[leareliovag]

Let's compare a few numbers here:

1,000,000 --> One million
1,000,000,000 --> One billion
1,000,000,000,000 --> One trillion

What's our deficit, something like 1.5 trillion dollars? Ah, what the hell. You're only off by six orders of magnitude. No big deal.

[gnusnich]

Corporate subsidies are the first things that should be cut.

[Nesskissabe]

Oerdin, it's not a step in the right direction, it's a red herring. Even if you cut all the subsidies and tax exemptions and federal grants until all you had left were core services and entitlements we'd still have a gaping deficit. You simply can't fix the deficit without cutting entitlements. While we're talking about steps in the right or wrong direction, explain to me what kind of a step adding another entitlement is? Right or wrong?

[251EPyso]

I don't see any reason to go after entitlements until the corporate subsidies and bloated military budget are dealt with first.

It's not a matter of "until". "Until" implies that if you cut the former two then somehow you might not have to deal with the third. Your particular priorities on where the cuts should be deepest are irrelevant if you refuse to acknowledge the fact that entitlements have to get cut at all.

[GogaMegaPiska]

There are probably thousands of random little federal candy bars that would be really stupid not to cut, but passing out government bucks is a key part of how congressmen win re-election.

People have this misconception that the low-hanging fruit are the little bitty things that congressmen throw into the tax code or appropriations to please constituents. This is false. The low-hanging fruit are entitlements and all those military projects the pentagon says it doesn't want.

[gettoblaster]

I don't see any reason to go after entitlements until the corporate subsidies and bloated military budget are dealt with first.

After the pigs stop swilling up my tax dollars for their personal profit then we can talk about my social security checks. Until then, no, not a chance, we'll hang any politician who says the pigs feeding on government money are more important then the actual people of this country. Fix that problem first then, maybe, we'll talk about SSI (which BTW is still running a surplus and is absolutely fine until at least 2059).

[Bymnbypeten]

The budget was balanced in WI until Walker walked in and gave out tax breaks to all his biggest campaign donors. Talk about corruption.

[GZFL2tDA]

The budget was balanced in WI until Walker walked in and gave out tax breaks to all his biggest campaign donors. Talk about corruption.

Cut teacher salaries to pay for it. Rob the poor to pay the rich.

[Ruiceara]

I don't see any reason to go after entitlements until the corporate subsidies and bloated military budget are dealt with first.

Entitlements are the largest part of the budget.

[timmybrown]

I'd eliminate these subsidies, and then I'd start shredding the Pentagon's budget... Then means testing SS...

[imporrilk]

Umh, you said a few million is a "substantial portion" of a billion or two. If so then Oerdin's proposal to cut $120 billion in farm subsidies must by your own logic also be a "substantial portion" of $1.5 trillion. The benefits of funding IRS audits and cutting other corporate welfare might also turn out to meet your definition of "substantial portion".

Oh I agree that eliminating farm subsidies is very important. I wasn't arguing with that.

[Stivenslivakovishhhs]

No....

[xsVfF9Em]

I'd eliminate these subsidies, and then I'd start shredding the Pentagon's budget... Then means testing SS...

This.

Means testing SS has to happen (as well as raising the tax ceiling... let's be honest and admit its a welfare program and not a retirement plan), but corporate subsidies are far easier to deal with as a first step.

[wallyfindme]

What exactly do you think means testing SS is?

[Ornamiviant]

They should rely on inheritance.

[iH1wMOhE]

Another relevant Ogie contribution. Hilarious.

[forebirdo]

How cute. But Ogie, I'll only do this when you post nonsense just to make a lame political attack.

[onlineslotetes]

No, I'm not counting on SS for retirement, but I think it would amount to outright theft for me not to get some of the promised money after being responsible for over 100s of thousands in contributions.

Sorry, rah. You got robbed.

[amagmasia]

Considering the fact you had decades to deal with the loss of your money...

[abOfU9nJ]

This is really only relevant because NPR is among the programs being targeted with loss of funding but when are people going to stop saying stupid things in public in an age when cameras are everywhere.