If you could stop federal spending on one thing...

[nelms]

I would overhaul the federal tax system and eliminate the IRS.

[chomerics]

I would venture to say if you cut the defense budget by 50%, you wouldn't have to worry about cutting other areas of the government because it wouldn't be here very long.

Sarge, this is completely false and pretty funny if you really think like that. If you cut our bloated military budget of $455Billion dollars by 50%, we would STILL be spending more then the next 10 highest military spending countries combined.

As for veterans affairs, that is a debt that this country owes people who give the best years of their lives, or in some case bits and pieces of themselves or their lives, in defense of the country.

This country owes those guys big time

Well, if this is your view, why do you support republicans? They have always had Lucky's view on the VA. If you don't believe me, look at the amendments which were for funding the VA because there was a $2billion dollar budget gap. Every democrat voted to fund the VA, and every republican voted against it.

On adding $2.8Billion in VA funding

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/L...on=1&vote=00055

On Adding $2Billion to VA funding

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/L...on=1&vote=00090

[chomerics]

I would overhaul the federal tax system and eliminate the IRS.

Let me guess, you are for a "flat tax" right?

[nelms]

Let me guess, you are for a "flat tax" right?

Not sure. I like the simplicity of it. I'd like to see other alternatives on the table as well, including a consumption tax.

The bottom line is the current tax system is broken. What I would like to see with any revamped tax system is tax elimination for the poor. Why put a tax burden on a class of society that doesn't need the boot of the federal government keeping them from moving up?

[Prosperity]

If it is one thing it would be defense (this would cut spending and maybe cut down on pointless overseas conflicts we are involved in), because it is really big and obvious but if it was several then I would put a bunch of smaller things in front of it like farm subsidies, or any subsidy of any industry, aid to foreign countries (Israel tops that list) social security, education (leave it to states)etc... This is just the top of my head.

[Art Monk Fan]

I'd cut the entire Dept. of Education. Education should be administered and funded locally. Shoveling federal dollars at the education system has only deepened the morass.

[Destino]

Paying famers not to grow....has to go.

Giving tax dollars to big business so that they can continue to make bad decisions and stay in business....that has to go too.

Also the government needs to stop comanies from making a low bid to get a contract and then going way over budget after they are awarded it. If someone did that to any of us we'd consider legal action.

[SKINS/HOOS]

I would get rid of all of the gov't employees who do nothing for 8 hrs a day. And believe me there are plenty of them. On the down side, welfare would have to be increased because most of them couldn't hold a job anywhere else.

[Art Monk Fan]

I would get rid of all of the gov't employees who do nothing for 8 hrs a day. And believe me there are plenty of them. On the down side, welfare would have to be increased because most of them couldn't hold a job anywhere else.

I wonder how many folks posting here right now are doing so from their government office?

[SILKYSMOOTH21]

police and fire departments

[chomerics]

I wonder how many folks posting here right now are doing so from their government office?

Guilty as charged Actually, I'm at home now, playing sick as it is 80 degrees outside. . . Besides, as a government employee, I get 33 days off a year not counting holidays, so I might as well use them

[chomerics]

I'd cut the entire Dept. of Education. Education should be administered and funded locally. Shoveling federal dollars at the education system has only deepened the morass.

What about college? Do you think this should be funded locally, or does a government have a responsibility to its citizens to at least make education a possibility for the underprivilaged.

[Art Monk Fan]

What about college? Do you think this should be funded locally, or does a government have a responsibility to its citizens to at least make education a possibility for the underprivilaged.

Primary and secondary education should be improved and college should be rolled back. A bachelor's degree used to mean something, but now it only means the difference between fry cook and shift manager at McDonald's. Dumbing down every level of education to puff up the number of "educated" Americans does no one any good.

Not everyone should go to college, nor do they need to. It's become more of an experience or a rite of passage to go screw around for four years and get drunk a lot -- not that either of those is a bad thing by themselves.

