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Citizens Against Government Waste's Tom Schatz on the vast amount of waste that should be cut
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So if we need to cut things which everybody seems to agree we do what are we -- It -- difficult day even as we can see the politicians in Washington -- agree on any thing.
As we try to manage the mess of the federal budget well perhaps somebody can help them all out a little is Tom -- President of sitting in the Citizens Against Government Waste good to -- -- Tom.
I Jonathan -- so first of all on the broader issue before we get into some real specifics.
There is -- annual view aim -- demand a fat -- rolled it could very easily become.
Absolutely the Citizens Against Government Waste has been issuing prime cuts since 1993.
This year's version we just released last Thursday.
583 billion dollars in savings in one year and one point eight trillion dollars over a five year far more than they're whining about under the sequester.
And and -- 583 billion and it's an extraordinarily large figure but -- -- -- view 583 billion that nobody would really miss.
Unlikely.
Certainly programs like the market access program replacing the dollar -- the dollar coin getting rid of the peanut subsidy.
Getting rid of the Energy Star program there are.
As we have identified hundreds and hundreds of programs and we do address some of the entitlement spending as well.
That could either be consolidated or terminated.
And did it would do would be good of great benefit to the taxpayers and certainly to our future.
-- -- -- -- just put up a few of these as as you.
First of all -- replacing the one dollar bill.
With a one dollar coin up five -- savings of 730.
Million -- -- how does that save that -- money.
Well the dollar bills are more costly over time they are less expensive and -- -- but.
They don't last as long as the dollar coin which is a little more expensive to make that last more than thirty years so those numbers make perfect sense in fact.
The Government Accountability Office -- this -- more than half a dozen reports.
And they said that and in one case that the investment was more than 500 billion dollars here.
So the 146000000.
-- one year 730 million over five years is really low number other countries it's a far more than they initially estimated like Canada.
They've met ten times as much as they thought they would like getting rid of their single dollar bill why addressing and then now what about that the peanut subsidy.
Why why is -- -- peanut subsidy and how does it work and welcome we say.
It started out in the 1930s way past retirement age and like many other agriculture programs sugar peanuts -- they all kind of prevent consumers -- -- a market price that they paid peanut farmers not to grow crops and they.
Limit the amount of peanuts they can be grown of course raises the prices and this in -- -- the food programs that the government runs.
More than they should be paying for peanuts and then the taxpayers have to pay more.
-- and then then.
Another another point you make which seems to have a very large -- is that the Energy Star program which I guess is that program.
That he courage -- are sold to use sort of energy efficient products you think we should get rid of that.
Well everybody's fine and the manufacturers are making them it really has nothing to do with what the government has told us that simply common sense.
To buy a product that will save money over time no one wants to pay higher energy costs what -- -- -- bureaucrats telling us.
What to buy and when not to buy and the Government Accountability Office and and its twenty products for certification by Energy Star.
They certified fifteen of the twenty they never look to see whether savings.
Really occurred with these products and even -- the gas powered alarm clock which seems to me to be a pretty obvious fake product that the GAO submitted for approval.
-- -- all right so if it's this easy -- if you guys can come up with this 583 billion in total.
A why can the politicians not -- it is is the problem here that with each of these things you look at.
It's special interest in -- constituents in dress let's stop these things being caught.
Absolutely in fact in the prime cuts list there 82 recommendations.
That the president has proposed in his budgets over the last couple years.
That would save almost sixteen billion in one year and 86 billion over fires and he hasn't mentioned a single one of those.
In the last two weeks talking about alternatives to these -- so everyone knows we -- look everyone knows what's wasteful.
But these special interest get in the way and unfortunately it's difficult to cut out.
Even the most obvious -- -- you know took us almost twenty years to get a moratorium on earmarks we first identified earmarks or pork barrel projects in 1991.
Didn't get a more torrential 2010 and that was a small amount of spending but at least something was done.
It takes time unfortunately -- -- -- and he goes both ways politically here everybody's equally at fault.
Absolutely.
There are more than 200 programs for science technology engineering and math third of those were added.
Under Democrats and Republicans between 2005 and 2010 and president in his State of the Union Address it let's have another one.
-- -- the dollar coin for example was a fight between the Federal Reserve in the US men's.
But everyone knows that these savings can occur if every moment just sit down and be more logical instead of political.
Okay Tom made I had people who wanna check this that the prime cuts -- thirteen.
Report can they find it on your website.
It is on our website the whole database and also our prime cuts summary which goes into more detail on dozens of very good recommendations including the ones we've just discussed.
You can go to CA GW dot org and you can look at it download it.
In fact might even want to talk to some your elected representatives about these ideas and maybe something will happen.
No all right and there it is on the screen CA GW dot old.
But Tom Schatz who is president of -- the Citizens Against Government Waste thank you so much some event fascinating utility.
Thank you Jonathan -- --
