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Tag: budget

  • Summer Vacation Ideas On A Budget

    Summer Vacation Ideas On A Budget

    Summer vacation time is here and generally, that makes the wallet cringe. With the economy still on the slow rise people are traveling more, but are being a little more cautious.

    If you are in this situation, but want to give your family a great summer vacation, here are some ideas for more cost- and family-friendly summer vacations to take this year.

    Great Wolf Lodges are a good choice. All Great Wolf Lodge locations are convienently placed around the country so that no matter where you are, if you don’t want to spend the money for a plane ticket, or four or six, there is usually one within driving distance. And families LOVE Great Wolf Lodge!

    It’s a hotel/indoor waterpark where they make everything fantastically fun and even convenient for families.

    They have locations in Charlotte/Concord, NC, Cincinnati/Mason, OH, Grand Mound, WA,Grapevine, TX, Kansas City, KS, New England/Boston, MA, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Pocono Mountains, PA, Sandusky, OH, Traverse City, MI, Williamsburg, VA and Wisconsin Dells, WI.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCtruAAtZe8

    If you have a little more money to spend, but are looking for a bargain on something a little more exotic, this place looks awesome! You could take advantage of off-season rates and ticket prices and head over to St. John. Between May and December, the hotter months in the Caribbean, Concordia Eco-Resort on St. John is a great deal for families.

    Concordia Eco-Resort is an eco-resort camp with platform tents connected by a series of wooden bridge walkways. The spectacular beach offers swimming, sailing and snorkeling in US Virgin Islands National Park.

    For the crafty kid (or parent for that matter) they have a really cool Trash to Treasures Art Center where you can create “green” masterpieces from recycled goods and natural elements.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACO-sNn9KnU

    Or, you could just take a week or two and visit a National Park that is close to you or even across the country if you have the time. Our country is full of natural beauty to be enjoyed on any size budget.

    You could rent an RV or if you can’t afford that and don’t own a camper, get a tent and enjoy nature as you reconnect with the family over star-gazing and s’mores.

    Enjoy your budget-friendly summer vacation!

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • A-10 Warthog: Budget Cuts Put Future In Jeopardy

    Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has come under fire for a decision to permanently do away with an entire fleet of A-10 aircraft.

    The choice to eliminate the A-10 aircraft was made as part of a series of budget cuts for 2015. The plan would save $3.5 billion dollars over five years, but it would also mean the end of the A-10 planes, affectionately known as “Warthogs”.

    The plan was rejected by Representative Candice Miller (R) and Senator Carl Levin (D) who vow to fight the move.

    A major factor in Miller’s decision to oppose the proposed budget is that it impacts the Harrison Township base in her Michigan district. The location currently houses 24 planes.

    Miller, who is the vice chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Committee, has spearheaded previous and successful campaigns against the elimination of the Warthog and will be a leading voice against this current proposal.

    Miller was quoted as saying, “Those of us who strongly recognize the important role the National Guard plays in defending our nation will not back down in ensuring that role is not diminished.”

    Hagel’s justification for putting the aircraft on the chopping block is that the Warthog is a Cold War relic meant for the sole purpose of taking out tanks and lacking the technological savvy of more modern planes. The A-10 is therefore due to be put out to pasture.

    It is an argument that was countered by Levin. The Detroit senator said that the A-10 had a “vital capability” and that in order to eliminate the plane, a sufficient “burden of proof” must be met.

    Perhaps at the heart of the fight against the removal of the Warthog is the fact that doing so will cost up to 650 individuals their jobs.

    The loss of jobs was a major reason that members of Congress had rejected previous attempts to move or do away with the aircraft.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Military Pension Cuts Could Save The Budget

    Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a 20 percent cut in “burgeoning military personnel costs” in an effort to slim down the military costs plaguing the country.

    “We all know that we need to slow cost growth in military compensation,” Hagel told a Pentagon press conference. “We know that many proposals will be controversial and unpopular. … Tough decisions will have to be made.”

