In 2000, the CBO projected the US would be out of debt in ten years.

This is what the national debt is comprised of:

$3.6 trillion — lost tax revenue (economic downturns/tech changes)

$1.7 trillion — 2001 & 2003 tax cuts

$678 billion — other new tax cuts

$391 billion — Obama’s Dec 2010 tax cuts

——–$6.369 trillion TOTAL LOST INCOME (revenue/taxes)

$1.3 trillion — Iraq/Afghanistan

$663 billion — other defense spending

——— $1.963 trillion TOTAL (TO DATE) “DEFENSE”, mostly wars

$1.4 trillion — borrowing costs for new legislation

$700 billion — fluctuations in borrowing requirements

$1.3 trillion — other new domestic spending

$719 billion — 2009 recovery act (stimulus)

$700 billion — fluctuations in borrowing requirements

$272 billion — Medicare Part D

$16 billion — TARP (2008)

________

$5.107 trillion TOTAL “everything else”

Source:
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/from-surplus-to-debt/2011/04/30/AFrYNfNF_graphic.html

Let’s do away with all of them! You don’t like the 10th? Fine. Do away with the 2nd.

I saw nothing wrong, certainly nothing worth screaming fire over. Just the usual semi-sentient ape things going on about this pile of feces, or that boundary, or this or that transitory nonsense.
Richest nation in history, with toys that are like living in the future. And you all complain like you lived in the Dark Ages or something.
Selfish little demons.
Give a monkey a brain and threaten its little nest, and look at the screaming!

2. Restore a balance of power between Federal & State Governments.

The feds are out of control

3. Withdraw from the United Nations

Useless organization (accomplishes nothing)

4. Abolish Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development

Name one thing these organizations have not made worse

5. Eliminate Environmental Protection Agency

All that has been accomplished does not need further regulations. (pollution has been reduced dramatically) Trentelman also believes that corporations want to kill their customers and their employees. (Including the CEO)

6. Forbid Government Employees higher pay, better benefits or greater rights than comparable employees in the private sector

Yes Government workers (State and Federal) generally do have higher pay than the private sector. You have to include job security, pensions, insurance availability, and any other benefits I can’t think of right now. (Look at the Fight in Wisconsin this year)

7. Term Limits

A good idea but California has term limits and the worst elected officials in the nation

8. Redistricting done by non-governmental/non-political committees.

No such animal will ever be assembled

9. Institute Tort Reform

Yes! Texas did for malpractice and doctors are flocking there because of the reduced insurance costs related to malpractice

you are a dreamer, aren’t you.

Sorry, that doesn’t work for me. That makes the wording of the amendment passed now a take-it or leave-it thing — if we are going to change the way we have done business in this country for 240 years, we should give a lot of thought and debate to the matter before we settle on the wording, not after.

Geeze Owain, read the paper — a balanced budget amendment was part of the GOP demands for raising the debt limit — that cut cap and balance thing. The House did pass one, and it promptly died in the Senate. Sen. Hatch demands one to this day. So does Sen. Lee. So does Sen. Jim DeMint in South Carolina. So do many others.

Do any of these people demand a national discussion and debate? Some reasoned consideration of options and results and potential problems?

I have heard of none. They want it and want it now.

The idea behind progressive tax rates was that the rich benefit far more from society than the mere tally of dollars in their bank accounts indicates, and so should pay a larger percentage of supporting the nation.
Flat taxes ignore this, but the disparity is real and should be taken into account to be “fair.”

Simple truth is that “fair” is not simple — if it were, we would have it. Your flat rates will, very quickly, be turned into massively complex tax codes just like the current ones which are larded with exemptions and credits and god knows what, each and every one approved by congress to be “fair” to some special cause or inresponse to some bribe (campaign donation) or whatever.

I suppose someone will then say ” then make a flat rate/tax a constitutional amendment and that will be that,” But you can’t commit future congresses to present ideas of what is right — Thomas Paine noted that if governments could do that, the United States would never have existed, and the whole point of having Congress is to make changes and deal with the reality of the moment, not to rubberstamp the past.

Plus, even if it were an amendment, Congress or the administration would find a way. The Constitution demands that Congress declare war, which means our little adventure in Iraq/Afghanistan/Yemen/Libya is unconstitutional, but I don’t see anyone yelling about that.

And the 4th Amendment? HAH!