budget puzzle: you fix the US budget

[Kindi]

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010 ... aphic.html

note that completely filling up the boxes at top just means getting to square 1 where we aren't getting more into debt. actual national debt is $13.5 trillion

[Corth]

The expense and tax categories are gross generalizations. Each expense category, for instance, probably would impact hundreds if not thousands of various government programs and policies. In reality, drastic cuts will be necessary, but on a line item basis. I suppose if nothing else, it kind of illustrates the predicament the country is in. And this is just on the Federal level. A lot of the states are in even worse financial shape.

[Teflor Lyorian]

Too bad there's not an option to remove interest payments due to public debt. That would put us in the black.

[Corth]

I suppose if you default on the debt then it doesn't really matter. The United State of Zimbabwe anyone?

[Sarvis]

There are other "games" like this out there, better ones actually. This one didn't give you a lot of choices and made it relatively easy to solve the budget crisis. I also ended up checking pretty much everything, because there was nothing particularly contentious listed.

This one's halfway decent: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/feat ... dget_hero/

There was a better one I saw on Fark the other day, but can't find it now... :(

I think the big problem with all of these is that they don't take into account the effects of policies on the economy. For instance a stimulus package might increase the revenue if it gets more people working, but that wouldn't be reflected in the simulator...

[Corth]

I basically agree with Sarvis' take on this (gasp!). Very easy to check abstract little boxes. Not so easy if you are doing it in real life and real people are going to be effected.

[Teflor Lyorian]

I suppose if you default on the debt then it doesn't really matter. The United State of Zimbabwe anyone?

We're already printing more money, Corth. We'll get there.

[kiryan]

which is why we have to get back to what government is supposed to be doing, not what we have allowed it to do.

Yes, cuts suck and will affect people who will lose their houses, their way of life and maybe even their life (free/subsidized healthcare) but they are entitled to the opportunity to pursue happiness, not government provided/subsidized happyness.

Millions will probably starve to death and die from preventable conditions if we cut foreign aid by 50%, but that Arkansas politiican had it right, you don't feed strays because they breed. That is just truth. I don't understand how you can feel good about yourself by forcing other people to give up their wealth because you think its a good cause. Government should not be doing this, citizens should.

[Teflor Lyorian]

Furthermore, what foreign aid we give should be structured more to promote the United States of America. People should know who is responsible for the aid, because it's being paid for by taxpayers that are being forced to surrender their wealth.

[kiryan]

and as much dollar diplomacy is going on already must stop. we all see how that worked out for taiwan.