The Problem: The USA has maxed out our Credit Cards, tapped out our friends for loans, and will soon have to start “selling the farm” to meet our Debts.
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=6060&type=0&sequence=1
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LA Times
$1.3 Trillion in Deficits Forecast Over Decade
By Joel Havemann, Times Staff Writer
Jan 25, 2005
The [Congressional Budget Office] CBO’s annual report on the budget outlook foresees a deficit of $400 billion this year. It also forecast a cumulative deficit of $1.3 trillion from 2005 to 2014, an increase of nearly 60% from the CBO’s $861-billion estimate of just four months ago.
These figures take into account some of the administration’s request today for another $80 billion for the war in Iraq, but they do not assume an extension. Nor do they assume the likely extension by Congress of some major tax cuts that were enacted in 2001 and 2003 and are scheduled to expire in 2009 and 2011.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-012505budget_lat,0,1493879.story?coll=la-home-head
lines
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The Solution might be easier than most realize however …
Some “sensible” Business Folks in Iowa have been crunching the numbers, and they think they have a solution, to this looming crisis. The answer calls for some simple “Budget Priority” shifting:
At Iowans Sensible Priorities, we feel it is time to get readjusted to reality. We have enough money. We can provide for the needs of our and the world’s children at no additional expense to the taxpayer. We can accomplish this through:
Finally canceling Cold War weapon systems
Funding our real defense needs at 85% of the 2005 request
…Shifting spending to the other elements of our national well being, particularly education, health care, and national infrastructure, without increasing overall government spending.
For example:
* Provide Head Start & Early Head Start for all eligible kids:
$5 billion/year* Provide healthcare for all uninsured US kids:
$15 billion/year* Rebuild America’s schools over a 10 year period:
$15 billion/year* Achieve energy independence, with clean technology:
$10 billion/year* Double US humanitarian aid to poor countries:
$20 billion/year* Reduce debts of impoverished nations:
$10 billion/year
http://www.sensibleiowans.org/budget_analysis.php
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The seemingly “Bottomless Pit” of mindless spending:
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The extraordinary simple “Budget Priority” shift:
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Think this is pie-in-the-sky Idealism, in this “new age” of Terror? Think again.
Ben Cohen, of “Ben and Jerry” fame has a very simple Demonstration, that shows such “Priority-shifting” is much more practical than we have been led to believe:
The demonstration takes less than 30 seconds, but it is time well spent, trust me:
http://www.truemajority.org/bensbbs/
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WOW! Talk about wasteful spending!
The forward-looking members of Iowans For Sensible Priorities, put these very weighty issues into perspective much more clearly than I ever could:
Iowans For Sensible Priorities is a non-profit, non-partisan 501(c)3 organization in Iowa dedicated to educating the public about the inequities of our current federal budget. We aim to redirect 15% of the Pentagon’s discretionary budget away from obsolete Cold War weapons towards education, healthcare, job training, alternative energy development, world hunger, deficit reduction. This 15% cut, or $60 billion dollars, on obsolete weapons systems and the further proliferation of nuclear weapons does not include the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and in no way impacts homeland security or our defense. We have the money; let’s spend it on sensible priorities!
By eliminating wasteful expenditures, America could make investments that build strong communities for a better future.
http://www.sensibleiowans.org/who_we_are.php
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We believe that it is our civic duty to use that voice in service to the children of our country and of the world.
Smart folks at Iowans For Sensible Priorities, no wonder they have endorsed John Edwards, who has a very similar bold, forward-looking, Priorities Agenda that gets America back to our core values. A plan that will hopefully leave the world a better, for our children, than we found it!
Oh by the way Ben Cohen, the man with few words, but with many high-impact BB’s, he’s endorsing John Edwards too! — who knew.