Federal Budget Summary

As we go forward with more programs for our economy, there will be increasing rhetoric regarding how we are going to pay for it. Our federal budget is $3.8 trillion, and each 1% share represents $38 billion.



To understand how hard it is to cut federal spending, consider this: About 3/5’s (57.3%) of it goes out in direct payments to individual Americans or is spent on their personal behalf [entitlements].

Health Care: 23.8% (13% seniors, 7.8% poor, 3% veterans)
Pensions: 22.2% (19% for Social Security, 3.2% for federal civilian and military)
Unemployment: 2.8%
Food Stamps: 2.7%
Housing Subsidies for poor: 1.7%
Disabled poor cash: 1.3%
Low-income tax credit: 1.2%
Cash welfare for poor mothers w/ children: 0.8%
College-tuition aid (non-GI bill): 0.5%
Crop subsidies: 0.3%

Do not expect to see cuts in these entitlement payments, especially since this is where an awful lot of the lobbying energy goes.

So what is the biggest area of discretionary spending? Military operations and hardware is almost 1/5 (19.6%) of next year’s budget. As we wind down military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, expect to see military spending move downward. Cutting of hardware spending will be more difficult since stopping any manufacturing programs will cost jobs and our legislatures are very good at protecting their home turfs.

So that accounts for 76.9% of our spending.

The rest of our government functions account for 16% of our budget and include: transportation, education, alternative-energy research and subsidies, public health, medical research, foreign aid, diplomacy, trade promotion, homeland security, law-enforcement aid, disaster relief, environmental protection, national parks, basic science research, space exploration, the arts, and more. None of these line items exceed 3% by themselves, and many are less than 1%.

That brings us to 92.9%. The remainder of our budget is for interest, half of which is owed to foreign creditors.

So, as we start tackling our economy, you can see that without health care reform and subsequent savings (or increased taxes), changes to social security (change when benefits start or increase taxes), reduction in military spending (focus on manpower versus hardware), and starting to run surpluses instead of deficits, things will only get worse. We have reached the precipice, due to lack of vision and strategy from both parties, and due to placating the loudest whiners in our spoiled and ungrateful country. I know that I am willing to pay 1-2% more in taxes if it will help deal with the mess that we find ourselves in.

Best Blossoms for Beneficial Insects

This entry was inspired by an article in the National Wildlife Federation magazine.

The Best Blossoms for Beneficial Insects

There are good reasons to create a backyard buffet for beneficial insects. They are the tigers and barracudas of the insect world, preying upon many of the organisms that ravage prized garden plants. So many homeowners have pest problems largely because their yards are not inviting to the predators and parasites that in natural ecosystems keep pesky creatures in check.

Studies suggest that native composites, wildflowers with daisy-shaped blooms, are champions at attracting beneficial insects. For North America, some of the most widely distributed include:

• Asters: Named after the Latin word for “star,” asters come in blues, purples and pinks, all with a yellow center.

• Goldenrods: Easily identified by their golden inflorescences with dense masses of tiny flowers, goldenrods are often difficult to tell apart and represent some of the most ubiquitous composites.

• Coneflowers: In colors from purple to gold, typically with brown to orange centers, coneflowers are found from coast to coast.

• Tickseeds: Also known as coreopsis, tickseeds are native to all but three states—Alaska, Nevada and Utah. They often are partly colored yellow and have petals with notched tips.

• Sunflowers: Wild relatives of cultivated sunflowers, which are known for their huge flowerheads, grow throughout the continental United States.

• Buckwheats and milkweeds: These plants also are magnets for good bugs. So are culinary herbs with distinctive flower clusters called umbels that resemble little upside-down umbrellas. Some umbelliferous herbs of varying heights include coriander, chervil, fennel, flat-leafed parsley, dill and lovage. [Milkweed is the one shown in the picture].

I think after reading this article that we are going to be more strategic in our garden planting :o)

Spring Is In The Air :o)

It has been a great couple of days.  First and foremost, I have been released from the outage Tuesday morning, so my 12 hour days are a thing of the past [for now].  The outage actually went pretty smoothly, and we can claim success (on schedule and on budget :o)

The last two Mondays have been beautiful weather wise, I have been able to do some road running.  The first run was 8 miles and I have to admit that I over did it a bit and was quite sore for 3 days.  This past Monday, I did 4 miles, and it was just right.  No soreness today.  After my run on Monday, I uncovered the patio furnature.  We are thinking of having our first BBQ this weekend some time.

