Poll: Appropriate Federal Expenditures (public)

[Mass_SkinsFan]

We've been talking a lot about taxes, government spending, the bailouts and other associated topics recently around here so I thought it might be very interesting to see what people felt really WERE appropriate things for the Federal Government to be spending money on.

The poll is PUBLIC and allows for MULTIPLE selections.

Here's the legend for the choices:

Agriculture Support: Support of private agro-business

Business Support: Support of private businesses in general

Disaster Relief: Relief for domestic areas hit by natural disasters

Economic Stimulus: Support for and bail out of the US Economy

Education: Public education

Environmental Issues: self-explainatory

Foreign Governments: Support for foreign governments

Health & Wellness: nationalized health care and federal spending on other health programs including Medicade and MediCare

International Aid: Aid to the citizenry of foreign lands, especially in times of natural disaster

International Military: International military groups and US involvement in them (NATO, UN, etc....)

Interstate Roads: The interstate highway system

Local Roads: Local and state roads not part of the interstate highway system

Military (Domestic): The US military

Postal System: The United States Postal Service

Public Infastructure: Public buildings and infastructure including public transportation, excluding roads

Scientific Research: Financing private scientific research

Social Equality: Equal rights protections, quotas, etc...

Social Security: The Social Security Adminstration

Unemployment: Unemployment insurance

Welfare: Social welfare programs not covered under other items

Other: Self-Explainatory

[dockeryfan]

I actually think these could all be appropriate. The Federal govt exists to ensure the public safety and well being of its citizens. Every one of those could be appropriate in certain instances.

scratch that. Local roads is not one.

[GibbsFactor]

I actually think these could all be appropriate. The Federal govt exists to ensure the public safety and well being of its citizens. Every one of those could be appropriate in certain instances.

scratch that. Local roads is not one.

That's not what our Constitution says.

I voted for:

Disaster Relief

Interstate

Postal System

Domestic Military

Infrastructure on a Federal scale.

I suppose Social Security could be on there since it exists and we have no other stop gap at the moment. But that's it.

[JMS]

That's not what our Constitution says.

I voted for:

Disaster Relief

Interstate

Postal System

Domestic Military

Infrastructure on a Federal scale.

I suppose Social Security could be on there since it exists and we have no other stop gap at the moment. But that's it.

Sure it does...

The federal governments role is to protect and regulate the marketplace as well as foster economic develope... To that end, it has acted in our best interests to help build the largest strongest economy in the world. We would not be such, with out the government filing this role.

What we are seeing today is most of the crises we've faced are teh cause of overzealous deregulation.

[28rdsknsfn28]

I think the Postal service is self sufficient, they get no money from taxes.

I also feel that many of these should get ASSISTANCE from the federal government but not be 100% funded.

[ACW]

I think "regulate" meant "make regular," i.e. no interstate tariffs. I only go by what the Const. allows: domestic defense, Post Office (probably not necessary, but at least allowed by the Constitution) (probably should've also voted for public infrastructure), scientific research (borderline; at least patents and such though), and the catchall "other."

[@DCGoldPants]

Love the percentages. They add up to 1075.01%

[GibbsFactor]

I just can't believe that 8.5% of ESers hate the post office.

[JMS]

I think "regulate" meant "make regular," i.e. no interstate tariffs. I only go by what the Const. allows: domestic defense, Post Office (probably not necessary, but at least allowed by the Constitution) (probably should've also voted for public infrastructure), scientific research (borderline; at least patents and such though), and the catchall "other."

The constitution says the government is supposed to

"promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." (Preamble)...

One would think that regulating the economy and ensuring the wheels don't fly off while we are taking a slight turn would fall under "promote the general Welfare".

I think folks who want to literally read the constitition and avoid things like thinking and reasoning are the disciples of the folks responsible for our mess.

[PleaseBlitz]

Love the percentages. They add up to 1075.01%

Sounds about right.

