Russert just included Social Security in the 2006 budget

[LSK]

Yet I have seen numerous fiscal budgets WITHOUT Social Security. In that chart Russert had, Social Security dominates the budget and makes the Defense portion look small. What is the proper budget???

:shrug:

[acmejack]

1. It looks a lot more like this:

[LSK]

4. thats what I've seen almost everywhere

I guess it doesnt look good for GE, NBC, and Russert if they show the proper chart.

[AZCat]

7. Hmmm - it seems that "X" must have a better lobbyist than the others.

I have a personal preference for "E", but perhaps years of dominance as the top vowel has led to a slothful attitude.

Professor Xavier might have had a say in this also. Darn those sneaky mutants!

[acmejack]

9. X is those things deemed "Secret".

Your Government has determined you are better off not knowing about those items. In seriousness, it is the "Black Budget" for things like NSA spying & such...

[Yupster]

11. That's the Discretionary budget

or the budget that congress controlls.

The largest part of the budget is non-discretionary, meaning the money goes out as per a formula that congress does not have to vote on.

Those are social security, medicare and medicaid.

I guess it would sort of be that the budget drawn above is yourt family's spending money but doesn't include the monthly bills that represent two-thirds of your budget but happen automatically like mortgage, insurance, etc.

For the last 30 years the discretionary part of the budget has become a smaller percentage of the total budget every year as medicare and social security costs have skyrocketed.

[Yupster]

12. Where's interest on the debt?

Isn't that about 25 % of the total budget now?

[acmavm]

2. It's Russert for goodness sake. Anything to make the money being

flushed down the tube for this illegal, immoral, unwinnable war will be used to make the bush** admin look good and mitigate their crimes.

[tridim]

3. Iraq spending is "off the budget" no?

That is, neither of those charts include what Bush has spent on his bullshit war.

[notadmblnd]

5. Iraq spending might be outside the budget

but defense is not and for the last few decades defense spending has been nearly half of the budget.

[acmejack]

10. Correct it is paid for with so called "Supplementals"

Budgetary Legerdemain...

[kentuck]

6. Social Security more than pays its way but..

the Republicans have taken what is left over and spent it on taxcuts and the war.

[Ravy]

8. Clinton made it so that it more than paid its way, to save for the

baby-boomer bubble.

Al Gore pledged not to touch it, aka "lock-box" and was ridiculed for it.

I am sure you know all that, but sometimes it serves to show just how wrong someone could be to show SS like a normal budgetary item.

It is like a banker using customer depostits as their personal wealth.

[rocktivity]

13. Raise the $90K salary cap, roll back the tax cuts

"crisis" solved.

:headbang:
rocknation

[LSK]

14. no kidding, but NOBODY wants to talk about the 90k salary cap

Cant take more money from the rich you know! :sarcasm: