Quote Originally Posted by hollohas View Post
Call me crazy, but I don't think Food Stamps are a "mandatory" expense...

Nynco, SS has become an entitlement because it is paying out more than it takes in. It is a ponzi scheme and we all know it. The chart clearly shows that...Social taxes brought in $819 billion in 2011 and over $1.2 trillion was paid out on SS and Medicare.

I know this country was founded with deficit spending, but we were at war to gain our freedom. That's a little different than deficit spending to provide food stamps, wind turbines and health care. (obviously there are a lot more areas that I think our government shouldn't be spending but they are too numerous to list.) That entire section of the chart listed as "discretionary non-defense spending" should be ZERO. (Expect the veteran's benefits part which should be considered "mandatory spending".) Everything else that falls in that category is the responsibility of the states, charity or private industry.
Hallohas, spending more than it takes in would not be an issue if the Gov had not stolen the money out of the fund starting in the Reagan years. The interest on that money should more than pay for the baby boomer bulge. Which once that has passed the program will be solvent for a very long time. Discretionary funding does more than you understand. NASA falls under that, so does the national high way system. Those two things have more than paid off in economic benefits than their cost. I want efficient gov not ideological knee jerk hate for gov and slashing just to slash.