I think the Federal budget is indeed bloated and needs to be slashed.

[lapfog_1]

29. The problem with cutting spending

is that the GOP wants to give all of the savings, and them some, in the form of tax breaks to the very rich ( mostly ) in YATDBET. Yet Another Trickle Down Bullshit Economic Theory.

The Democrats wants to cut spending on mostly military budget and spend it on more social programs and ( sometimes ) or direct payments to poor ( most of which never get TO the poor ).

Neither is correct.

The military spends so "much" on something mundane ( pick your favorite example ) because the companies that build specialized military hardware ( sometimes like very special and small quantity items like fighter aircraft ejection seats ) that cost inordinate amounts of money to design and build and test and the the military orders a few thousand a year ( or less ). So they make up for that by billing $200 for a hammer or a $1000 for a toilet.

Sure, we could go to war with a less sophisticated set of weapons and "smart" gear... but only at the expense of more casualties. Or in situations where we are only matching what the potential enemy brings.

Trickle Down has failed every time it has been tried. The economic eggheads that push this failed theory think that all that is missing from the basic demand / supply equation is more capital to start the supply chain into producing enough to meet demand... never mind the labor or the demand parts of the equation. you need to stimulate all aspects at once ( demand but making things that people want or need and can afford, well paid labor to both product the products AND create money to stimulate demand, and some cash infusion to provide the needed capital to build the factory and buy the inputs to start production )...

Democrats fail to understand that deficit spending is for when times are tough and the government NEEDS to spend to stimulate demand and pay labor... but during good economic cycles reduce spending so that the excess can be used to pay down the debt accumulated in bad times... thus reducing the impact of government borrowing and paying interest which does nothing for the economy in any long term way. Not start new programs of spending because we have more revenue than expenses ( surplus ). Clinton/Gore, for all their faults, were the last administration that sort of understood these fundamental aspects of capitalism and government policy.