What Should We Cut?

[Accountable]

If you don't think the federal gov't should cut costs, go to another thread ..... and don't forget to take your meds. :jk

For the rest of us, I thought I would list the different departments a few at a time, hang 'em out like a pinata, and all of us can take a swipe or two saying what departments should go. Ready? Blindfolds on! No wait, that won't work here.

The list comes from http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml. Here are the A's:

• Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
• Administration for Native Americans
• Administration on Aging (AoA)
• Administration on Developmental Disabilities
• Administrative Committee of the Federal Register
• Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
• Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
• African Development Foundation
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Agency for International Development
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
• Agricultural Marketing Service
• Agricultural Research Service
• Agriculture Department (USDA)
• Air Force
• Alabama Home Page
• Alabama State, County, and City Websites
• Alaska Home Page
• Alaska State, County, and City Websites
• Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau (Justice)
• Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (Treasury)
• American Battle Monuments Commission
• American Samoa Home Page
• AMTRAK (National Railroad Passenger Corporation)
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
• Appalachian Regional Commission
• Architect of the Capitol
• Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board)
• Archives (National Archives and Records Administration)
• Arctic Research Commission
• Arizona Home Page
• Arizona State, County, and City Websites
• Arkansas Home Page
• Arkansas State, County, and City Websites
• Armed Forces Retirement Home
• Arms Control and International Security
• Army
• Army Corps of Engineers
• Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee
• Atlantic Fleet Forces Command

 

[Accountable]

From this part of the list, I'd cut:

1. Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
2. Administration on Aging (AoA)
3. Administration on Developmental Disabilities
4. African Development Foundation
5. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
6. Agency for International Development
7. Agricultural Marketing Service
8. Agricultural Research Service
9. I wouldn't eliminate the Air Force, but I would definitely make really, really deep cuts. Same with the Army.
10. Alabama Home Page
11. Alabama State, County, and City Websites
12. Alaska Home Page
13. Alaska State, County, and City Websites
14. Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau (Justice)
15. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (Treasury)
16. American Samoa Home Page
17. AMTRAK (National Railroad Passenger Corporation)
18. Appalachian Regional Commission
19. Arizona Home Page
20. Arizona State, County, and City Websites
21. Arkansas Home Page
22. Arkansas State, County, and City Websites
23. Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee

 

[Peter Parka]

• Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
• Administration for Native Americans
• Administration on Aging (AoA)
• Administration on Developmental Disabilities
• Administrative Committee of the Federal Register
• Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
• Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
• African Development Foundation
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Agency for International Development
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
• Agricultural Marketing Service
• Agricultural Research Service
• Agriculture Department (USDA)
• Air Force
• Alabama Home Page
• Alabama State, County, and City Websites
• Alaska Home Page
• Alaska State, County, and City Websites
• Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau (Justice)
• Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (Treasury)
• American Battle Monuments Commission
• American Samoa Home Page
• AMTRAK (National Railroad Passenger Corporation)
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
• Appalachian Regional Commission
• Architect of the Capitol
• Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board)
• Archives (National Archives and Records Administration)
• Arctic Research Commission
• Arizona Home Page
• Arizona State, County, and City Websites
• Arkansas Home Page
• Arkansas State, County, and City Websites
• Armed Forces Retirement Home
• Arms Control and International Security
• Army
• Army Corps of Engineers
• Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Interagency Coordinating Committee
• Atlantic Fleet Forces Command

I'd go with the bolded ones, of course if you could get away without cutting some of them, that would be a different matter

 

[Azazel]

​

 

[Accountable]

I'd go with the bolded ones, of course if you could get away without cutting some of them, that would be a different matter

I like how you bolded that. Helps me as a visual person.

Here are the B's:

• Bankruptcy Courts
• Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation
• Bonneville Power Administration
• Botanic Garden
• Broadcasting Board of Governors (Voice of America, Radio|TV Marti and more)
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (Justice)
• Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade (Treasury)
• Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS)
• Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
• Bureau of Engraving and Printing
• Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
• Bureau of Industry and Security (formerly the Bureau of Export Administration)
• Bureau of International Labor Affairs
• Bureau of Justice Statistics
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
• Bureau of Prisons
• Bureau of Public Debt
• Bureau of Reclamation
• Bureau of the Census
• Bureau of Transportation Statistics

 

[Accountable]

Here are my cuts in bold:

Bankruptcy Courts = I wouldn't eliminate them, but I would certainly make bankruptcy rules more stringent
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation
Bonneville Power Administration
Botanic Garden
Broadcasting Board of Governors (Voice of America, Radio|TV Marti and more)
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (Justice)
Bureau of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade (Treasury)
Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS)
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Bureau of Industry and Security (formerly the Bureau of Export Administration) Change it back to the the Bureau of Export Administration
Bureau of International Labor Affairs
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Bureau of Prisons
Bureau of Public Debt
Bureau of Reclamation
Bureau of the Census
Bureau of Transportation Statistics

 

[edgray]

I'd start with the Pentagon. The couple of missing trillion dollars announced the day before 9/11 is just the tip of the iceberg that that building costs you guys. Not to mention the damage it causes around the world.

