
Not just the Feds…
I meant to include all the + 100k teachers, professors, principals, cops, firemen, city administrators, overtime whores, department heads, and make-work cronies at all levels in that list.
Just cutting the payroll (to reasonable, private sector rates)of all these people will save a bunch, without cutting ONE SINGLE PENNY TO RECIPIENTS OF GOVERNMENT HELP. Let that story get out, and see what happens.
After all, when the money is tight, why should we be debating how much less the CITIZENS get, when the FIRST sacrifice should be from our servants.
Only after they’ve contributed their “fair share” should we look for the next “saving”
Mark Steyn (as is generally true) had the best line on all things deficit. He said that the U.S. “Is looking at a future that is midway between the Weimar Republic and “Mad Max – The Road Warrior.” Sounds to me about right.
In a culture like ours, where impatience and distraction seem to rule, and where the daily news cycle brings us at least one new crisis, real or imagined, every week, it might be advisable for some to pause and to recognize that (a) the current debt crisis did not emerge suddenly, but rather over decades, the result of decisions by both parties and the Americans who supported them. It is therefore most likely that it will take years, if not decades, to resolve this crisis. Assuming this to be true, then the Tea Party’s fevered approach to spending, budget cuts, and the evil that is Washington (except for the Tea Party, of course) is simply too frantic to be very useful. Indignation may be justified, but it is not a template for governing. We can play for a fix by next week, which is fantasy. Or, we can patiently but deliberately play for a resolution in the long run, one constructive piece of legislation, and one election, at a time.
This is the logical approach. It is good. If we had a true leader, who could lay out a plan with a future, and begin to cut where the people would see a difference.
We have no leader, the proposals are smoke and mirrors and this is what drive the conversation to emotion.
All very well, and might work if the debt was not piling up at an astronomic rate. At 2050 ( no so far away) we reach a dificit of 100% GDP. No country has lasted long after that. And you don’t think things will get pretty bad between now and then?
The ‘principal’ problem is the lack of a sustainable and robust economy and low joblessness!
Bet you weren’t on here or anywhere, in 2004, complaining about government deficits and debt! Probably to busy riding the high flying economic roller coaster and sipping champagne.
The deficits and debt DIDN”T collapse the economy and lead to the ever increasing higher unemployment….or leave the commercial investment banks of the world at risk……or collapse GM and Chrysler…..or mortage companies.
Bet you weren’t on here or anywhere, in 2004, complaining about government deficits and debt!
Still clinging to your bedrock leftist moral principle of Two Wrongs Make a Right, eh?
Guglie… I’m not buying your soft soap. Obama has no one to blame but himself. He’s the one who broke into Washington and started out sepending every president before him by 30%, he’s the one who doubled the debt in less than two years, and raised the federal deficit to 40 percent of the federal budget, he’s the one who bypassed all the normal channels of civilized debate and American politics by appointing Czars and authorizing agencies with more power than constitutionally allowed. 2010 would have come and gone with a whimper and we wouldn’t even be talking about a debt ceiling if Obama didn’t want to be “Super-Liberal” and bring “justice and equality” to the masses with his version of America. But he did and the people have spoken and he will hear them louder in 2012. And all you people’s whining about; it’s because he’s black will not get him elected this time.
Don’t get too hung up on the Tea Party. Behind the scenes on the Democrat side are such well-heeled groups as moveon.org, ACORN, big unions, environmentalists, PNR, Planned Parenthood, all government funded to one degree or another. These have more effect on government spending then any effects from the influence of the Tea Parties. Big Gov has grown 25% under Obama. That’s payback for all the support from these groups during the election campaign.
“…that is Washington (except for the Tea Party, of course)…”
The Tea Party does not get any funding from the federal government. Their primary interests are cutting taxes and spending. So, if taxes and spending are cut, do they get a prize from who? How do they benefit?
Mr. Kimball…THANK YOU!
Sad that two sides of a real problem find some value and ‘personal’ resolve in problem solving by personalized assassinations rather then delving into the factual realities. So long as the two sides are consumed with personal assassinations further fueled by politicians and their intentional lies…or ignorance, the nation remains in peril. Special interest groups and their followings, are the cancer of America!
Simple fix to the tax revenue debates! Establish a flat 12% tax rate with NO adjustments and a 3% consumption tax that will at least ‘snare’ some reveues from the multi billion/trillion criminal enterprises.
