[wredcoll]

Trump's ballroom.

Trump's "irs lawsuit settlement fund"

The salaries of all the lawyers being paid to justify illegal and discriminatory executive orders.

ICE's budget.

TSA's budget.

"Border Wall" construction costs.

Should I go on?

[tick_tock_tick]

Most of those things a tiny rounding error. Interest and social services are the only thing the government actually spends money on.

[wredcoll]

I know it's fashionable to say stuff like this, but you know what's also a rounding error by that logic? THE SCIENTIFIC GRANTS WE'RE DISCUSSING.

Like, sure, 600million for a ballroom is small compared to the annual interest payments but it could fund, dunno, at least a dozen scientists. Maybe even 2 dozen! Add in the 1.6 billion dollars trumo was trying to embezzle from the irs and we could get a couple dozen more studies going.

If that number is too small and trifling for you, how about the $80+ billion dollar budget for ice? Think we could afford a few studies with that?

[Blackstrat]

Perhaps it could. And perhaps you think erecting tents on the White House grounds for state events, like a third world country, is okay as well. The government funds a ridiculous amount of "science", some of which has no utility. That's not the government's role. These types of projects can be funded by the university or private industry or not at all. Being a "scientist" and wanting to research some idea DOES NOT entitle you to taxpayer funding. Again, as I and others here have noted, the money is in interest, defense, and transfer payments. Personally, I'd like to see reforms on all social programs. If one is capable of working, then they work. Until you live somewhere that has a thriving economy in government money and see the abuse, you have no idea what you're talking about. Should government money be used to buy booze? Potato chips? I assure you that it happens everyday. I've seen it first hand. So fix the social programs and then we'll talk about funding fringe science research. And let's quit funding the 120+ foreign biolabs doing DOF research. We've seen that script before.

[platevoltage]

You left out military spending. It's kind of a big one.

[stackskipton]

I agree with all of that but you don't put a dent in spending outside of tackling ICE budget. TSA is more neutral since a lot of funding from that comes from airline ticket fees.

There is only 5 items that matter:

Interest on Debt.

Social Security

Medicare.

Medicaid.

Defense.

[wredcoll]

I'm not trying to balance the budget here, just find a few billion for research.