Ok, the one area that will probably cause the mose diverse points of view in where to cut would be Education, Training, Employment & Social Services

Ooooh.... Good pick, Chief. *L*

Okay, you can break down Education, Training, Employment & Social Services into the following subfunctions:

Education, Training, Employment & Social Services Subfunctions:

Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education
FY01: 0.227
FY06: 0.308
Change: +0.081

Higher Education
FY01: 0.095
FY06: 0.306
Change: +0.211

Research and General Education Aids
FY01: 0.028
FY06: 0.026
Change: -0.002

Training and Employment
FY01: 0.072
FY06: 0.045
Change: -0.027

Other Labor Services
FY01: 0.013
FY06: 0.024
Change: +0.011

Social Services
FY01: 0.134
FY06: 0.132
Change: -0.002


Pick one of those subfunctions and I'll try and break it down even further.


Voice of Reason - I haven't forgetten about you... I'm still scoring some of your ideas and I should be able to get you some numbers either this evening or tomorrow.

Ok, let's take a look at the two that got the biggest gains... Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education, and Higher Education. If you want to go with only one then let's go with Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational.

Excellent informative post cordelier

__________________
BLIND FAITH IN BAD LEADERSHIP IS NOT PATRIOTISM

Voice of Reason - I'm still working on scoring your Social Security/Medicare means test idea, however, in the meantime, I've got some numbers on eliminating the OASDI maximum contribution limit that I'll run past you.

Just to give an overview, as it stands now only the first $94,200 a person makes in salaries and wages are taxed for Social Security contributions. The present employee-share taxation rate is 6.2% for that first $94,200, so no matter how much a person makes, the absolute maximum someone can pay into Social Security this year is $5,840.40. My idea was to do away with ceiling and make everyone's contribution 6.2% of their wages, regardless of how much they earn. Medicare already has no maximum contribution limit, and so this option won't affect Medicare receipts.

Social Security itself is comprised of two separate trust funds - Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI). Out of the 6.2% employee contribution you pay, 5.3% goes to OASI and 0.9% goes to DI. Each of the trust funds depends on three streams for their revenues - (1) Contributions from employees and their matching Employer contributions, (2) Taxation of Social Security benefits from higher-income beneficiaries, and (3) Interest the fund receives from the Government from it's accumulated reserves of non-marketable Government debt.

Here is how Social Security receipts measure up on a percentage of GDP basis (They are included under Social Insurance & Retirement Receipts):

OASI Receipts
FY01: 4.32
FY06: 4.00
Change: -0.32

DI Receipts
FY01: 0.73
FY06: 0.68
Change: -0.05

I used data from the IRS to estimate the distribution of salary and wages by income level and arrive at an estimate for the effect of eliminating the maximum contribution limit on employee and employer contributions to OASDI. According to my calculation, contributions would increase by about 17.62%, which in turn would increase the Social Security surplus, thus increasing trust fund reserves and interest income from those reserves.

Here are the results (I'll use this format for every proposed Budget option, so people can pick and choose what ideas they want to use for their own plans):

Budget Option #1
Proposed By: Cordelier
Summary: Eliminate OASDI Maximum Contribution Limits

OASI Receipts
FY06: 4.00
Effect: +0.62

DI Receipts
FY06: 0.68
Effect: +0.11

Net Interest Outlays
FY06: 1.69
Effect: -0.03

Effect on Receipts: +0.73
Effect on Outlays: -0.03
Net Effect on Deficit: -0.76

So, all in all, eliminating the OASDI maximum contribution limits would get you 0.76 of the 2.23 you'd need to pay for the Bush Tax Cuts. Of course, technically, it means an increase in payroll taxes, if only for employees earning in excess of $94,200 and the firms that employ them.

Chief - Here's how Elementary, Secondary, and Social Services breaks down, with FY06 spending levels:

Department of Education

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
Total: 0.1703
Education for the Disadvantaged: 0.1148
Impact Aid: 0.0104
School Improvement Programs: 0.0467
Indian Education: 0.0010
Reading Excellence: 0.0002
Education Reform: 0.0005

Office of Innovation and Improvement
Total: 0.0092

Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
Total: 0.0065

Office of English Language Acquisition
Total: 0.0063

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
Total: 0.0824
Special Education: 0.0822
American Printing House for the Blind: 0.0002

Office of Vocational and Adult Education
Total: 0.0159

Hurricane Education Recovery
Total: 0.0107

District of Columbia

Federal Payment to District for School Improvement
Total: 0.0003


If you add up the numbers, I think they add up to 0.302 where I posted the total earlier of 0.308. Some of the difference may be from rounding errors or I might have missed a line or two in the Budget... but what's the equivalent of $782 million between friends? *L* I'll let you know if I can account for the difference.

Let me know if you want any more details or information on any of the spending listed here.

Thanks Ididnotvote4him - Feel free to jump in and give us your two cents' worth.

Cordelier,

Thanks for doing all this legwork. I went to the website and it's like wading through quicksand to find the info. Of those sub-areas in education, there were 3 that caught my eye:

Office of Innovation and Improvement
Total: 0.0092

Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
Total: 0.0065

Office of English Language Acquisition
Total: 0.0063

Is it possible to break these down? Thanks.

Chief - *L* I know how you feel... now you know why I asked you to narrow down what spending areas you want to concentrate on. Even then, you can start to get bogged down in detail.

