What entitlement programs would you cut, and how much would it save?

[TheAnvil 0]

You're not even on the same order of magnitude when comparing the two. Do a bit of research.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[TheAnvil 0]

I disagree. They ARE possible. It will just take some very, very courageous politicians to do that.

Congressional retirement system is another thing to cut immediately. Cut the retirement benefit by 50% at least. It's an obscenity.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[kelpdiver 2]

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You're not even on the same order of magnitude when comparing the two. Do a bit of research.

sounds like you volunteered.

[kallend 2,027]

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I disagree. They ARE possible. It will just take some very, very courageous suicidal politicians to do that.

The boomers have been paying for their benefits for 4 decades. No-way anyone, D or R, is going to take those benefits away and piss off that demographic.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[chadkal 0]

This is easy.... Cut all programs back to $0.00!!!!!
There should be no entitlement programs. These are the problem,... eveybody seems to think that they are entitled to something,...WRONG!!!!! The federal government should be taking care of 2 things. National defense and infastructure. Outside of that, there should be no federal funding. Now when you remove all the federal agencies that have no business in existence we save tons of money,.... and I hate to break it to some of you but that leaves money to increase funds for defense. Some of you need to read the constitution and the letters of our founding fathers and see what this country was based on.

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I am a greek midget

[quade 4]

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The federal government should be taking care of 2 things. National defense and infastructure. Outside of that, there should be no federal funding. Now when you remove all the federal agencies that have no business in existence we save tons of money,.... and I hate to break it to some of you but that leaves money to increase funds for defense. Some of you need to read the constitution and the letters of our founding fathers and see what this country was based on.

Two things? Are you sure? Let's look at the very first few words of THE document that is our country;

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We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

So . . . let's see . . . the government's business is;

" . . . in order to form a more perfect union . . . "
To try to make itself better. Ok, I think we can probably agree to that one. The government should be constantly be working to do that.

"establish justice"
Hmmm, they're going to have to make a few laws to make sure people don't take advantage of one another.

"insure domestic tranquility"
Hmmm, yeah, rioting in the streets IS probably a bad idea, so, maybe a few cops aren't a horrible idea not just for this but the previous thing too.

"provide for the common defense"
Ok, yep, we do kinda need a military.

"promote the general welfare"
Oh oh . . . looks like we're going to need some schools, hospitals, roads, fire departments. We probably want the FDA in there to make sure the quacks don't sell us snake oil. We probably DO want to take care of homeless folks due to disasters, hell probably people too old to work too. (list kinda goes on and on)

See it's that pesky "promote the general welfare" part you seem to have glossed over. That's a hell of a lot of jobs the government does that actually are kind of important.

I realize you said "infrastructure" but our government does need to go beyond just infrastructure. Ironically, a huge number of infrastructure issues are NOT carried out by the government at all, but by businesses; electrical and gas services, telephones, internet, radio, television, air traffic control . . . that said, the government does need to regulate all of these and more because without regulation, industry always does what it does best, looks out for ITSELF and not the national interests.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[chadkal 0]

maybe you need you go back and reread that first line or more specificlly the first 3 words. "we the people" it does not say the government needs to provide for the people.

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I am a greek midget

[quade 4]

Maybe you need to understand that The People and The Government are one in the same.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[chadkal 0]

not exactly,... the government is a necesary evil as described by our founding fathers, and should have a very limitted amount of power. The constitution is a document that does not give people rights. It is a document that says we have these rights and they were given to us by God, the government will not be allowed to take them away. Or founding fathers understood the dangers of a government with power and wanted to ensure that such a thing would not occur. Unfortunately we have greatly strayed from what we were intended to be. To get back to where we should be goes back to the original question and topic. Cut all things that the federal gov. was never intended to be involved in.

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I am a greek midget

[lawrocket 3]

Paul:

Your post would make more sense if the Constitution said "provide" for the general welfare. It doesn't, which is why programs to "provide" the general welfare didn't exist for the first 100 or so years.

Back in the 1800's people went west. Had the climate been the same they would have gone west if they got federal grant money. On the downside, they wouldn't have slaughtered the natives today, either. They would have gambled away the grant money at the Sitting Bull Casino and Resort.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[kelpdiver 2]

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Back in the 1800's people went west. Had the climate been the same they would have gone west if they got federal grant money.

homesteaders were given land - 40 acres, right?

[quade 4]

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The constitution is a document that does not give people rights. It is a document that says we have these rights and they were given to us by God . . .