[PeterMP]

I have no problem with the goverment funding any of these things some times under certain conditions, hence, I checked them all.

[FanboyOf91]

For other: Federal court system.

Funding interstate roads is a defacto subsidy to the states for local roads.

Unemployment, since job retraining can be a *****.

Disaster relief is a form of economic stimulus and business support.

Scientific research, since that ARPANET project could be worth something...

[Midnight Judges]

I have no problem with the goverment funding any of these things some times under certain conditions, hence, I checked them all.

Me too. I have no problem with these expenditures unless they are taken to the extreme or abused.

[SnyderShrugged]

The constitution says the government is supposed to

"promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." (Preamble)...

One would think that regulating the economy and ensuring the wheels don't fly off while we are taking a slight turn would fall under "promote the general Welfare".

I think folks who want to literally read the constitition and avoid things like thinking and reasoning are the disciples of the folks responsible for our mess.

Congress's powers are enumerated in Section Eight:

Section 8: The Congress shall have power

To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;

To establish post offices and post roads;

To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;

To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

To provide and maintain a navy;

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings;—And

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution

everything else is suppossed to be the province of the state and local

[Predicto]

I have no problem with the goverment funding any of these things some times under certain conditions, hence, I checked them all.

Same here.

[GibbsFactor]

Well damn, if it was up to you people that voted in this poll, we'd be broke.

Wait...

Nevermind.

:doh:

[skinfan133]

That's not what our Constitution says.

I voted for:

Disaster Relief

Interstate

Postal System

Domestic Military

Infrastructure on a Federal scale.

I suppose Social Security could be on there since it exists and we have no other stop gap at the moment. But that's it.

I voted for all of that minus social security and plus scientific research. Article I sec. 8 specifically authorizes spending of this nature

[SnyderShrugged]

I voted for all of that minus social security and plus scientific research. Article I sec. 8 specifically authorizes spending of this nature

I dont think that scientific research was part of it, only protecting their rights to their discoveries.:2cents:

"To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries; "

[skinfan133]

I dont think that scientific research was part of it, only protecting their rights to their discoveries.:2cents:

"To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries; "

perhaps not, but that is something I would like to see included in the constitution. sadly its an amendment that will never be passed since it will change so little and do absolutly nothing under our current government.

[2006Skins]

No wonder the budget is out of wack

I think that tax incentives should be used more than the government doing a lot of the work. Many of the advancements came from private enterprises, not big government. I also think a lot of the duties should be passed to the states to take care of, like road, infrastructure, equality etc. The federal government should be a centerpiece to fall back on from the states, not the folks who run every aspect of our daily living.

As far as the economy, I really think that the more the federal government messes with the economy, the more trouble we get in. The economy is about checks and balances. The government throws things off balance when they start nudging things and telling people what to spend.

Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.

Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.

-Ronald Reagan

[JMS]

Congress's powers are enumerated in Section Eight:

everything else is suppossed to be the province of the state and local

Wrong.... there are abstract responsibilities stated in the constitution and the federal government and the constitution are flexible enough to allow the government to pursue those goals....

If you were right, which you aren't... Their would never have been a federal reserve, or an income tax, or a civil war. Hell for that matter we'd all be back living on a farm and there would only be 3 million people in the country.

The reality is the constitution has always been interpreted even by those who claim you shouldn't interpret it.

It's just brain dead to assume that if it isn't mentioned in the constitution the government can't pursue it. Cause that's clearly not the reality we live in. Now if you want to claim the government shouldn't do these things.... You are living in a dream world, America is thousands of times better off by having a competent government in partnership to "promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty" for it's citizens. It's when the government fails to act in a responsible manor that we the citizens get hosed.

[PokerPacker]

I only said "yes" to seven things, and they happen to be the 7 highest-voted programs.

edit: and if federal government is to fund education, it must be no-strings-attached.

[Mister Happy]

I checked "Other."

I think we need to spend $2 million to study the mating habits of crabs.