graham@convex.UUCP (08/18/84)
#N:convex:40500033:000:337
convex!graham Aug 17 16:31:00 1984
Federal deficit spending must be eliminated, agreed? Here's a modest proposal:
(spending allocation) = (budget request) * (tax revenue) / (budget total)
In other words, divide up the money proportionally. Everyone agency gets the
same percentage cut.
Marv Graham; Convex Computer Corp. {allegra,ihnp4,uiucdcs,ctvax}!convex!grahamward@hao.UUCP (Mike Ward) (08/20/84)
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How bout reducing the salaries of all elected officials by some
amount (Say, 25%) for each year there is a deficit. Let's see
how much they *really* want those votes.
--
Michael Ward, NCAR/SCD
UUCP: {hplabs,nbires,brl-bmd,seismo,menlo70,stcvax}!hao!sa!ward
ARPA: hplabs!hao!sa!ward@Berkeley
BELL: 303-497-1252
USPS: POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307bass@dmsd.UUCP (John Bass) (08/20/84)
I have that seen that work well before ... to the benifit of those who can pad their budgets the most ... proportional cuts DO NOT SOLVE ANYTHING when based on BUDGET REQUESTS. Get rid of unnecessary entitlement programs ... they are not rights but liberal vote buying tokens traded to the under-motivated during the last 60 years for power --- at the expense of those working to pay taxes. John Bass
daves@ios.UUCP (David B. Schnepper) (08/21/84)
>Federal deficit spending must be eliminated, agreed? Here's a modest proposal: > > (spending allocation) = (budget request) * (tax revenue) / (budget total) > >In other words, divide up the money proportionally. Everyone agency gets the >same percentage cut. > >Marv Graham; Convex Computer Corp. {allegra,ihnp4,uiucdcs,ctvax}!convex!graham I love it! A proposal that WILL work, and has a chance of being implemented. I believe one reason deficits continue year-to-year is that no president/ politician/congress (pick) is willing to make the tough political choices between different worthy causes. Cutting welfare hurts the poor, cutting Social Security hurts the old, cutting Defense hurts the Contractors & makes us less ready, etc, etc, etc. For the system to work, budget requests must still be reviewed (does your department really need XX MegaBucks? Or are you just padding it so you'll manage to get 90%*XX MegaBucks). But this is a great method for assuring that in the end the books will balance. It establishes the idea that a balanced budget is more important for the common good than each program/agency is for the good of specific segments of the population. Dave Schnepper ios!daves
graham@convex.UUCP (08/22/84)
#R:convex:40500033:convex:40500035:000:959 convex!graham Aug 22 09:51:00 1984 (spending allocation) = (budget request) * (tax revenue) / (budget total) > If spending allocation comes out less than necessary for survival, > (and it will, that's why we got the deficit) then what'll we do ? > Close the agency, or lay off 50% workers, or what ? I belieive that the "ratio" will be about .80; any agency which can't cut 20% from its spending would be closed. How they make the cut(s) is their business; making decisions is one of the things we pay the bureaucrats for. You may not know that a favorite exercise in many government agencies is deciding how to spend the remainder of their allocation for the year. If an agency doesn't spend all of its funds, its allocation for the next year is reduced by the amount unspent! Thus each September, there is a rush of spending on fancy office furniture (and other similar "necessary" items) in Washington. Marv Graham; Convex Computer Corp. {allegra,ihnp4,uiucdcs,ctvax}!convex!graham