I went to undergrad on scholarship and worked as many as four part-time jobs at a time and graduated in four years with two majors and a minor. Those who belong yet lack the means will still attend -- we're subsidizing too many who are going for all the wrong reasons.

[Kilmer17]

Social Security, Medicaid/medicare.

[Destino]

Primary and secondary education should be improved and college should be rolled back. A bachelor's degree used to mean something, but now it only means the difference between fry cook and shift manager at McDonald's. Dumbing down every level of education to puff up the number of "educated" Americans does no one any good.

Not everyone should go to college, nor do they need to. It's become more of an experience or a rite of passage to go screw around for four years and get drunk a lot -- not that either of those is a bad thing by themselves.

I went to undergrad on scholarship and worked as many as four part-time jobs at a time and graduated in four years with two majors and a minor. Those who belong yet lack the means will still attend -- we're subsidizing too many who are going for all the wrong reasons.

I disagree. I think you are failing to account for the changing economy and job market in the United States that has driven the change in educational focus. We are moving to a more service centered society then we were previously. As the trend continues so does the demand for a more highly educated and capable work force.

[Art Monk Fan]

I disagree. I think you are failing to account for the changing economy and job market in the United States that has driven the change in educational focus. We are moving to a more service centered society then we were previously. As the trend continues so does the demand for a more highly educated and capable work force.

You make a vaild point...

...if you consider our work force more highly educated and capable. The problem is, we've got high school graduates who can't find the U.S. on a map and college graduates who aren't much better. Having graded college freshman essays, l've been left wondering how some of them got into a college, and how others are able to get out of their own homes in the morning.

[Riggo-toni]

Farm subsidies.

Sarge, NEA's cost is a pittance. I'd end it too, but it wouldn't be first on my list.

djtj - raising capital gains hurts the middle class as well. Don't you have a 401k or a mutual fund? More importantly, it would actually reduce tax revenues and damage the economy. Venture capital is the lifeblood of American entrepeneurship. Don't buy into all the class-warfare b.s.

[Destino]

You make a vaild point...

...if you consider our work force more highly educated and capable. The problem is, we've got high school graduates who can't find the U.S. on a map and college graduates who aren't much better. Having graded college freshman essays, l've been left wondering how some of them got into a college, and how others are able to get out of their own homes in the morning.

On your last point we agree. The level of education highschool graduates have is not very impressive by any standards. I didn't graduate that long ago (97) but I remember sitting in 12th grade English class when the teacher would go right down the rows asking each person to read a paragraph aloud. There were at least 10 students in a class of 30 that had to sound out words and you could tell that they could barely read. These weren't second language students either. It was sad.

I've always thought the smaller class sizes and weaker standards have been the wrong way to go. Larger class sizes allow for fewer higher paid and more capable teachers. Set the standards high and have staff that is tasked with finding the kids having trouble keeping up and giving extra help. That way you can ask a lot, allow the teacher to focus on the work, and still support those that need targetted help. But hey, the teachers are in a union and parents don't want a system that could expose their kids as being less the normal (needing extra help).

[Skinsfan1311]

I'm not so good at politics, and as informed as I probably should be....having said that....so....if foreign aid is considered federal spending....then I'd stop it dead in it's tracks and concentrate on aiding AMERICANS...

[bcl05]

1. Anything "faith-based." I really don't want to live in a theocracy, and its a slippery slope.

2. Gas subsidies. Force people to change wasteful behavior. Transfer spending into alternative energy source development.

3. Farm subsidies. It just doesn't make sense.

[chomerics]

Not sure. I like the simplicity of it. I'd like to see other alternatives on the table as well, including a consumption tax.

The bottom line is the current tax system is broken. What I would like to see with any revamped tax system is tax elimination for the poor. Why put a tax burden on a class of society that doesn't need the boot of the federal government keeping them from moving up?

Here is a tax system set up by democrats. It simplifies everything in the tax code, and eliminated loopholes. Here is the gist.

