Improving Our Economy

I came across a good overview of the US Budget and the challenges we face to get our economy out of the hole it is in. The solution is simple - impose spending restraints that our current and past Congressional leaders have never done. Kiplinger Personal Finance this month provided a good summary that causes one to reflect on whether our children and grandchildren will EVER enjoy the quality of life we have had. Here are some facts:
About 57% of our budget is payments to individuals or spent on their behalf:
  1. Health Care 24% (13% for seniors, 8% for the poor and 3% for veterans)
  2. Pensions 22% (19% for Social Security and 3% for federal civilian and military retirees)
  3. Unemployment 3%
  4. Food Stamps and other nutrition programs for the poor 3%
  5. Housing subsidies for the poor 1.7%
  6. Cash payments to the disabled poor 1.3%
  7. Low income tax credits 1.2%
  8. Cash welfare for poor mothers 1%
  9. College tuition aid 0.5%
  10. Crop subsidies 0.3%
The biggest area for discretionary spending is Military and hardware at 20%
What's left is every other function of the government: transportation, education. alt energy research, publich health, foreign aid, homeland security etc amounting to 16-20% with no function getting more than 3% of the budget.