    But this decision is met with some pretty outraged veterans, their spouses and veteran groups. The fight is to hold onto their retirement pay and possibly curb the pension increases slated for military retirees that are under age 62. This is all part of a new deal passed by congress – awaiting the presidents signature.

    Retirees want the belt-tightening done elsewhere.

    Apparently – and according to military analysts, military compensation is competitive with the civilian pay, and well above it when comparing people with similar education and experience.

    For example, an Army private with fewer than two years of service and no dependents earns on average about $40,400 annually, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Christensen, a Defense Department spokesman.

    Christensen went on to explain that only a small portion of that amount is base pay. The rest is allocated to a housing and food allowance, both tax-free. An Army captain with six years of service and no dependents averages $93,800 annually.

    And what hasn’t been addressed is the fact that all military members have access to free health insurance, including their families.

    If dependents use a private doctor, dentist or pharmacy, they get the care through the department’s TRICARE system, paying no premiums and no co-pays, said Austin Camacho, a system spokesman.

    They also receive “quality of life” benefits, which encompass things like help paying for continuing education, separate schools in some cases, commissaries where food is 30 percent below retail prices and exchanges where clothing and gear is highly discounted.

    Also noted is that they receive a highly discounted day care system, which is used now by more than half of the 1.4 million-member force and their estimated 1.2 million children.

    The hitch though is there is no retirement pension if you aren’t in service for 20 years. And for those who are in 20 years, they get it as they are getting out, instead of having to wait – like the rest of the country – until age 62.

    Critics say 40 years of pension for 20 years of work is overly generous, but retirees say they deserve it for doing risky jobs that are tough on them and their families and that the overwhelming majority of Americans don’t volunteer for.

    There are nearly 2 million retirees currently getting military pensions at an annual cost to the Defense Department of $4.5 billion. Of those, 840,000 are under 62 — and more than 80 percent of those were enlisted, as opposed to higher-paid officers.

    Authorities feel that this 100-year-old pension was designed when people didn’t live as long, and are looking at options such as lump sum payouts at departure, and basically modernizing the system.

    The challenge for the commission is to reform programs so they’re more affordable and sustainable and yet offer benefits attractive enough to keep drawing people to volunteer for the nation’s armed forces.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Breaking News: Senate Ends Budget Debate

    After weeks of concern that we were headed for yet another government shutdown, it seems that might not be the case at all. A bipartisan effort to bring the budget debate to a final vote suggests there’s a chance the majority of senators may approve the latest version of the proposed budget.

    The New York Times reports that a 67-33 vote ended the latest rounds of debates on government spending. It’s hoped that by the end of the week, a final version will be sent to President Obama.

    The new budget deal would raise spending to over $1 trillion dollars, meant to offset a series of controversial budget cuts. For instance, there was a great deal of anger from senators and veterans rights groups over the bill’s proposal to shave several billion dollars off of veteran benefits.

    But Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin says that these cuts are “extremely modest”. In addition, it’s expected that the affected retirees would receive a one-time increase in benefits, resulting in little or no real impact.

    As for the possibility of the final vote resulting in passage, supporters of the budget deal are optimistic. Despite easy passage through the House, the bill ran into trouble in the Senate. Soon after, a great deal of pressure was applied to Republicans to come around. It’s looking now like enough have to avoid a potential filibuster.

    Says chief opponent of the bill, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, “The truth of the matter is, we’re probably going to lose this fight.” He vows that even though the bill looks likely to pass, he will continue to contest spending changes and key budget cuts.

    Meanwhile, Senate majority leader Harry Reid called for senators to come together and sensible close to the matter of a budget in a calm and sensible manner. “The legislation should help break a terrible cycle of governing by crisis.”