WHAT?!? I defy you to find the word "God" anywhere in the Constitution.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[kelpdiver 2]

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The boomers have been paying for their benefits for 4 decades. No-way anyone, D or R, is going to take those benefits away and piss off that demographic.

It's not just about pissing off a demographic, it's a demonstration that the US won't meet its commitments.

[chadkal 0]

I was not quoting the constitution, I was explaining it. Our founding fathers had reasons for writing what they did. Everything was very well thought out, and God played a large role in it. If you don't think so, read the first paragraph of the declaration of independence.

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I am a greek midget

[quade 4]

Oh . . . Kay . . .


(Paul slowly backs away from his keyboard before he reads any more drivel and his head explodes.)

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[kallend 2,027]

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I was not quoting the constitution, I was explaining it. Our founding fathers had reasons for writing what they did. Everything was very well thought out, and God played a large role in it. If you don't think so, read the first paragraph of the declaration of independence.

The Declaration of Independence is NOT the Constitution.

You wrote:
"The constitution is a document that does not give people rights. It is a document that says we have these rights and they were given to us by God . ."

And that is simply not correct. The Constitution says nothing of the sort.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[chadkal 0]

once again.... I did not say that the constitution said that,... I was explaning the writing of it, and if you read all of the documents of the founding fathers, you would know that God did play a role in what this country is based on. But we are getting way of topic. Regardless if you believe the whole role of God or not does not change That nowhere in any document of the founding fathers is there anything about the people being entitled.

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I am a greek midget

[kallend 2,027]

"The constitution is a document that does not give people rights. It is a document that says we have these rights and they were given to us by God

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once again.... I did not say that the constitution said that,... I was explaning the writing of it, and if you read all of the documents of the founding fathers, you would know that God did play a role in what this country is based on. But we are getting way of topic. Regardless if you believe the whole role of God or not does not change That nowhere in any document of the founding fathers is there anything about the people being entitled.

Sure. If you say so

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The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[chadkal 0]

arguing over grammatical errors does not change the facts. I was speaking of intent,..and I thought that was pretty clear. I said I was not quoting I was explaining the writing,and when you read the rest of the documents along with the constitution the intent becomes very clear.

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I am a greek midget

[quade 4]

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arguing over grammatical errors does not change the facts.

Well, I guess lawyers are out of a job then . . .

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[chadkal 0]

lol no but they should be

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I am a greek midget

[quade 4]

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I was explaining the writing,and when you read the rest of the documents along with the constitution the intent becomes very clear.

Actually, no. That's not the way it works at all. The US Constitution is THE only thing that really can be taken into consideration. It's not exactly like they said, "Hey guys! We're going to write a bunch of stuff based on a bunch of other stuff and you have to have all the documents together and try to guess what we really meant by looking at them all."

No.

The US Constitution is a well crafted and self contained document that needs no additional documents to be referred to in any way, shape or form. IF the original writers of the US Constitution wanted to say "God" they had quite a bit of time to do it. Further, they had quite a bit more time to add it to the next ten amendments and well over 200 years more to sneak it in somewhere in the following amendments.

"God" is not in the US Constitution by design.

The entire idea that this country was founded by people for religious purposes is absurd. This country was founded for financial reasons. Were there a few people that fled to the US to escape religious persecution? Sure. But the majority of them came here to get rich. Ok, about 10% came not of their own free will, sure, but the vast majority of their Masters came here with the express purposes of making money starting with the "discovery" of the continent and the subsequent settling of Jamestown.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[chadkal 0]

I would like to repeat

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God did play a role in what this country is based on. But we are getting way of topic. Regardless if you believe the whole role of God or not does not change that nowhere in any document of the founding fathers is there anything about the people being entitled.

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I am a greek midget

[quade 4]

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Paul:

Your post would make more sense if the Constitution said "provide" for the general welfare. It doesn't, which is why programs to "provide" the general welfare didn't exist for the first 100 or so years.

Back in the 1800's people went west. Had the climate been the same they would have gone west if they got federal grant money. On the downside, they wouldn't have slaughtered the natives today, either. They would have gambled away the grant money at the Sitting Bull Casino and Resort.

Counselor -

Would you say that the US Constitution is a historical document, fixed and immutable for all time or one that, by design, allows for interpretation and modification?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[grimmie 186]

I get confused sometimes too with the US Constitution, Ten Commandments and the Declaration of Independence. It's hard to keep straight which one God gave us.