Originally posted by: Tgilb2007
Date: December 20, 2010 at 07:56 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/wastebook.33493/
clockwerk said:
Tgilb2007 said:
clockwerk said:
WOW!!!!
If they cut out all that waste "in these hard economic times", that 11.5 Billion dollars could give back almost 40 bucks to everyone!!! That will change EVERYTHING!
This is the type of asinine shite marketed to trailer park residents that don't comprehend the scale of the US budget to defame the incumbents. 11.5 Billion is an impressive number, but harldy a scratch in the overall totals of spending. This is talk radio level crap dude. Although I agree, that the money spent is probably wasteful, it doesn't even begin to address where the real issues lie.
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$11.5b could have a much larger impact though if spent elsewhere. Education is a huge start IMO, as well as medical research. Hell, take some of that money, build some stuff to help CREATE NEW JOBS! Help the war vets, or something. Don't just sit there, pissing away money on useless things. If the money needs to be spent, spend it on things to help improve the country.
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Well, yeah. Although I think some of your examples overstate what 11.5 Billion will do. These are all good points though. The article however, is trying to show how profligate the government is with our money. This is not to say the government is thrifty or efficient, but the examples given, don't address the true core issues, and therefore, is tantamount to little more than tabloid fluff.
EDIT:
Just to be a bit more specific, consider your example of education. How many students are there in the USA right now? Let's ignore university students, and estimate about 50 Million. Which I think is pretty close according to one stat I checked.
11,500,000,000 / 50,000,000 = 230.
There's your budget. 230 dollars per student. Make a lasting impact with it. It's pocket change relative to big budget items. Education is barely scratched by this expenditure.
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Maybe we are looking at this from different viewpoints. I am not looking at a "per student", or "per person" view. I am thinking more along the lines of, purchasing materials for students (lasting items, such as computers, or as needed, a new wing/remodel). At that point, the money goes even further. Increase (even small) teachers wages (they aren't paid enough). This is just an education example. That same 11.5b could be used for a million different things, not just maintaining a "monkey house" that isn't even used.
But, who knows. Maybe I'm just talking outta my ***, and have no clue wtf is really going on. After all, politics are my absolute least favorite thing to think about.