    He hopes the plan will be approved by Wednesday.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons

  • 6-Year-Old Tries to Save NASA with White House Petition

    6-Year-Old Tries to Save NASA with White House Petition

    With NASA budget cuts looming, one 6-year-old kid is taking as direct a route as he can to ask President Obama to save the nation’s space program.

    Connor Johnson of Denver, Colorado loves space and hopes to be an astronaut one day.

    “The whole reason I want to be an astronaut so I can discover, like, new worlds and discover, like, asteroids or stuff that I could build stuff out of,” he says.

    But he quickly realized that the $10.41 in his piggy bank wasn’t going to make up for the 2014 fiscal year shortfall about to hit NASA, so he decided to petition the White House to increase funding.

    “Increase NASA funding. So we can discover new worlds, protect us from danger and to make dreams come true,” reads the petition. “Increase the funding for NASA so that children can dream of exploring the universe. Science funding is the future of our country.”

    The petition currently boasts about 10,000 signatures, and it needs 90,000 more by December 29th to hit the signature threshold and (hopefully) for an official White House response.

    The White House previously requested $17.7 billion in 2014 funding for NASA, but lawmakers are looking to slash nearly $1 billion from NASA’s budget. As of now, NASA’s exact 2014 funding remains up in the air.

    This kid is cute, and his point is more than valid – we all need the promise of space exploration to make dreams come true – and it’s not like we’re giving NASA anything significant anyway. You lose more money in your couch every week than you give to NASA in taxes. Still, little Connor is just 6 years old, and has yet to fully realize just how futile an exercise posting a petition to the White House’s site really is.

  • Stamps Increase: USPS Seeks To Raise The Price

    The USPS is seeking to increase the price of stamps, which will certainly be disapproved of by American citizens. The postal service is planning a 3-cent increase, which would raise the price to 49 cents, in order to mail a letter. The proposal of this rate increase must be approved by the independent Postal Regulatory Commission. If accepted, the increase would take effect on January 26, 2014.

    As a part of the request for the rate increase, the cost for each additional ounce of first-class mail would increase from one penny to 21 cents. Additionally, the price of mailing a postcard would rise by a cent, to 34 cents. The cost to mail a letter to an international destination would jump up to $1.15, an increase of 5 cents. The New York Times mentions that according to federal law, the post office is not allowed to raise the price more than the rate of inflation, unless it gets the approval from the commission. The post office is also expecting to lose $6 billion this year and will be forced to look to Congress for assistance.

    An increase in rates could hurt media marketing and businesses that rely on postal services, and would likely lower postal volume and revenues. This is not the first time that they have tried to increase the rates and in fact sought an increase in 2010 unsuccessfully, blaming their results on the recession. It sounds like a dangerous decision again and it is unclear how this will have an effect on businesses. Raising the price on necessary things does not seem good for an economy, and industry groups and unions say raising prices beyond the annual limit could hurt the mailing industry and their businesses, as stated by the Chicago Tribune. The postal service seems to be seeing it as a necessary task in order to get rid of their deficit and balance the budget. Stamped mail, the most profitable business of the agency, accounts for 43 percent of its revenue. Although, these sales continue to drop, while the majority of Americans now use e-mail as a form of communication and are able to pay the majority of their bills online.

    A bipartisan bill in the Senate would end Saturday mail delivery after one year and cease door-to-door delivery for new residential and business addresses. It is said that this would save $2 billion per year and was introduced by Darrell Issa, a republican senator from California.

    Image via Youtube

  • Healthcare Law: Republicans Threaten to Shut Down Gov if Obamacare Isn’t Defunded

    Healthcare Law: Republicans Threaten to Shut Down Gov if Obamacare Isn’t Defunded

    After the fiscal cliff crisis talks in late 2012 to early 2013, another budget crisis is the last thing anyone wants to hear about as we near the end of 2013. Unfortunately, House representatives are talking of a partial government shutdown (again) that could happen in less than two weeks. This possible shutdown depends on one thing: stopping the new healthcare law, Obamacare.

