Messing around with the federal budget

[Vlad Antlerkov]

Found this off of CalPundit's comment sections:

http://www.nathannewman.org/nbs/longbudget04.html

Basically, it's like one of those internet quizzes; you can cut federal programs, mess with taxes, etc.

I modified the following:

Military research (cut 50%)
International military aid (cut 70%)
NSF programs and NASA (added 20% each)
Forest Service (cut 10%)
Agriculture (cut both things 30%)
Mass transit (added 10%)
Elementary/secondary education (added 10%)
State children's health insurance (added 10%)
Old-age and survivors' insurance (eliminated)
Legislative functions (cut 10%)
Executive functions (cut 20%)
Tax cut benefits for top 1% (eliminated)
Some corporate taxes (eliminated)

...and got this result:

Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
New budget is $2722.64 billion
($1811.1 billion in spending, $911.54 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

You have cut the deficit by $528.85 billion.
Your new deficit is $-171.84 billion.

Oops!
You've cut so much that the federal budget now contains a substantial surplus. Many economists warn that this budget may help induce or prolong a recession, and ordinary citizens demand a refund. You might want to cut taxes or raise spending.

Edit:

The short form version: http://www.nathannewman.org/nbs/shortbudget04.html

[Verto]

Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
New budget is $3249.3 billion
($2268.69 billion in spending, $980.61 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

You have cut the deficit by $2.19 billion.
Your new deficit is $354.81 billion.

[Buck Birdseed]

Where's the option to increase taxes drastically?

[Whoha]

Buck, reduce the 2001, and 2003 tax cuts to eliminated.
Awesome:

Budget Totals
Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
New budget is $2058.31 billion
($1553.06 billion in spending, $505.25 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

You have cut the deficit by $1193.18 billion.
Your new deficit is $-836.17 billion.

Oops!
You've cut so much that the federal budget now contains a substantial surplus. Many economists warn that this budget may help induce or prolong a recession, and ordinary citizens demand a refund. You might want to cut taxes or raise spending.

I pinned Military spending, paying off debt, and increased the tax cuts 10% across the board. I leave it to the astute reader to asertain where I cut money from :P.

[Buck Birdseed]

I did reduce both to eliminated, my budged deficit was still increased by something like a trillion dollars. Even reducing the tax deductions totally and cutting back other stuff more doesn't make up for the fact that the US has ridiculously low taxes compared to more civilised countries.

[Whoha]

well download the perl script, modify it to the behavior that you think that raising taxes would have(whether and how much it might generate or lose), and run it. But thats probably why its not there, that generally don't run linearly.

[St Leo]

Budget Totals
Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

New budget is $3362.21 billion
($2588.34 billion in spending, $773.87 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
You have increased the deficit by $110.71 billion.
Your new deficit is $467.71 billion

Oops.

Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

New budget is $3235.8 billion
($2539.49 billion in spending, $696.31 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
You have cut the deficit by $15.69 billion.
Your new deficit is $341.31 billion.

Hmm, a slight improvement.

Budget Totals
Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

New budget is $3079.4 billion
($2378.18 billion in spending, $701.22 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
You have cut the deficit by $172.09 billion.
Your new deficit is $184.91 billion.

Hmm.

Your New Budget

Budget Totals
Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

New budget is $2986.99 billion
($2363.23 billion in spending, $623.76 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
You have cut the deficit by $264.5 billion.
Your new deficit is $92.5 billion.

Close...

Budget Totals
Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

New budget is $2533.81 billion
($2343.32 billion in spending, $190.49 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
You have cut the deficit by $717.68 billion.
Your new deficit is $-360.67 billion.

Ah, much better.

Some highlights:
$10.83 billion ..... National Science Foundation programs
Increased $5.42 bil. from base of $5.413 bil.( 100%)
$7.17 billion ...... Department of Energy & Homeland Security general science programs
Increased $3.59 bil. from base of $3.584 bil.( 100%)
$28.95 billion ..... Space flight, research, and supporting activities
Increased $14.47 bil. from base of $14.476 bil.( 100%)

$14.45 billion ..... Mass transit
Increased $7.22 bil. from base of $7.226 bil.( 100%)

$71.51 billion ..... Elementary, Secondary & Vocational
education
Increased $35.76 bil. from base of $35.754 bil.( 100%)
$45.13 billion ..... Higher education
Increased $22.57 bil. from base of $22.563 bil.( 100%)

