The 2011 Obama budget cuts show priorities

[Pirate Smile]

The 2011 Obama budget cuts show priorities

Sun Sep 26, 2010 at 05:56:49 PM PDT

Cuts in corporate welfare, elimination of pork-barrel expenditures, ending confused military programs, removing market distorting subsidies of fossil fuels, and greater tax fairness. You can see most of it here where the list includes cutting everything from Yucca mountain (197million), the C-17 (2.5billion), oil and gas tax deductions (2.6billion), payments to wealthy farmers (800million over 5 years), and even a couple of million give-away to manufacturers of worsted wool. A lot of congressional pork-barrel is targeted too: especially programs that go around the usual priority setting such as Corp of Engineers waste water treatment plants that don't go through EPA siting procedures. And there is a general shift from subsidized loans to direct loans - a key project.

citizen k's diary :: ::
The student loan program is made entirely direct loan - at a savings of $8billion in the first year. This change, I believe, codifies changes that were passed in reconciliation last year.

$27 million is cut from Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Housing Service’s (RHS)
multifamily housing demonstration program:

At this point, additional funding in the
demonstration program could be seen as over-subsidizing the multifamily housing property owners.

$46million is cut from Navy’s Next Generation Cruiser (CG(X))- anyone familiar with the DOD penchant for acquisitions of technology that does not exist and may not work will be shocked by this:

With a new design CG(X) projected to cost significantly more than the average for a new surface combatant,
the Navy believes that there are other, more affordable ways to improve air and ballistic missile defense.
Furthermore, the design and technology development has not matured enough to begin procurement in
2011, for example, several advance technologies, including the advance radar and combat systems, are either
not available or unproven.1,2
Instead of procuring CG(X), the Navy is considering other options including maturing the air and missile
defense radar program and using technologies from other similar kinds of ships such as DDG-1000 and
DDG-51 destroyers.

$2.5billion a year or more, and the Administration proposes to repeal tax provisions that preferentially benefit fossil fuel production.

Repealing fossil fuel tax preferences helps eliminate market distortions, strengthening incentives for
investments in clean, renewable, and more energy efficient technologies. This proposal would take effect
beginning January 1, 2011.
In 2009, member states at the G-20 summit committed to phase-out fossil fuel subsidies in the medium
term.1 A recent Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development analysis indicates that
commitment from all G-20 member states to phase-out fossil fuel subsidies could reduce global greenhouse
gas emissions by 10 percent.2 In addition, removal of market distortions created by fossil fuel subsidies will
lead to a more efficient allocation within the energy sector as well as across sectors, likely with positive
impacts on National output and gross domestic product.

$20million cut from oil and gas research and development paid for by the taxpayer:

To foster the clean energy economy of the future and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels that contribute to
climate change, the Administration proposes to repeal provisions in the 2005 Energy Policy Act for the
mandatory oil and gas research and development (R&D) program that promotes fossil fuel production. In
addition, these R&D activities typically fund development of technologies that can be commercialized quickly,
like improved drill motors, which should instead be funded by the companies that benefit from the projects.

The notorious C-17

The C-17, together with the larger C-5, is the mainstay of the U.S. strategic airlift fleet. A total of 223
C-17s have now been ordered with the budgetary resources provided up to and including 2010. Analyses of
DOD’s requirements for long-range airlift have shown that the number of C-17s on order, together with the
existing fleet of C-5 aircraft, are more than sufficient to meet DOD’s mobility needs, even under the most
stressing scenarios.1,2 The Administration does not propose continued procurement of additional, unneeded,
C-17s since their substantial costs, both near-term and long-term operational costs, would have to be offset
by the early retirement of C-5s -- which still have, on average, 30 years of useful service life remaining.

And $197million.

The Administration has determined that Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is not a workable option for a nuclear
waste repository and will discontinue the Department of Energy’s program to construct a repository at the
mountain in 2010. The Department will carry out its responsibilities under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act
within the Office of Nuclear Energy as the Administration develops a new nuclear waste management
strategy.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/9/26/905529/-The-2011-Obama-budget-cuts-show-priorities

[elleng]

1. Rather more than the repugs, eh?

[Pirate Smile]

3. The behind the scenes differences are huge & shouldn't be ignored or dismissed with snarky insults.

Reminds me of H2O Man's thread:

Some Good News
I attended two weddings today. At the reception for the second one, I had an interesting talk with one of my nephews. He is currently employed in the DC area with one of the federal agencies that oversees a significant number of the programs for teens who are incarcerated in “youth facilities” across the country. His position involves the making of policies that are used in state facilities that receive some federal funding.