    House Republicans signed legislation on Friday that pulls funding from the healthcare law in order to keep the government funded from October 1 to December 15. This is yet another attempt by House Republicans to halt Obamacare. The House vote on the legislation was 230-189 in favor of keeping the government afloat as long as the healthcare funding is stripped. While the bill had majority support in the House, it is expected to be shot down in the Senate.

    “In case there’s any shred of doubt in the minds of our House counterparts, I want to be absolutely crystal clear: Any bill that defunds Obamacare is dead, dead. It’s a waste of time,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. However, Republican Senator Mike Lee says otherwise: “We have support in the Senate. All forty-five Republicans in the Senate in March voted to defund Obamacare. We’ll keep those and add a forty-sixth, Jeff Chiesa…I hope that a few Senate Democrats…will consider joining us. This is what the American people asked us to do.”

    President Obama has also said that he will not consider any proposals to amend or remove funding from the healthcare reform law. “We’re hearing that a certain faction of Republicans, in the House of Representatives in particular, are arguing for government shutdown or even a default for the United States of America…if they don’t get 100 percent of what they want,” Obama said.

    After Obama said he wouldn’t negotiate on healthcare law, Speaker John Boehner released a video on Thursday bashing Obama for being unwilling to negotiate with Republicans on the healthcare law while being willing to work with Russians regarding Syria:

    Obama further said that House Republicans aren’t concerned about the people, but are instead obsessed with messing with him. “They’re not focused on you,” Obama said at a Ford plant in Liberty, Missouri. “They’re focused on politics. They’re focused on how to mess with me.”

    A lot of people are critical of Republicans for continuing to pursue pulling funding from Obamacare. Discuss your opinions on the healthcare law issues below.

    Image via YouTube

  • Food Stamps Cut: $4 Billion Cut by House

    Food Stamps Cut: $4 Billion Cut by House

    Millions of people could see their food stamps benefits decrease or go away after the House voted for $4 billion per year for the next 10 years in food stamp cuts. House Republicans introduced the new legislation earlier this week, and passed H.R. 3102, the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act, on Thursday with a 217-210 vote.

    The bill still has to pass the Senate, which is unexpected, and the Obama administration said that food stamp cuts that exceed 5 percent wouldn’t be signed. There are currently almost 50 million people on the program receiving about $57 billion per year, according to figures released by the USDA. This is an increase of approximately 10 million people from October 2009.

    No House Democrats voted for the legislation, and all but 15 Republicans voted in favor of it. According to Republicans, the bill will eventually help increase employment rates. “This bill is designed to give people a hand when they need it most. Most people don’t choose to be on food stamps. Most people want a job,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) “Most people want to go out and be productive so that they can earn a living, so that they can support a family, so that they can have hope for a more prosperous future. They want what we want.”

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Cantor on the bill. “In the richest country in the world, 1 in 6 people are in danger of going to bed hungry tonight, and half of those people are children. But despite these sobering numbers–and despite the difficult economic times–House Republicans…are determined to gut the nutrition assistance program,” Reid said. About 3 million people will lose their benefits if the bill is signed into law.

    While many are quick to wag their fingers at House Republicans for introducing the food stamps cuts, some are happy to hear that it would allow states to suspend food stamps if a recipient tested positive for drugs. The bill also prohibit lottery winners from receiving food stamps. “Able-bodied” adults without dependents won’t be able to receive benefits indefinitely and must meet certain job requirements:

    (1) register for work; (2) accept a suitable job if offered one; (3) fulfill any work, job search, or training requirements established by administering SNAP agencies; (4) provide the administering public assistance agency with sufficient information to allow a determination with respect to their job availability; and (5) not voluntarily quit a job without good cause or reduce work effort below 30 hours a week.

    Many Twitter users are split on the bill just like our lawmakers. Some believe that we do need a certain amount of food stamp cuts, while others accuse Republicans of wanting to starve people.

