Here are a couple of smallish ideas to help deal with the Federal and Local budget issues. I'm not even going into the mire of Social Security, Medicaide and hospital subsidies.
1. Farm Subsidies: Our government provides $8 Billion is farm subsidies a year. Fully, 75% of those subsidies go to %10 of the farmers. Corporate farms receive $6 Billion a year in federal money. If we cut the corporate farm subsidy, the family farm would still receive help while corporations would have to make or break on their own.
2. Corporate Welfare: Our federal government provides approximately $92 Billion a year in corporate subsidies. Our Local/State governments provide an additional $45 Billion a year. Why are we providing limitless corporate welfare, when the reform passed in 1996 limits the benefits of private citizens?
These two ideas could save the Fed $98 Billion a year and our Local/State governments $45 Billion a year. I'm sure my readers have even more ideas and statistics.
I myself think that if the Federal Govt just legalized and taxed Marijuana like they already do with Alcohol/Tobacco/Firearms . It would solve a LOT of financial issues alone ..Imagine the Federal deficit being brought back to $0.00 .. Also Federal Taxes would go down across the board as well. It would also create at least half a million new jobs as well, if not more. Just my 2 cents. :)
ReplyDelete$42 Billion in enforcement costs plus $113 Billion in annual trade by typical 10% tax ratio on alcohol trade equals saving Fed/Local/State government $53.3 Billion. If you say that 20% of the $180 Billion lost to drug related medical costs is marijuana that's a loss of $36 Billion. It would still give the government $13.3 Billion towards the black. Not as much of a positive as the pro-marijuana folks say, nor is it the loss the anti-marijuana folks say.
ReplyDeleteSince only rich folks can afford to run anyway, all federal politicians, from the President down to the Senate & the House, should put their combined salaries, postal perqs, etc., towards the deficit. It'd only be a dent, but it'd be a big dent, an excellent example, and good p. r.
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