3 tax brackets 0-25, 25-120, 120+

The tax reates are as follows 15%, 25%, 39.6% (Clinton's tax rate)

Elimiate AMT tax

25% across the board tax credit for retirement

Eliminate the marriage penalty

Eliminating the personal contribution to SSI, thus giving people back all their SSI taken out of the salary (I disagree with this)

Eliminating the business side cap at 90K (again, I disagree)

Tax ALL money with the same scale. Dividends, Capitol Gains, Wages etc. In other words, tax all passive income at the same rate as active income. (Passive income is income which is not earned by working)

Some decient ideas, and some I don't like, but overall, it is a MUCH better system for people making under 120K then we have today. This much is inarguable.

http://www.americanprogress.org/atf/cf/%7BE9245FE4-9A2B-43C7-A521-5D6FF2E06E03%7D/PPP_TAX_SUM.pdf

A Fair and Simple Tax System for our Future: A Progressive Approach to Tax Reform As a nation, we have established certain fundamental priorities: protecting the safety, security, and health of our citizens; ensuring the right to a world class education; providing vital public services; and preserving the dignity of our elderly and all those who take responsibility for their lives.

The challenge of tax policy is to generate resources to support these priorities in a way that is consistent with three basic principles: fairness, simplicity, and opportunity.

Unfortunately, our tax code has diverged far from these principles in recent years. The tax share has shifted away from those who can best afford to pay and onto the middle class. Corporations have largely been able to avoid their obligation to pay taxes, in part by shifting operations overseas. The result is an increased reliance on a regressive payroll tax, which falls most heavily on lower- and middle-income taxpayers.

We propose a comprehensive tax reform plan to restore fairness, simplicity, and opportunity to our tax system while generating the resources necessary to meet our nation’s commitments. Overall, the plan will reduce taxes for about 70 percent of tax filers earning under $200,000 a year, providing an average tax cut of over $600. Most of those making more that $200,000 a year will likely see an increase relative to current tax policy. The plan is fiscally responsible, reducing the deficit by nearly $500 billion over 10 years.

Restoring Fairness: After four years of policies that have shifted the tax share onto work and the middle class, hardworking families need real reform that increases after-tax incomes without bankrupting our economy. We propose fundamentally changing our tax structure in three ways:

• Tax Each Source of Income the Same. Each source of income – whether from dividends, capital gains, wages, or salaries – should be taxed according to the same progressive rate structure. This would reverse the radical direction of our current tax system, and it would ensure that a nurse or firefighter who receives his or her income through hourly work would not face a higher average tax rate than a wealthy investment banker who receives passive income from accumulated or inherited wealth.

• Reduce the Dependence on Regressive Payroll Taxes. The payroll tax has played an important role in our tax system by providing revenue to meet our nation’s commitment to retirees. Yet the payroll tax is also among the most regressive in our overall tax system. We propose removing the employee component of the Social Security payroll tax, immediately reducing by 6.2 percent the tax rate all Americans pay on the first $90,000 of earnings. At the same time, we propose removing the cap on the payroll taxes paid by employers, making income above the current cap subject to the employer-side tax, thus making the remaining payroll tax less regressive. To maintain our full commitment to financing Social Security, we would dedicate a portion of general revenues to the Social Security trust fund. By setting aside 2.25 percent of gross domestic product per year, we would solidify the financial status of the Social Security system – closing half of the current long-run shortfall – but in a fairer, more sustainable manner.

• Enhance the Take-Home Pay of Lower-Income Taxpayers. We also propose two specific reforms that are needed to raise the take-home pay of the lowest income earners in the country. First, to ensure that single working parents who currently receive the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) do not risk losing that benefit if they marry, we propose altering the tax code to eliminate this disincentive to marriage. Second, we would reduce the income threshold for the receipt of the Child Tax Credit to $5,000 and eliminate inflation indexing. Over time this would increase the number of people who would receive the full benefit from the credit.