    Are the food stamp cuts needed? Add your opinion below.

    Image via YouTube

  • NPR Buyouts: Plan To Cut Staff By 10%

    NPR Buyouts: Plan To Cut Staff By 10%

    NPR announced on Friday that it will attempt to reduce its staff by about 10% through voluntary buyouts, in order to balance the budget. NPR is a very popular source of news and entertainment for many people, and it is sad to hear of news like this. Hopefully people will not have to miss out on too many of their favorite programs because of this decision. The economy of this country is struggling and since radio broadcasting is a dying business in some aspects, they are forced to analyze their budget and see where they are able to slim down.

    More information about the buyouts is supposed to be available next week, while their last significant cutback came in 2008, letting go of about 8% of their staff at that time. A number of other people have been hired since then certainly, but many of them have been sent to work for their other up and coming outlets such as NPR.org and the various apps that they offer. This announcement was depicted as one of the most significant staff cutbacks in the history of the public radio organization, according to the New York Times. A spokeswoman for the organization was also quoted saying that if the desired reductions are not achieved through buyouts alone, “involuntary measures will need to be considered.”

    Hard times cause people to not be able to be quite as generous to their favorite radio stations, while advertisers are not able to do all that they used to do either. The plans were prepared by a team that was led by NPR’s chief executive Gary E. Knell, hoping to present a balanced-budget plan before departing from the company. Knell announced last month that he would be taking over for the National Geographic Society. NPR, based out of Washington, has said that the buyout is necessary in order to close a continuing deficit, which is projected at $6 million in its upcoming fiscal year.

    NPR and the radio industry as a whole have certainly suffered through the recession, with unfavorable solutions on the rise. This buyout and other measures are intended to help NPR break even in the fiscal year beginning in October of 2014. The organization currently has 840 full and part time employees. NPR states that the recent recession hit NPR and most other media outlets as well, after contributors and advertisers began to scale back on their support. NPR does a lot for the music and entertainment industry as well, with their popular programs such as “Prairie Home Companion” featuring Garrison Keilor and “All Songs Considered,” which features new songs for people to check out.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYkk62aqKd8

    The public radio station is in trouble in the struggling business world of today’s society. Is there anything the public can do in order to help?

    Image via Youtube

  • McDonald’s Crazy Budget Blowback

    McDonald’s Crazy Budget Blowback

    Social media channels blew up last week over McDonald’s putting out some training materials for its employees that included a sample budget to help them learn how to manage their personal income. Why would everyone have a problem with one of the largest employers in the United States encouraging responsible money-handling? It all came down to the amounts McDonalds filled in the blanks with in the examples they showed their workers.

    The McDonald’s samples showed a two-income household – either one person with two jobs, or two people working. The combined incomes of those jobs was $2,060 a month. Other monthly line items included rent for $600, a car payment of $150, “car/home” insurance for $100, health insurance for $20, and no line items at all for food, car fuel, clothing, and many other basic necessities for a working person.

    McDonald’s caught lots of flack over the sample sheet, which seemed to be aimed at making employees feel that these numbers were the norm. Some argue that the sample budget that McDonald’s provided was not intended to be an exhaustive list of what people need to spend on, nor were its budget figures intended to be realistic. They were simply there to show employees how to fill in a budget, separating income from expenses and establishing daily spending limits to keep themselves within budget.

    However, the next page had a blank budget sheet for employees to fill in with their own numbers. And there was still no room for food, car gas, etc. All the items not covered in their short form would have to be lumped under “spending money”, as though it were a “miscellaneous” category. Not a good budgeting tactic at all.

    The guide went on to encourage employees to be thrifty, using such techniques as: “Borrow books and movies from the library”; and “Consider walking or riding a bike when running errands”.