I'll post the data for each of those Offices you mentioned in separate posts, and since we're down to individual program details, I'll start using dollar figures:

Office of Innovation & Improvement
Department of Education
Budget Subfunction: Elementary, Secondary & Vocational Education
Budget Function: Education, Training, Employment & Social Services
Website: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oii/index.html

Program Spending:

Teacher Incentive Fund
Funds will reward teachers and schools that are raising student achievement and closing the achievement gap, provide incentives for effective teachers who choose to teach in low-income schools, and provide funds for the development of performance-based teacher compensation systems.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/news/av/audio/2005/04272005.html
FY 06 Cost: $99 million

Troops-to-Teachers
Funds assist eligible members of the armed forces to obtain certification as teachers and to become highly qualified teachers.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/troops/index.html
FY 06 Cost: $15 million

Transition to Teaching
Funds support competitive grants to establish programs to recruit and retain highly qualified mid-career professionals and recent college graduates as teachers in high-need schools.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/transitionteach/index.html
FY 06 Cost: $44 million

National Writing Project
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/writing/index.html
FY06 Cost: $21 million

Teaching American History
Funds support competitive grants to achool districts for activities to improve history instruction and provide professional development for teachers of American history.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/teachinghistory/index.html
FY06 Cost: $120 million

School Leadership
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/leadership/index.html
FY06 Cost: $15 million

Advanced Credentialing
Funds support the development of an advanced credential based on the content expertise of master teachers. Funds also support related activities to encourage and support teachers seeking advanced certification or advanced credentials.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/credentialing/index.html
FY06 Cost: $17 million

Charter School Grants
Funds support competitive grants to State educational agencies and charter schools to support the planning, design, initial implementation, and dissemination of information regarding charter schools. These schools are created by teachers, parents, and members of the community, and are exempt from certain local, State, and Federal regulations.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/charter/index.html
FY06 Cost: $215 million

Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities
Funds support competitive grants to State and local governments, nonprofit entities, and public and nonprofit consortia, to assist charter schools in acquiring, leasing, and renovating school facilities.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/charterfacilities/index.html
FY06 Cost: $37 million

Voluntary Public School Choice
Funds support competitive grants to State educational agencies and local educational agencies to implement programs that provide students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, with expanded public school choice options.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/choice/index.html
FY06 Cost: $26 million

Magnet Schools Assistance
Funds support competitive grants to local educational agencies to establish and operate magnet school programs that are part of an approved desegregation plan.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/magnet/index.html
FY06 Cost: $107 million

Advanced Placement
Funds support grants to States to pay test fees for low-income students if they are enrolled in an Advanced Placement course and competitive grants to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and national nonprofit educational entities to expand access for low-income individuals to Advanced Placement classes.
FY06 Cost: $32 million

School Dropout Prevention
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/dropout/index.html
FY06 Cost: $5 million

Close Up Fellowships
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/closeup/index.html
FY06 Cost: $1 million

Ready to Learn Television
Funds support the development, distribution, and production of educational video and accompanying materials and services for preschool children, elementary school children, and their parents to facilitate student academic achievement.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/rtltv/index.html
FY06 Cost: $24 million

Academies for American History and Civics
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/ahc/index.html
FY06 Cost: $2 million

FIE Programs of National Significance
Funds support nationally significant projects to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education in order to help all children meet challenging State content and student achievement standards.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/fie/index.html
FY06 Cost: $12 million

Reading is Fundamental/Inexpensive Book Distribution
Funds support reading motivation activities, including the distribution of free books to children.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/rif/index.html
FY06 Cost: $25 million

Star Schools
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/starschools/index.html
FY06 Cost: $15 million

Ready to Teach
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/readyteach/index.html
FY06 Cost: $11 million

Exchanges with Historic Whaling and Trading Partners
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/whaling/index.html
FY06 Cost: $9 million

Excellence in Economic Education
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/econeducation/index.html
FY06 Cost: $1 million

Mental Health Integration in Schools
FY06 Cost: $5 million

Foundation for Learning
FY06 Cost: $1 million

Arts in Education
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/artsed/index.html
FY06 Cost: $35 million

Parental Information and Resource Centers
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/pirc/index.html
FY06 Cost: $39 million

Women’s Educational Equity
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/equity/index.html
FY06 Cost: $3 million

DC School Choice
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/dcchoice/index.html
FY06 Cost: $14 million

That's about as much level of detail as I can get you... from here on out you're going to have to decide what to cut (or, optionally, increase) and by how much. I'll get you the breakdown on the other two Offices when I get a chance here. Have fun!

Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
Department of Education
Budget Subfunction: Elementary, Secondary & Vocational Education
Budget Function: Education, Training, Employment & Social Services
Website: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html

Program Spending:

State Grants
The Drug-Violence Prevention (DVP) State Programs group administers State and local educational formula programs authorized under Title IV, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Programs authorized under this legislation provide financial assistance for state and local drug and violence prevention activities in elementary and secondary schools, and institutions of higher education. Activities may be carried out by state and local educational agencies and by other public and private nonprofit organizations.
FY06 Cost: $349 million

Alcohol Abuse Reduction
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpcollege/index.html
FY06 Cost: $32 million

Mentoring Program
Funds provide grants to local educational agencies and community-based organizations for mentoring programs serving at-risk youth.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpmentoring/index.html
FY06 Cost: $49 million

Other National Programs
Funds support the drug testing initiative and other national activities to prevent violence and the illegal use of drugs among, and to promote safety and discipline for, students.
FY06 Cost: $141 million

Character Education
Funds provide grants to support the design and implementation of character education programs in the Nation’s elementary and secondary schools.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/charactered/index.html
FY06 Cost: $24 million

Elementary and Secondary School Counseling
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/index.html
FY06 Cost: $35 million

Physical Education Program
Funds provide grants to local educational agencies and community-based organizations to initiate, expand, or improve physical education programs for students.
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/whitephysed/index.html
FY06 Cost: $73 million

Civic Education
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/coopedexchange/index.html
FY06 Cost: $29 million

Literacy Program for Prisoners
Website: http://www.ed.gov/programs/lifeskills/index.html
FY06 Cost: $5 million