Quite a few of my family have been employed in various human services work. His father helped run a NYS Division for Youth facility; his older brother is currently employed in a similar facility in the upstate region; my older son previously worked at a group home for young adults; and my younger son has worked in another group home, a facility for teens convicted of serious criminal offenses, and now works in another facility for young adult convicts. My wife runs a county substance abuse clinic,: in the past, she worked in a women's prison on the west coast. And I am retired after working in human services in three counties (concentrating on domestic abuse in two, then a mental health clinic in a third).

It would be fair to say that we all share a concern for the quality of services for “at risk” youth. In my opinion, the idea that it was important and worthwhile to invest in programs to help young people went out of style in Washington, DC, when LBJ retired, and Richard Nixon took office. And I'm not a “bleeding heart” – I recognize that there are some people who are violent sociopaths, and who pose a serious threat to society. More, I know there are some offenses that require a serious consequence.

I do have some issues with the way the justice system determines who to prosecute and incarcerate That topic could be worthy of another essay here, though it is actually closely related to the issues involved in the treatment of young people in facilities across the USA. However, my focus tonight is something a little different. My nephew told me that, since Barack Obama took office in the White House, his agency is being encouraged to seek better ways to work with those teens and young adults who are incarcerated in those facilities. He talked at length about the new atmosphere, something that is completely different than when Bush was in office.

This is one of the issues that means the most to me. It's the type of thing that makes me glad that I supported Barack Obama in 2008. I don't expect to see this type of thing reported on the cable news, which is a shame. But the media rarely reports good news.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9202255

[elleng]

4. 'Snarky?' Did I miss something?

Aren't Prez O's proposals more than anything we've seen from the repugs, in fact???

[Pirate Smile]

9. Yes, they are certainly more then the repugs have shown. My snarky insults comment was

more about the constant dismissals of anything good he does by the critics on our side.

[elleng]

10. and that is not me, I assume you recognize.

Thanks for the explanation.

[Pirate Smile]

11. Right - not you.

:)

[Autumn]

2. Pretty good

I like what I see so far. Bookmarking to read later.

[Historic NY]

5. Working to reclaim the bugetary initiative for society.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

6. By comparison, the Repukes cannot think of one program. NOT ONE!!

They are full of shit.

No matter how angry we might be at Democrats, at the very least, they make an attempt to govern.

[elleng]

8. Right. Repugs want POWER, Dems want to govern,

and at least in the abstract, have programs and make attempts.

(HOWEVER, they are afraid of their shadows, which makes any success less and less likely, I'm afraid.)

[NYC_SKP]

7. kick (nt)

[Cha]

12. Thanks Pirate

Smile:)

[CTLawGuy]

13. K&R

nt

[old mark]

14. Obama Administraion, PLEASE let people know about this - the GOPers

would have 30 people on the MSM pointing this out and talking about what a wonderful job they were doing...The Dems seem to just do stuff and not tell anyone, then wonder why no one knows they did anything worthwhile....Please publicise this.


mark

[vaberella]

15. DUers don't even know about this. ~sigh~

It's like pissing up a rope.

[old mark]

16. This is the first I have ever heard of it - if it were the GOP, it would be all over the world now.

[vaberella]

18. Exactly.

Cenk Ughur was just talking about the Woodward book on Obama and how Obama gave an exit strategy. Well you should see the first comment for the video. First Cenk talks about how out of control the Generals are and how they want us in war for ever. And Obama is like if you don't give me one, here is an exit strategy and our troops our out of Afghanistan next summer. Then you have one poster who says...Obama should give them an exit strategy if they won't give him. And I'm like Cenk said twice that Obama gave an exit strategy. We have some DUers who have faulting hearing or what I like to say selective memory in order to be pissed at Obama. So I think there's a lot going on that most people don't hear about or don't want to hear about--if only to remain angry.

[Bluenorthwest]

21. The WH communications staff is not up to the job

The do poor service to the President and to the people. The ardents like to pretend that Gibbs gets $172,000 a year to snark at the left while the left does his job for him, we are supposed to 'know' and then tell America, while Gibbs stands there telling us we are the problem.
Gibbs would be fired as press agent to a soap opera. He stinks at the gig. Give him another job, or send him home.

[annabanana]

17. Yes my dear... The proof of the Pudding is in the tasting.

If only we weren't faced with such an array of disinformation machines grinding against this on "the TV screens" all across the spectrum.

[Pirate Smile]

19. kick

[DevonRex]

20. Thanks Pirate Smile. K&R nt

[SpartanDem]

22. Excellent post

[Pirate Smile]

23. kick