    Some have taken McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson to task over this, challenging him to try to live on the $25,000/year budget McDonald’s touted for its employees. Last year, McDonald’s paid Thompson $13.8 million.

  • Limbaugh “Ashamed” of the U.S. Over Sequestration

    This week conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh embarked on a tirade during his show and ended up admitting that he is “ashamed” of the U.S. The host blasted the issue of sequestration, calling it a repeat of other “crises” such as the auto bailouts or the fiscal cliff, and stating that the budget cuts are a “joke.”

    “It is the same threats,” said Limbaugh. “It’s the same danger. It’s the same crisis. It’s identical. There’s nothing about it that changes, over and over. And everybody gets sucked into it.”

    Limbaugh stated that he believes the sequestration issue is a “big joke on the country” and an “embarrassing spectacle.”

    “Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in my life, I am ashamed of my country,” said Limbaugh. “To be watching all of this, to be treated like this, to have our common sense and intelligence insulted the way it’s being insulted? It just makes me ashamed.”

    Limbaugh argued that there are actually no budget cuts being made, and that this year’s share of the planned $1.2 trillion cuts is only $44 billion. He states that the cuts are on funds that were scheduled to be spent, and do not actually scale back the U.S. budget.

    “We’re just not gonna spend as much as was projected,” said Limbaugh. “It’s all baseline budgeting. There is no real cut below a baseline of zero. There just isn’t.”

    Limbaugh went on to state that “we can’t afford any of this,” presumably referring to the U.S. budget deficit. He went on to excoriate the size of the U.S. government and the “dependency” that is being created.

    A rant by Limbaugh is no surprise, but his stance does demonstrate the feelings of many Republicans in the U.S. Even when budget cuts are being made, for some conservatives it will never be enough.

  • Obama Says No Google Or Facebook Without Govt.

    President Barack Obama is in full campaign mode. The one thing that he will preach to his supporters is that the Republicans are trying to gut the government. He said that under the Republican budget “the government is shrunk to the point where things that we take for granted as a society — as an advanced, responsible society — are gutted: education, science and research, early childhood education, caring for our environment, looking after our veterans, keeping up with our infrastructure, rebuilding our roads and our bridges so that they’re safe, food safety laws, our capacity to enforce basic consumer protections. All of this is shrunk to the point of near invisibility.”

    He went on to say the “vision” portrayed by the Ryan budget “is of an America where everybody is fending for themselves, a few are doing very well at the top, and everybody else is struggling to get by.” Obama obviously has a vision for how the government needs to interact with it’s citizens. His vision includes an all encompassing federal government and a diminished state government. His “European Spending” includes providing everything for it’s citizens including healthcare, jobs, and housing.

    “I believe in investing in basic research and science because I understand that all these extraordinary companies that are these enormous wealth-generators — many of them would have never been there; Google, Facebook would not exist, had it not been for investments that we made as a country in basic science and research,” Obama said. “I understand that makes us all better off.”

    What he doesn’t say, is that these technologies came from military programs, that then branched out to the private sectors. They did not come from the Federal government investing in companies that they feel push their vision of the country. This is one of the reasons that the military has had a historically massive budget, because of the fact they spend more on research and development than any other entity(govt or private) than anyone in the world. The DOD will spend $77 billion next year on R&D, the highest private company is Merck & Co Inc which will spend $10 billion. The DoD will in fact spend more on R&D than the top 10 companies put together.

    Republicans have their own ideas of what should be done with the Federal government and they say that Obama is distorting the facts while he is trying to get reelected.

    “Chairman Ryan, passed a responsible budget that would help put Americans back to work, protect our seniors, close President Obama’s massive budget deficits, and do ‘all of the above’ to address high gas prices,” House Speaker John Boehner said. “It makes the tough choices the president refuses to make to address the staggering deficits and debt that are slowing our economic recovery, costing jobs, and threatening to destroy the American dream.”

