How to keep the government afloat

Jesse at Pandagon's got a humorous take on the outrageous Investors Business Daily plan to cut government spending in the wake of two hurricanes.

As Jesse writes, "It's called the 'Vague Plan of Vagueness For Some Indeterminate Point In The Future'."

Here are some of his responses to IBD's list of "programs or projects that could be deleted with little economic disruption but with maximum fiscal impact":

IBD: Delay Medicare Rx program - $40 billion
Jesse: Okay, but it still costs money later - that $40 billion still comes due, unless you simply delay it indefinitely...in which case you might as well cut the entire thing.

IBD: "Pork barrel spending - $27 billion"
Jesse: This reminds me of my personal budget, and the little area I have marked "unnecessary spending". It's always a hundred bucks or so, and it's always there to be cut...but I can't figure out what it is, and by the time I do, I realize that it's a category largely made up of me not wanting to pay for oil changes and laundry detergent.

IBD: Federal overpayments - $20 billion
Jesse: Now you can feel the vagueness cooking!

IBD: Base realignment and closure - $20 billion
Jesse: Which ones? Where? Did you know that we can save $110 billion by ending budgetary waste? $492 billion by ending bad government stuff?

IBD: Farm subsidies cut in half - $10.6 billion
Jesse: Right in half! Without remorse! Just do it! To the max!