04-13-2011, 11:18 PM
(04-13-2011, 09:27 PM)username Wrote: I don't want to pay more in taxes but I also don't think the answer is cutting education funding, foreign aid, research in to alternative energy resources or necessarily sticking it to seniors and the poor in Medicaid/Medicare.
Most people don't realize schools are funded 90% by their state/local taxes. The feds only kick in about 10% and that money is earmarked for special education. You aren't getting any education benefit k-12. The feds just make mandates (NCLB) that are UNFUNDED. Colleges also get a majority of their funding from state sources. Federal education dollars at the college level are mostly used for the very poor (Pell Grants). USDOE also makes LOANS that have to be repaid in full.
Companies will fund alternative energy research because they want the benefit of the patents/protected discoveries. Feds give grants to these companies, but most of the benefit is used first for military sources years before anything trickles down to local usage.
Let China take over our foreign aid obligations. They can afford it.
Medicaid/Medicare, entitlements, Social Security, and military spending account for over 70% of the budget. Obama hasn't cut any military spending, in fact, he is increasing it with our spending in Libya (yep, we are still paying for it as of today, go figure). We are going to have to 1.) actually end a war, or 2.) cut entitlements. Most disabled people (I said most, Queen Bee) in America are "emotionally disabled" due to their own abuse of alcohol and drugs. That shit should end NOW. If you fry your brain, tough shit.