The picture above is the forsythia in out back yard.  They really bloom this time of year, and as we have driven around the past week or so, it has been amazing to see how many of these bushes we have in this area.  They are very striking in their color and really signal the arrival of spring in these parts :o)

We have been able to spend some time with Beth's Mom recently, and will do so on a regular basis.  She is doing amazing well under the circumstances. 

We had lunch Tuesday with my folks (mexican, yum), and my stepbrother and his wife will be here this weekend.  Over the next couple of weeks, looking forward to getting some yard work going.  I have a business trip later this month, followed by a family CA visit in mid-May. 

Well, that catches you up to what is happening in Bucko's World :o)

Science Scene - LED Lighting

A Department of Energy report on light emitting diode (LED) technology has some pretty startling numbers to digest.  7% of America's electricity is used to light our homes and businesses. That number is down significantly in the last few years because of the adoption of efficient lighting.


But there is still a great deal of ground to be gained. Indeed, as bright white LEDs begin to make their way to the market, the DOE expects their adoption to result in huge decreases in energy use.  The cumulative savings of widespread adoption of this technology over the next 20 years would be about 1.500 terawatt-hours the price of which, at today's energy prices, is around $120 billion. The savings would eliminate the need for 24 new large power plants, to say nothing of the decrease in carbon emissions.

Source

Philosophical Phun - Intuitionism :o)

Conditions for believing a proposition.

• Clarity - clear understanding of the concepts and practical consequences of the belief
• Reflection - after thorough review, you accept based on facts, not social pressures or emotions.
• Consistency - you can not also believe the opposite could be possible (don't know or are unsure)
• Consensus - consensus adds justification, whereas disagreement undermines it.

 I find it interesting to try and take these conditions of belief, and running politics, religion, and ________ [you fill in the blank] through this filter. It becomes very interesting that because there is not consistency, then those on extreme ends of their beliefs start to employ various techniques to increase consensus, usually at the expense of the first three conditions.

Original entry inspiration.

Pepsi Not So Sweet :o)

PepsiCo, the world's No. 2 soft-drink maker, says it is removing its full-calorie sweetened drinks from schools in more than 200 countries by 2012.  I wish this was sooner, but it is still an encouraging move.

This is the first time a major soft-drink producer has undertaken such a wide-sweeping policy, which essentially admits that sugary soda is not the best thing for your kids to be drinking.

Pepsi removing its soda from schools worldwide

Sunday Silliness - Potential :o)

Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up.

Take a Toke :o)

If $3 for a coffee inhaler hits you where you breathe, don't worry. David Edwards, the inventor of Le Whif, expects that the price will go down eventually.  Edwards called it the perfect on-the-go alternative to a cup of coffee, and better-tasting than a caffeine pill.

Only two stores carry Le Whif: Dylan's and Cardullo's Gourmet Shop in Cambridge, Mass. More will follow, the company says. You can also order from the Le Whif web site. A pack of three runs $7.99.  They have Chocolate, and the coffee version is due soon.


One lipstick-size dosage delivers about 20 milligrams of caffeine, about half the kick of one espresso, according to Edwards. You're supposed to get about 10 gentle sucks per Le Whif.

You want science? Well, Le Whif's particle engineering renders the grounds into ingestible particles that are small enough to become airborne yet too big to enter the lungs. The taste buds can enjoy the tasting while the tummy doesn't have to worry about the digesting.

Science Scene - One Ugly MoFo

This monstrosity surfaced on the Web this week, after first surfacing attached to a remotely operated undersea survey sub. While this 2.5-foot specimen is indeed more monstrous than most of its species, it's really just a harmless, friendly giant isopod, a sea scavenger that dwells in the deep, cold waters of the oceans.


Resembling giant woodlice, isopods are oceanic bottom-feeders, dining mostly on whale carcasses and the like. The vast majority of them are found at depths below 1,200 feet, so they are not generally sought out in any commercial capacity and therefore we don't see them very often. However, we hear isopod is something of a delicacy in Taiwan, where its white, lobster-like meat is boiled and enjoyed in seaside restaurants.



Source

After Much Thought...

After more than three years, I thought that I would have as many followers here in the Blogosphere as I do on Facebook.  Alas, that is not the case. 

When I put up my SiteMeter, I expected to go viral, being in the millions by now.  Alas, that is not the case.  If you take out stalker hits, I have only been visited 4110 times.

For these reasons, I have decided to no longer make aol journal entries.