On top of that, most of the ones you and Peter have put in bold seem like reasonable suggestions.

 

[dt3]

It would be exceptionally awesome if you could find the budget allocation for each of these. Probably very difficult, but I bet there would be some shockers.

 

[Accountable]

It would be exceptionally awesome if you could find the budget allocation for each of these. Probably very difficult, but I bet there would be some shockers.

I tripped over this. It looks to be a goldmine!
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy06/pdf/hist.pdf

 

[Accountable]

I'd start with the Pentagon. The couple of missing trillion dollars announced the day before 9/11 is just the tip of the iceberg that that building costs you guys. Not to mention the damage it causes around the world.

On top of that, most of the ones you and Peter have put in bold seem like reasonable suggestions.

The Pentagon is an office building. Aren't you referring to the military arms that those guys control? Surely you don't want to only fire the generals!

 

[edgray]

The Pentagon is an office building. Aren't you referring to the military arms that those guys control? Surely you don't want to only fire the generals!

I was talking more about the shady "black bag" operations that are conducted from the various departments in there... 2 trillon dollars in 2001, god knows how much over the past few years... I'm surprised that hasn't gotten a lot more attention...

There's a good quote from George Orwell, something that's extremely pertinent to us Brits and our very shady history, and might go in some part to explaining the lack of outrage towards Pentagon spending:

"The nationalist not only does no disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them."

Reminds me of the Diego Garcia incident: an entire island seized and all 2,000 inhabitants removed by the British... conveniently ignored by everyone in my country.

 

[Accountable]

Here are the C's. Don't ask me how they figure that last one fits in.

• California Home Page
• California State, County and City Websites
• Capitol Visitor Center
• Census Bureau
• Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (formerly the Health Care Financing Administration)
• Central Command (CENTCOM)
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
• Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
• Chief Acquisition Officers Council
• Chief Financial Officers Council
• Chief Human Capital Officers Council
• Chief Information Officers Council
• Cities, Counties, and Towns in the United States
• Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee
• Citizenship and Immigration Services Bureau (formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service)
• Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
• Coast Guard
• Colorado Home Page
• Colorado State, County and City Websites
• Commerce Department
• Commission of Fine Arts
• Commission on Civil Rights
• Commission on International Religious Freedom
• Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)
• Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
• Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
• Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission
• Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Community Planning and Development
• Comptroller of the Currency Office
• Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US CERT)
• Congress
• Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
• Congressional Research Service
• Connecticut Home Page
• Connecticut State, County and City Websites
• Constitution Center
• Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
• Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• Copyright Office
• Corporation for National and Community Service
• Corps of Engineers
• Council of Economic Advisers
• Council on Environmental Quality
• County and City Governments
• Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
• Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
• Court of Federal Claims
• Court of International Trade
• Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia
• Customs and Border Protection
• National Institute of Food and Agriculture

 

[Accountable]

My picks for what has to go in bold:

• California Home Page
• California State, County and City Websites
• Capitol Visitor Center
• Census Bureau
• Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (formerly the Health Care Financing Administration)
• Central Command (CENTCOM)Again, not eliminated but deep, deep cuts
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
• Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
• Chief Acquisition Officers Council
• Chief Financial Officers Council
• Chief Human Capital Officers Council
• Chief Information Officers Council
• Cities, Counties, and Towns in the United StatesIt's not an agency, just a list
• Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee
• Citizenship and Immigration Services Bureau (formerly Immigration and Naturalization Service)
• Civilian Radioactive Waste Management
• Coast Guard
• Colorado Home Page
• Colorado State, County and City Websites
• Commerce Department
• Commission of Fine Arts
• Commission on Civil Rights
• Commission on International Religious Freedom
• Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission)
• Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
• Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements
• Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission[/B]
• Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Community Planning and Development
  [*]Comptroller of the Currency Office
  [*]Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US CERT)
  [*]Congress
  
  
  [*]Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
  [*]Congressional Research Service
  [*]Connecticut Home Page
  [*]Connecticut State, County and City Websites
  [*]Constitution Center
  [*]Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
  [*]Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
  [*]Copyright Office
  [*]Corporation for National and Community Service
  [*]Corps of Engineers
  [*]Council of Economic Advisers
  [*]Council on Environmental Quality
  [*]County and City Governments
  [*]Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
  [*]Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  [*]Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
  [*]Court of Federal Claims
  [*]Court of International Trade
  [*]Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia
  [*]Customs and Border ProtectionWhy not? They ain't doing shit anyway.
  [*]National Institute of Food and AgricultureJust because they're too stupid to be in the correct list.
  

