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A thought on the budget process [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-06-18
Her’s a thought. What if “We the people” were the ones to create a national budget? Perhaps it’s being naïve, but the national budget is made up of our money. We pay our taxes to both the state and the federal government, and elected officials decide where, and how to spend that money. Seems like a pretty straightforward process. But in an era of polarization, and an abhorrence towards compromise, what we the people need and want, is of absolutely no consequences to the people we have elected.
what if instead, there was a national budget day-or some such, when we the people vote on how our money should be spent? We receive a “ballot”, preferably in the mail, have X number of days to review it and then in a prioritized ranking, vote on each line item. Perhaps it’s a simple ranking system, where we the people show the government what are the most important things to us to spend money on. Perhaps a range, like $100 to $100,000 for a specific agency or program. Perhaps Congress gives the voter a list of what they want to spend and the voter is able to vote if s/he wants to spend more or less on that line item. I’m sure folks in and out of government can come up with an efficient way of setting up the ballot. There would be a federal website (preferably vetted by an outside organization) that would present information on each of the line items. For example, what is the purpose and function of each of our agencies, as well as what do each of these programs do for the American people
Yes, I understand that means people have to actually get off their rear ends, and do some homework before they vote. But what a great civics lesson this would be for all of us. And through this process we the people have direct input into how our money is spent.
The process at this point in time, it’s so convoluted and ridiculous, we are constantly facing possible government closures, all kinds of “pork”, and an enormous amount of lies about what is actually in the budget that Congress is perusing. The big, beautiful bill is one of the ugliest, most disgusting things presented to Congress, in many many many decades. I truly can’t understand how these idiots think cutting Medicare and Medicaid is going to do them any good. And the concept of giving people who make over $4 million a year a tax break is absolutely absurd. If Republicans really wanted to balance, the budget there is a very simple solution. Tax anybody who makes over $1,000,000, 35 percent of their income and we could probably take care of the national debt and make sure there’s enough money for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Snap and anything else we decide we want to spend OUR money on to help the people in this country, instead of grinding us into the ground.
Just a thought.
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