I was hoping when I started this blogging experiment to focus more on technology and less on the soft sciences and emotionally charged issues such as politics. However, it seems the things that I am most interested in are defining where I stand on a lot of macro issues. While this is probably an effect of listening to too much national media, I'm still going to jot down my points of view for you.
This link:
http://www.thebudgetgraph.com/site/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1
is a tool to examine the proposed federal budget for 2008. It outlines that 67% of our national spending (1055 Trillion $) is requested to go to national defense and security. In the society I want to live in, the military is funded at a maximum of 25% of the total national budget. Other services should make up the bulk of a balanced budget.
Were I in charge, I'd reduce federal spending on defense slowly until we reached the 25% level. The reduction would lead to a balanced budget and a surplus which could then be used to both reduce the tax burden of the poorest citizens and pay for social services such as schools, tax collection, welfare, prisons, legal system, social security, unemployment, and universal health care.