$60.24 billion ..... Housing assistance
Increased $30.12 bil. from base of $30.119 bil.( 100%)
$55.46 billion ..... Food stamps
Increased $27.73 bil. from base of $27.729 bil.( 100%)

$704.67 billion .... Interest paid on national public debt
Increased $352.34 bil. from base of $352.335 bil.( 100%)

$9.3 billion ....... R&D Tax Breaks
Increased $1.55 bil. from base of $7.75 bil.( 20%)

$7.08 billion ...... Higher education deductions
Increased $3.54 bil. from base of $3.54 bil.( 100%)

$15.36 billion ..... Education Credits & Deductions
Increased $7.68 bil. from base of $7.68 bil.( 100%)

Balancing that was a pain.

Summary:
Military Spending ($116.55 billion: cut $283.12 billion)
Iraq War ($0 billion: cut $49.99 billion)
Veterans and Military Retirement ($96.86 billion)
International affairs ($16.45 billion: cut $7.33 billion)
General science, space, and technology ($46.95 billion: increased $23.48 billion)
Non-Defense Energy Spending ($0.88 billion)
Agriculture ($0 billion: cut $21.13 billion)
Commerce and housing credit ($0 billion: cut $8.69 billion)
Transportation ($42.4 billion: cut $21.42 billion)
Community and regional development ($9.33 billion: cut $4.25 billion)
Education, training, employment, and social services ($140.12 billion: increased $58.32 billion)
Non-Medicare Health Spending ($245.78 billion)
Medicare ($258.64 billion)
Non-SS Retirement and Unemployment ($96.85 billion)
Social Welfare Spending ($240.36 billion: increased $57.86 billion)
Social security ($498.84 billion)
Administration of justice ($21.99 billion: cut $16.76 billion)
General government administration ($19.48 billion)
Net interest ($515.08 billion: increased $352.37 billion)
Undistributed offsetting receipts ($-53.64 billion)
2001 Tax Cut ($19 billion: cut $84.99 billion) //should be $0, bug
2003 Tax Cut ($0 billion: cut $109.88 billion)
Corporate Tax Breaks ($12.4 billion: cut $57.01 billion)
Personal Business & Investment Benefits ($0 billion: cut $136.6 billion)
Pension & Retirement Deductions ($0 billion: cut $155.69 billion)
Employer-paid Health Insurance ($120.16 billion)
Itemized Deductions ($17.11 billion: cut $178.43 billion)
Other personal tax expenditures ($21.82 billion: cut $74.16 billion)

Heh.:P

[Nubclear]

Budget Totals
Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
New budget is $68.85 billion
($49.85 billion in spending, $19 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

You have cut the deficit by $3182.64 billion.
Your new deficit is $-2825.63 billion.

Budget Totals
Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
New budget is $6434.24 billion
($4478.61 billion in spending, $1955.63 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

You have increased the deficit by $3182.74 billion.
Your new deficit is $3539.74 billion.

[Whoha]

min and max?

[Nubclear]

Yep.

[DarkCloud]

Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
New budget is $3166.34 billion
($2292.53 billion in spending, $873.81 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

You have cut the deficit by $85.15 billion.
Your new deficit is $271.85 billion.

ha ha!

[DarkCloud]

The 85 bil cut was pretty much all from cutting this:

Employer-paid Health Insurance ($0 billion: cut $120.15 billion)
$0 billion ......... Employer-paid Health Insurance
Cut $120.15 bil. from base of $120.16 bil.(-100%)

let's let the greedy capitalists pay their own Health Insurance! No govt subsidies in my land!

[Sava]

Budget Totals
Old budget was $3251.488 billion
($2264.172 billion in spending, $987.316 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).
New budget is $2814.61 billion
($2139.28 billion in spending, $675.33 billion in tax expenditures and cuts).

You have cut the deficit by $436.88 billion.
Your new deficit is $-79.87 billion.

Oops!

hmmm and I mostly cut out the tax cuts for the rich and corporate welfare... WHAT A SURPRISE!

[DarkCloud]

And in doing so you probably ruined your economy most horribly in the future as businesses move overseas

[Sava]

Originally posted by DarkCloud
And in doing so you probably ruined your economy most horribly in the future as businesses move overseas

nope... by doing so, they would face tariffs and import taxes... AMERICAN companies get first crack at AMERICAN consumers. BTW, my economic policies would look more like post-WW2 policies... the economy did pretty good in the 50's, right? despite the fact top income brackets were taxed above 75%