SmallGovt

Following the Minneapolis bridge collapse, I keep seeing news stories calling for new taxes to repair our sagging infrastructure.  We should now be alarmed at the state of disrepair of our public roads and bridges.  The ONLY solution appears to be a new gas tax.

From a recent USA today article…

The Minneapolis bridge disaster that suddenly is the symbol of the nation's crumbling infrastructure could tip the scales in favor of billions of dollars in higher gasoline taxes for repairs coast to coast.

There are 500 bridges around the country similar to the Minneapolis span, and "these are potential deathtraps," says Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, former chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

"We have to, as a Congress, grasp this problem. And yes, I would even suggest, fund this problem with a tax," he says. "May the sky not fall on me."

What's the big deal?  It's only a 5¢ per gallon increase.  With gas hovering around $3 a gallon, you will hardly notice it.

I object to that line of thinking.  Let me introduce government to a new concept… reallocation. 

You are already familiar with the concept.  When your electric bill spikes with summer air conditioning costs, where does the money come from?  Do you take the bill to your employer and demand funds to cover the increased cost?  No.

In my family budget, the money is taken from other expense categories.  We don't eat out as often.  Our entertainment budget is scaled back.  We may cut back on saving (yes, we run a razor thin surplus in the family budget).  Where has the Federal Government offered to cut back? 

In the FY2008 budget, the Federal Government will spend an estimated $79.282 billion dollars on transportation.  Let's compare this to other spending categories…

There is an estimated 4% growth from FY2007 to FY2008.  If we freeze the cost of government to the FY2007 budget and apply the 4% growth to infrastructure, transportation would be funded at $202.5 Billion.  This is additional funding of %153 to infrastructure.  All other agencies would be funded with the EXACT SAME funds next year as they had this year!

Problem Solved!

It's called… living on a budget.  Congress should be required to listen to Dave Ramsey every day until they get it!  

The budget numbers in this post came from http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2008/pdf/hist.pdf

If the US government was a person, I would advise financial counseling and introduce it to the Dave Ramsey show!!!

Click the following link to find out what the FY2008 Federal Budget would look like on your income….

http://www.smallgovt.org/1/govtspending/federal_budget.html

Hopefully this is a late April Fool's joke.  Michigan is trying to solve a budget deficit that is over $1 billion in the red.  At the same time they are planning to spend $38 million to buy every school kid an iPod.   Michigan law makers should suspend afternoon sessions and tune in to Dave Ramsey to learn how to live on a budget!!!

read for yourself…

http://news.com.com/2061-10801_3-6174170.html

http://apple.slashdot.org/apple/07/04/07/0417219.shtml

http://hotair.com/archives/2007/04/07/michigan-legislature-raise-taxes-buy-ipods-for-all-the-kids-in-the-state/

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704060333

http://apple.qj.net/Michigan-US-38-million-iPod-bill-introduced-school-reps-not-so-happy/pg/49/aid/88787

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070406/130911.shtml

The President has put through an emergency spending bill to fund the War in Iraq.  The request was for $105 billion.  This is enough money to give a million dollars to every person living in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Congress has decided that the spending bill wasn't large enough.  They've loaded it with an additional $20 billion.

Read about it at http://www.examiner.com/a-619204~Congress_loads_up__20_billion_in_pork.html

What emergency war spending does the additional $20 billion cover?

From the article…

"We have provided all of the money the president requested- and more," boasted House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer.

That includes $74 million for peanut storage, $25 million for spinach growers and $100 million for citrus growers.

It also includes $16 million to convert the old Food and Drug Administration building in southwest D.C. into more office space for the Capitol. That "emergency" expenditure comes at a time when taxpayers already shell out $600 million "more than double the original estimate" for a mammoth expansion of the Capitol, which includes 160,000 feet of new office space.

Get out your checkbook.  Washington wants your help (or at least your money).

A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money.

Attributed to Senator Everett Dirksen
US politician (1896 – 1969)
(Quote info)

What is the true cost of governemt? Take the cost of government and divide it by the population. How much do you owe? Find out here…

 http://www.smallgovt.org/1/govtspending/cost-calculator.html