Simplifying the Tax Code: Recent tax policy changes have increased the complexity of our system while shifting the tax share to middle-class taxpayers. We would reverse this trend with three reforms:

• Reduce the Number of Income Tax Brackets. In addition to taxing each source of income equally, we would cut the number of income tax brackets in half, establishing a simpler, more progressive three-rate structure with rates at 15 percent, 25 percent, and 39.6 percent. The three tax rates would apply to brackets of taxable income of $0 to $25,000; $25,001 to $120,000; and $120,001 and above. These brackets would be indexed for inflation. The standard deduction would be raised slightly to $10,000 for a married couple and also indexed for inflation.

• Close Corporate and Individual Loopholes. The complexity of the corporate income tax is hurting our competitiveness and encouraging companies to shift production overseas. By broadening the base of the corporate tax structure we can enhance the overall efficiency of the system, keep rates at relatively low levels, and increase revenues. By closing some of the most egregious loopholes, we would also ensure that our tax code no longer offers affirmative incentives for wealthy individuals to shelter taxable income or for corporations to shift production outside the United States.

• Eliminate the Need for the Alternative Minimum Tax. If left in place under the current system, the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) will impact 36 million Americans by 2010. By overhauling the entire income tax code and eliminating personal income tax loopholes that are currently limited by the AMT, we would eliminate the need for an AMT, and thus address, in a fiscally responsible manner, an important tax challenge facing our country over the next decade. Increasing Economic Opportunity: Unlike the old, failed right-wing supply-side policies, this plan embodies a new progressive growth strategy based on restoring fiscal discipline and expanding savings incentives to the middle class.

• Restore Fiscal Discipline. Restoring confidence and economic growth requires addressing the record deficits generated under the Bush administration, while keeping our country safe and meeting our commitments to our seniors. We would put our country back on a path toward closing our fiscal gap, thus increasing confidence in our economic future and allowing for productivity-enhancing investments in education and research that are keys to our nation’s economic success.

• Offer Tens of Millions of Americans New Opportunities to Save and Create Wealth for Retirement. Today, our tax system is upside-down when it comes to offering incentives to save and create wealth for retirement. Because all retirement savings incentives are provided through up-front tax deductions, higher income individuals are given generous benefits to save while lower-income individuals are given little or no benefit. We propose leaving intact all aspects of our current retirement savings structure, including IRAs and 401(k) contribution limits and non-discrimination rules. However, we propose to do away with the upside-down deduction-based incentive and replace it with an across-the-board 25 percent refundable tax credit for retirement savings. For the 33 million Americans who currently have no income tax liability and hence receive no tax incentives to save, this reform would, for the first time, offer a generous incentive to build for retirement. In addition, in order to encourage long-term savings, we would allow those with incomes under $1 million to exempt a portion of their long-held appreciated assets – up to 50 percent – from capital gains taxation.

Overall, our fiscally responsible proposal would make the tax system fairer and less complex, would efficiently raise additional revenue, and would provide higher after-tax incomes for millions of taxpayers. Our great nation deserves a sound tax system that enhances economic growth and allows everyone to benefit from the remarkable success of the American economy.

Now, I'm just wiating to see if Lucky grows some horns, a tail and tries to off me :laugh:

[Predicto]

Hard to choose just one.

I think I wuld eliminate Medicaid and Medicare and start over, replace it with a single payer national health system that was not run by (and for the benifit of) insurance companies, pharmaseutical companies and lawyers. Ultimate cost would probably be the same, but the money wuld actually be spend on health care rather than paperwork and multiple level corporate profiteering.

If you are talking about simply cutting something without replacing it at all, I would go with farming, mining, and logging subsidies. None of those can be justified in the least.

[Guest Gichin13]

The bridge to the 50 person island for $250 million in Alaska. That would be an excellent starting place.

[Predicto]

Oh wait - what am I thinking?????

I would eliminate those ten guys in the FBI that are going after the porn industry! Highest priority!

[SkinInsite]

Oh wait - what am I thinking?????

I would eliminate those ten guys in the FBI that are going after the porn industry! Highest priority!

****!!!!

Won't you let us work in peace.