America is at a tipping point. Federal spending now exceeds tax revenues by $1.6 trillion a year. That means 40 percent of what Washington spends is borrowed. Washington must make drastic budget cuts now to preserve our freedom and prosperity.
The current debate over the debt limit and the 2012 budget gives conservatives an opportunity to make the case for restraining the debt—and for real cuts in federal spending.
Although many Washington politicians may be afraid to cut, you don’t have to be! Choose a cut to each of the following five wasteful federal departments or programs, and we will share responses with lawmakers and urge them to take control of federal spending before it’s too late:
Annual budget: $121 billion
Summary: Since the department’s creation in 1979, trillions of tax dollars have yielded declining test scores as American education has fallen behind many other countries. One expert recently testified: “It now costs three times as much to provide essentially the same education as we provided in 1970.” The more we spend, the less we get.
2012 budget: $5 billion
Summary: In the next decade, Obamacare adds $1 trillion in new health care spending, which will balloon the federal deficit by $500 billion and produce a crushing tax burden. But even after one year, Obamacare is already cited responsible for increases in insurance premiums, dropped coverage, and job loss.
Amount budgeted: $827 billion total
Summary: The stimulus not only didn’t reduce unemployment, as the President and Congress promised, but much of the money is being wasted. One project spent $500,000 and didn’t even create two jobs! Much of the money remains unspent—which means it can still be cut!
Annual budget for welfare and entitlements: More than $2 trillion
Summary: Washington bureaucracies are filled with preventable fraud, error, and theft. Example: Each year, 22 million Americans receive checks of up to $4,700 through the Earned Income Tax Credit, and almost one-third of these claims are fraudulent. Ten thousand or more dead people also received “stimulus” checks from Social Security. Medicare inefficiencies and fraud are even worse.
Amount budgeted: $244 billion
Summary: Federal workers average 30 to 40 percent more in salaries and wages than equivalently skilled workers in the private sector and they receive roughly three times the basic benefits, more job security, repayment of student loans, and more days off.
Submit your proposed savings on these five programs to The Heritage Foundation, and we will share it with members of Congress! Your input will support our case for cuts in other programs.
In addition, we will e-mail you a copy of your answers so you can share them with friends—and invite them to submit their cuts to Washington.
Together, we can speak with a bigger voice!
http://www.askheritage.org/how-would-yo … 2011_Brand
