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2011-02-08 Home Front: Politix

Paul Ryan to lock in cap on discretionary spending

I still can't recall seeing anywhere any kind of a plan to start systematically pruning government. Do we need an EPA? If we do, does it have to be the size and rapacity it is? Do we need a Department of Education? Why didn't we need one before 1979? Assuming we need it, which I doubt, does it have to be the cumbersome size and weight it is?

How about National Public Radio? It's not the Voice of the U.S. Government, which would kinda sorta be its justification for existence, so why do we all have to support the muppets and All Things Considered? Has the Head Start program ever actually given anyone a head start, or has it only provided a federally funded baby sitting service? What does the Appalachian Regional Commission actually do? Could the functions of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry be carried out by the CDC?

Whatever happened to the President's Council on Physical Fitness? I'll tell you what happened: it's still around. It has a web site with the face of a smiling young girl of undetermined ethnicity eating a whole wheat sandwich and some old folks hiking. Do we need to pay for it, as we've been paying for it every year since 1956? Since we're all accused of being morbidly obese it probably hasn't been all that effective, has it?

Government has been growing casually over the years. Why is the Defense Department larger today than it was when we were fighting the Germans and the Japanese? Does the Department of Labor need to employ umpty thousand lawyers?

All these questions and more barge into my mind every time I hear the word "trillion." I'm wondering why the politicians aren't thinking the same things.

House Budget Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is expected to enter into the congressional record a cap on discretionary spending as promised by House Republcians prior to the election. From National Journal:

The cuts will be part of legislation, which will be unveiled as soon as Thursday, that will fund the remainder of the fiscal year. The current continuing resolution expires March 4, and the House is expected to vote on the Appropriations Committee package next week.

House Republicans pledged during the run-up to the midterm elections to roll back nonsecurity discretionary spending to levels equivalent to fiscal 2008, which amounts to roughly $100 billion less than requested in President Obama's fiscal 2011 budget. The $1.055 trillion represents a $73.6 billion cut from Obama's request, according to House Appropriations Committee data.

Ryan and other Republicans have promised more cuts in the future.

What's most remarkable about this, however, is that they had to get a rule that would allow the chairman to set such a cap. By placing a spending limit out of reach of those who would want to tear it down, Republicans hope the rule will stick. Rep. Hal Rogers, who became chairman of the appropriations committee despite general concern about his willingness to appropriate, is also tearing into spending:

Under the spending plan unveiled last week by Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., $42.6 billion would be cut from nonsecurity discretionary spending, while $7.6 billion would be added to security spending, for a net cut of $34.98 billion from current levels.

One can't help but wonder when they're going to start making excuses for ramping that spending back up.

Posted by DarthVader 2011-02-08 10:50|| || Front Page|| [11133 views ] Top

#1 The mod that put in the yellow part of the article (Fred?) makes some good points.

I think this is just managing what was already passed and dealing with the now before setting up the next budget. However, I would love to see a systematic plan from the Republicans on exactly how they are going to prune the spending.

We have more departments than ever and they constantly do little more than make the rest of our lives even more complicated and expensive.

More and more stories of corruption and incompetence from all agencies are coming out and expect to see that this is only the tip of the iceberg (see ATF running guns to Mexico for starters).

Get a plan guys, for now it just looks like a guy with a hedge trimmer whacking at the overgrown shrubbery, but there needs to be a plan for getting rid of the plants that you just don't need, take up space and suck up all of your fertilizer and water at the expense of your garden.

Posted by DarthVader 2011-02-08 12:28|| 2011-02-08 12:28|| Front Page Top

#2 The mod that put in the yellow part of the article (Fred?) makes some good points.

That is indeed Fred.

Posted by trailing wife 2011-02-08 17:43|| 2011-02-08 17:43|| Front Page Top

#3 In the 'real world' such departments or organizations would have to justify their existence once in a while and point to some actual, measurable, and dependable, results (as in Revenue or benefit to their clients).

What has the Department of Education actually produced? By all accounts our kids are dumber than ever (and definately dumber than most of the rest of the planet). Seems to me that the DOE's main accomplishment is to dumb down the American student.

Ditto for Energy - the Department Of Energy's main purpose is to stifle any and all means of domestic energy generation.

Homeland Security is more interested in groping as many men and women (both comely and ugly) as possible at the Airports than actually securing our wide open southern border.

And Don't get me started on the EPA - who's main focus recently seems to be crying over spilled milk and regulating cow farts.

And of course I resemble Fred's remark on the results of the 'President's Council on Physical Fitness'...

Posted by CrazyFool 2011-02-08 19:07|| 2011-02-08 19:07|| Front Page Top

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