Simple fix to government liabilities debate. Start repealing the legislative authorizations for all non essential agencies and corporations consolidating where necessary and reinvest in a comprehensive economy and jobs plan. Defining ‘non essential’ is not nearly as problimatic as most would suggest!
Furthermore, means test eleigible social security and medicare recipients to each persons state of residence. Folks spend a lifetime paying for safety net insurance for which they never ultimately need.
Lastly! Establish a ‘common’ government wide and nationwide accounting practices standard.
I suggest that anyone who voted for Obama should have to wear a tag on their clothes and have to pay more for everything. (I was going to say tattoo them so we know who they are, and after a few generations they would disappear because no one would want to have anything to do with them, but I realize that would be wrong because of the Jews. But it’s tempting because they have allowed this person Nobama to ruin my country)
Politicians have learned how to buy votes with tax payer money. The incumbent can justify using Air Force One for campaign fund raisers. Universal health care is a bribe for votes. The practice of entitlement is a degenerative spiral.
Departments, agencies, and programs should have “sunset” clauses. Once started, i.e. the EPA or Homeland Security, do nothing more that grow in their cost and self importance. They, like lawyers on billable hours, would perpetuate or invent problems to continue and grow.
Accounting practices at the federal level would never be tolerated in the private sector. The IRS and the Justice Department should be greatly separated from the influence of the executive branch. Congressional “watchdog” committees are corruptable in their subjectivity to political pressures. The system of checks and balances is broken at the executive/justice level.
Term limits would end the perpetual need to campaign and influence the public about partisan politics. What is right for the country can be coupled with historical legacy much easier than the next election cycle.
Federal sales taxes and VAT can multiply hidden taxes in cost of goods. The problem is spending not revenue.
Your ideas of how to grow the economy are too late. We are a service economy. We simply pass money amongst ourselves. We produce little to sell overseas so increasing our GDP is more difficult than saying so. You will need to bring industry back to the US-like the steel industry, agri. business, textiles, etc. Next, getting more people to work is fine, but why not tax those who currently do not pay taxes right now. If their welfare is being taxed, they may want to get a real job. Just a thought. Taxing welfare and all the gimmies gov’t gives in the form of redistribution will increase gov’t coffers.
How come nobody is pushing for a wealth tax. Instead of taxing the income of the “rich” tax their wealth-their assets and make it progressive. Look most of the truly wealthy are progs anyway so why are we protecting their money; they end up giving it to Dems. And if you must tax income why not exempt business owners who employ less than 50 employees. We are cutting off our noses to spite our faces. How about taxing union dues, 527-giving, political spending, punitive awards from class action suits, and institute an entertainment tax to get Hollyweird and the NBA/NFL more involved with helping the poor don’t cha know.
How come no talk of abolshing base line gov’t spending? How come nobody is pushing to end so many departments??? There are plenty of things we, the right, could be saying and doing, but with our leaders (Boehner, McLame, etc) we never will.
More report and distort! Folks follow all the distorions and believe them.
It’s 45+% of working INCOME EARNERS who pay little to NO taxes….not the non income people! Income tax data is complied on those earning ‘incomes’ subject to taxes! Let me expand and correct a bit. All to many ‘income earners’ also use welfare assistance programs and many of those at the top line of $60+K incomes. Take a look at Title I assistance for example. Also, there are millions of ‘income earners’ (working folks) who use the provisions of Medicaid for their health care coverage. Take a look at especially, the working ‘young’ who opt out of employer based insurances.
The nation is broken from the bottom up…not the top down!
So what’s your point? Between the non-income and income earners taking in welfare, I see no reason not to tax their government support.
You make an effort to correct me but fail to offer either a rational argument for or against my statement.
“Thank all of those who voted for Obama. Every time you see them.”
I do so with a cordial raised middle finger every time I see one driving their
“O’Barry” bumper sticker festooned vehicle. Curiously, there’s not as many as there used to be, the ones that remain are usually being driven by the obviously “entitled” class and the alternate sexual preference crowd.