 

[dt3]

I'm sure you realize removing Congress would be unConstitutional

 

[Accountable]

I'm sure you realize removing Congress would be unConstitutional

Hey a guy can dream.

 

[Accountable]

Ready for the D's?

• Defense Acquisition University
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
• Defense Commissary Agency
• Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)
• Defense Contract Management Agency
• Defense Department (DOD)
• Defense Field Activities
• Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS)
• Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)
• Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
• Defense Legal Services Agency
• Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
• Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
• Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
• Defense Security Service (DSS)
• Defense Technical Information Center
• Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)
• Delaware Home Page
• Delaware River Basin Commission
• Delaware State, County and City Websites
• Denali Commission
• Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Department of Commerce (DOC)
• Department of Defense (DOD)
• Department of Defense Inspector General
• Department of Education (ED)
• Department of Energy (DOE)
• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• Department of Justice (DOJ)
• Department of Labor (DOL)
• Department of State (DOS)
• Department of the Interior (DOI)
• Department of the Treasury
• Department of Transportation (DOT)
• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• Director of National Intelligence
• Disability Employment Policy Office
• District of Columbia Home Page
• Domestic Policy Council
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

 

[Accountable]

For me, the vast majority of these I would keep, but each one simply begs for deep cuts. Most have grown beyond what is needed in a federal agency.

I already addressed defense. We need to close our Cold War bases. We're talking about giving over Afghanistan while we've been in South Korea for 60 years. It's time ROK took over their own defense. Same with Japan and Western Europe. If we need a federal jobs program, make the argument but don't use the military simply to reduce unemployment.

The Denali Commission and any other state-specific aid program should probably go.

The Department of Education must go. It routinely overreaches and does far more harm than good. A small data gathering agency to present comparative statistics is more than enough at the federal level.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), gone. Same with Department of Labor (DOL)

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Should never have been created in the first place. "Patriot" Act my ass.

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has wreaked enough destruction to this country already. We need to learn to save for the American Dream; it is not an entitlement.

The War on Drugs is a lie that needs to be exposed. Eliminate the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Any one of these deserves a thread of its own, if anyone wants.

 

[Minor Axis]

Honestly I'd have to look specifically at what some of them do, except for the State Home pages. Let the States fund those. First glance is that you could cut about 50% of them if not more. I assume most of these were there for the last Administration, why has it not been brought up in the last 30 years or so?

Department of Labor-- Your (Accountable) hostility towards such a department is a no-brainer. I'd have to see how big of a job that is before I could express an opinion if an entire Department was required. Those are very important issues imo that need to be kept in balance in a work environment skewed toward big business and enriching owners.

 

[Accountable]

Honestly I'd have to look specifically at what some of them do, except for the State Home pages. Let the States fund those. First glance is that you could cut about 50% of them if not more. I assume most of these were there for the last Administration, why has it not been brought up in the last 30 years or so?

Why would you assume such a huge number? Fully half?? Be real.

Department of Labor-- Your (Accountable) hostility towards such a department is a no-brainer. I'd have to see how big of a job that is before I could express an opinion if an entire Department was required. Those are very important issues imo that need to be kept in balance in a work environment skewed toward big business and enriching owners.

I've got no problem with state gov't having a dept of labor. There's no need for it at the federal level. That can go for most of these departments. Smaller bureaucracies, closer to home. They can be more effective if they need to be.

 

[Accountable]

Here are the E's:

• Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs (State Department)
• Economic Adjustment Office
• Economic Analysis, Bureau of
• Economic Development Administration
• Economic Research Service
• Economics & Statistics Administration
• Education Department (ED)
• Election Assistance Commission
• Elementary and Secondary Education
• Employee Benefits Security Administration (formerly Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration)
• Employment and Training Administration (Labor Department)
• Endangered Species Committee
• Energy Department (DOE)
• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Energy Information Administration
• English Language Acquisition Office
• Engraving and Printing, Bureau of
• Environmental Management (Energy Department)
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
• European Command
• Executive Office for Immigration Review
• Export Administration (now the Bureau of Industry and Security)
• Export-Import Bank of the United States