Americans: How your tax dollars are spent

[Integral]

Somewhat inspired by John's posts in the "who in 2008" thread.

The Government budget, 2006:

Total government revenues-----: $3,934.8 billion

Total government spending-----: $4,130.3 billion
-General Public Service---: $589.2 billion
-National Defense---------: $544.8 billion
-Public Order and Safety--: $267.9 billion
-Economic Affairs---------: $256.7 billion
-Housing & Community------: $040.8 billion
-Health-------------------: $839.1 billion
-Recreation & Culture-----: $029.6 billion
-Education----------------: $653.6 billion
-Income Security----------: $908.8 billion

Federal Government spending---: $2,715.8 billion
-General Public Service---: $354.5 billion
-National Defense---------: $548.5 billion
-Public Order and Safety--: $042.9 billion
-Economic Affairs---------: $124.5 billion
-Housing & Community------: $046.7 billion
-Health-------------------: $680 billion
-Recreation & Culture-----: $004.9 billion
-Education----------------: $071.3 billion
-Income Security----------: $842.3 billion

State & Local Government Spending---: $1,773 billion
-General Public Service---: $236.8 billion
-Public Order and Safety--: $231 billion
-Economic Affairs---------: $144.3 billion
-Housing & Community------: $008.8 billion
-Health-------------------: $361.9 billion
-Recreation & Culture-----: $025.1 billion
-Education----------------: $624 billion
-Income Security----------: $140 billion



(Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts Table 3.16)
(I am aware that if you sum the "federal" and "state" columns, you will not always get the same numbers as the "total" column. Blame the BEA for not being able to add. But this is gives a good idea of what money's being spent on, and who spends it.)

So,
1) What needs to be cut? What programs deserve more money? At what level--State or Federal?

2) Suppose the government magically received an additional $180 billion per year in revenues from miscellaneous sources. What should that money be spent on?
-a. reducing the long-term fiscal deficit
-b. financing universal health insurance
-c. repairing America's infastructure
-d. tax cuts for the lower and middle class (not that they pay much in income taxes anyway)
-e. tax cuts in general
-f. other (please explain!)


-Integral

(graph coming shortly)
(EDIT: graph's here. Sorry for the low quality. Red is federal spending, blue is combined state spending.)

 

[Mise]

Graphs plx!

Humans are so much better at noticing trends in graphical form than in numeric form. Oh, and no pie charts, for the love of God. Most useless charts ever.

 

[Colonel]

I like the massive spending on defense but it still needs to be increased. Cut Medicare!!!

 

[Slaughter]

If I was American, I would cut the defense and up the economic.

 

[MjM]

Of course National Defense needs to be cut, it's absurd.

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

Of course National Defense needs to be cut, it's absurd.

Absurd when almost an entire continent(s) would like to have you killed? I think not.

Up National Defense.

I'm rather surprised that National Defense isn't tops. Either get national healthcare or cut the healthcare budget down a lot. Also, having to pay for employee benefits is one of the reasons that GM, Ford, etc are having troubles. They pay more per employee in benefits than other nations. I think this shows it (I just scanned it quick):

http://www.chryslerlabortalks07.com/Economic_Data.rtf

 

[warpus]

Recreation & Culture seems to be very low..

Healthcare seems to be very high - considering you guys don't even have universal heathcare.

 

[skadistic]

Cutting pork would be the best thing to shed some billions in cost.

 

[MjM]

Absurd when almost an entire continent(s) would like to have you killed? I think not.

Good to see Republican fear mongering is alive and well with some!

 

[Tycoon101]

What, exactly, would entail "Income Security"?

 

[Cannae]

Total government spending-----: $4362.75 billion
-General Public Service---: $669.9 billion + increased by 80.7 billion dolars
-National Defense---------: $363.2 billion - cut by a third from the origanal
-Public Order and Safety--: $178.6 billion - cut by a third from the origanal
-Economic Affairs---------: $301.35 billion + increased by 44.65 billion dolars
-Housing & Community------: $081.15 billion + increased by 40.35
-Health-------------------: $911.4 billion + increased by 72.3 billion dolars
-Recreation & Culture-----: $074.25 billion + increased by 44.65 billion dolars
-Education----------------: $750.9 billion + increased by 97.3 billion dolars
-Income Security----------: $1032.5 billion + increased by 123.5 billion dolars

Here's what I think would be good for the overall picture.

 

[Integral]

What, exactly, would entail "Income Security"?

Disability pay, welfare, unemployment insurance, and social security.

Cutting pork would be the best thing to shed some billions in cost.

The problem is that pure pork spending, at least according to that website, was $13.2 billion for Defense and Homeland Security. Even if we take the total pork spending to be, say, $100 billion, that's still just drops in the barrel when total spending is over $4 trillion. Pork is a good place to start, but more must be done to really cut down on spending, imho.

-Integral

 

[downtown]

We need to take a long, hard look at what we're spending on the Military, Social Security, Medicare and Medicade. We're spending waaaaaay too much money on health care for what we're getting.

We might want to consider privatizing parts of social security, ditching medicare/medicade and instead look at national health care, and really examine exactly what we're spending on the military.

If we do that, we could save billions, both in our budget, and what we pay on our debt

 

[skadistic]

The problem is that pure pork spending, at least according to that website, was $13.2 billion for Defense and Homeland Security. Even if we take the total pork spending to be, say, $100 billion, that's still just drops in the barrel when total spending is over $4 trillion. Pork is a good place to start, but more must be done to really cut down on spending, imho.

-Integral

Pure pork is just a start. I'd also cut all farming subsidies and a few other things like other subsidies and even congress's pay.

 

[emzie]

Raise taxes.

 

[Japanrocks12]

Majority if it is on financing the national debt and defense I heard

 

[angrybellsprout]

I'd shuffle around the defense spending, and maybe raise it a little.

Then I'd go down the list and find everything not in Article 1 section 8, or is in direct support of things found in Article 1 section 8, and eliminate it.

Let states deal with their education, welfare, etc.

 

[Lotus49]

"How your tax dollars are spent"? You don't really need to go into the figures, the single word 'carelessly' alone will suffice. Trust me, I have a plethora of first-hand witness/experience.

Oh yeah, and uh, "raise taxes" is not the solution. That would do more harm than good.

 

[Colonel]

Good to see Republican fear mongering is alive and well with some!

Good to see a good ol' naive Liberal.

 

[Bronx Warlord]

Abolish the department of education. It has consistantly preformed poorly since it's inception. Give control of schools back to state government and hold them accountable.