PHONEY TAXES, REAL CUTS is what the title SHOULD be. Why should those who never received any TARP or stimulus or any part of the debt be thrown under the bus? It’s the very wealthy who should be taxed in these times by closing all loopholes and eliminating their “welfare.” The rich should be defined by those with incomes or profits or ENTITLEMENTS (yes, folks, entitlements they like to call their loopholes) of over one million dollars – that would close the gap. And entitlements? Entitlement means just that – we are ENTITLED to the money the government took out of our paychecks every week for fifty years and Social Security IS what we are ENTITLED to. We have a contract! There are no contracts with Saudi Arabia, palestine, sudan, egypt, and the numerous other countries we give trillions of tax payer money to, there are no contracts with the obscenely wealthy who received the money that put us in this position in the first place and who have become even richer as the rest of us lose our pensions, our homes, our jobs, our liberties, our freedoms, our healthcare, our lightbulbs, our children, our security and, ironically, our HOPE. Yet our government threatens to default on Social Security, the government’s contract with seniors, on the military, and on just about everyone else on the lowest scale of wealth and security. Yet neither party will touch the very wealthy, who have gotten (and continue to get) richer every day on the backs of 95% of our population. Both parties are rich, greedy, criminal and disgraceful and most importantly, unGodly. Shame on Washington. Shame on them – shame on all of them for calling their theft of our standard of living, “socialism” – a redistribution of wealth they call it. Bull! Make them pay more since they have more and received more ON OUR BACKS!
OOPS – one last point. If you increse Obama’s taxing of the rich from only $250,000 to over $1,000,000, we will eliminate the greedy journalists, politicians (those not in the White House) and other talking heads who don’t want to, and probably should not, pay more. Then we’ll get some balanced articles. Even rich evangelicals are outraged that they should pay more taxes. If you’re making more than $1,000,000 in these financially distressing times, you’re on the bandwagon. GET OFF and give the rest of us a ride before we fall off the cliff! After all, WE paid for your bandwagon before we lost our jobs! And now you want more? NO WAY!
I read in the Atlantic today that Republican and Dem’s plans are 99% alike. It’s so depressing to realize we’re a nation that is politicians against the people.
http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/library/articles-commentary-blog/national-debt-faq
First, some sadly necessary form errors must be noted. “The politicians (whom) we elect.” “….spends money it (not its) doesn’t have….” And people’s, not “peoples’”. People is already plural.
Now to the substance. Yes, yes, yes withdraw all troops from all Hell Holes around the world. We are not Imperial Rome, let’s stop acting as if we are. Good for you Brother Kimball, you are not totally full of it. That is the most important point of all and bless you several generations hence for it.
But, to truly get our society and economy on a sound footing, we need, first to have complete, gold plated, single payer socialized medicine. That should be a birth right. We should not necessarily have the right to breed like bunnies, but the birth right of all should include that much at least. We need to come into the light of the 21st century.
Next, we need to realize that Keynes was a genius, and that Rand was a risible buffoon. Facts are facts. Let’s realize them. Anyone who seriously argues that we should have let the banks and auto industry fail is a cretin. Pure stupidity. Having saved them, they need the societal equivalent of a good bitch slapping, but obviously they needed to be saved. We aren’t small town America anymore. Is that a good thing. Not totally, no. Much has been lost. So much of our simple decency, so much of our innocence. Yet, here we are, here we have come.
Greed is not the motivator that will save us. What will save us is a societal contract that says tha each and every one of us, the least of us, will recieve a minimal cradling and caring for. When half the population is no longer losing sleep every night in pathetic, soaked sheets terror, imagine how we will increase and thrive.
Lately I have heard only too often that the first thing that is going to be cut is the Fire service and the Police which is no different from the Mafia saying that if you do not pay your “insurance” you might have an accident or your place may burn down. I do wish people would see it in that light, all it is is an attempt at extortion. I had a look at the statistics for Federal Employees, out of nearly three million there are only 178,537 Police. For state and local government employees the picture is similar, of the 15 million, 696,161 are Police and 304,682 Fire fighters, in short only six per cent of the employees provide essential services and those six per cent are threatened with cuts. Here is a much better Idea. There are 600,000 postal employees, fire a third of them which will make there workforce equal to UPS who does just as much business. On the subject of the Post office, they say their revenue was $67 billion, 79% of all revenue goes to staff, that translate into an average wage of $92,674 per employee. Since they also managed to lose $8.5 BILLION that works out at over $14,000 per employee. Cut their average wage to only a measly $ 78,000 per year and that deficit is gone. I know most Americans with the highly esoteric skill sets needed to deliver mail would not get out of bed in the mornings for such a pittance but I am sure there will be enough unemployed scientists, engineers and other professionals who could be taught those skills in a day or two and would be only to happy for a job like that, or any other job at that pay.