    (image)@NewsNinja2012
    Wayne Dupree    Obama doesn’t take credit for Solyndra, failed stimulus, gas prices, economy, but he will take credit for Facebook and Google……WOW!!!(image) 14 hours ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@WeDemandFreedom
    Marwa – B.    Facebook’s clearly made more changes than Obama.(image) 22 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@Joy__Bishop
    Joy Taylor Bishop    The Obama spin….Really??? and the sheep follow…Facebook Would Not Exist’ Without Government Funding http://t.co/iTBDOd0Y(image) 21 minutes ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Department of Defense Releases 30 Year Aviation Plan

    Department of Defense Releases 30 Year Aviation Plan

    The department of defense released their 30 year plan for the entire fleet of aircraft currently available to the Department of the Air Force (DoF), Department of the Navy (DoN-includes the Navy and Marines), and the Department of the Army (DoA). The report included funding for replacements to Air Force One and the military’s aging 4th generation fighters (F/A-18, F-16, A-10, E/A-6B)

    The U.S. military’s inventory of unmanned aerial vehicles, will grow to 645 aircraft in fiscal 2022 from about 445 in fiscal 2013, which is an increase of 45%. The total is in line with the military’s budget restraints going forward.

    “The military departments adjusted their plans to comply with a constrained top line by procuring fewer aircraft than desired,” Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter wrote in a letter to the leaders of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee.

    The Defense Department plans to spend $770 billion on aviation assets from 2013 to 2022. This includes fighter jets, attack helicopters, airlift and cargo aircraft, combat search and rescue aircraft, air refueling planes, bombers, anti-ship and submarine aircraft, drones, training platforms and other aircraft used by Special Operations forces. Annual funding levels will peak at $80 billion in 2022, according to the Pentagon.

    The Air Force “plans to continue aggressive funding” for a new long-range bomber with nuclear capabilities, according to the aviation report. The bomber would reach its initial capability in the mid-2020s, according to the Pentagon. The Defense Department plans to “hold down” the unit cost to “ensure sufficient production” of 80 to 100 bombers, according to the report. And they are also starting to look at a 6th generation fighter tabbed the F-X to replace the brand new F-22. Before you freak out, remember that the F-22 is new now, but this is a 30 year plan. In 30 years, who knows where military technology will be.

    DoD Aviation Plan

  • NASA Faces The Biggest Budget Cuts In Four Years

    NASA will be forced to operate on a budget of just over $17 billion next year after being asked to reduce their spending. This is their biggest cut in four years and Bill Nye, CEO of space exploration group, The Planetary Society says it will devastate the group and explains further:

    “Science is the part of NASA that’s actually conducting interesting and scientifically important missions,”

    “Spacecraft sent to Mars, Saturn, Mercury, the Moon, comets, and asteroids have been making incredible discoveries, with more to come from recent launches to Jupiter, the Moon, and Mars.”

    “The country needs more of these robotic space exploration missions, not less.”

    “I encourage whoever made this decision to ask around; everyone on Earth wants to know if there is life on other worlds,”

    “When you cut NASA’s budget in this way, you’re losing sight of why we explore space in the first place.”

    So it appears that the poor economic conditions are beginning to impact all facets of government funding. It makes sense to cut back on lofty space exploration efforts especially during these times. I don’t know how much value American tax payers truly get out of shooting our money into space. Bill Nye seems very enthusiastic about his work, but I believe these cuts make sense. Come on, a $17 billion budget?

  • Minnesota Government Shutdown Prompts Strong Twitter Response

    It looks like the battle of the budget has claimed the state of Minnesota, or the government at least. But many on Twitter are quick to point out that although state parks are now shut down over the holiday weekend, you can still go camping in one of Minnesota’s beautiful private campgrounds. (No joke, this is one of the biggest concerns from the Twitterverse regarding Minnesota right now)

    The government officially shut down last night at midnight after a week of hard-fought negotiations. Republicans and Democrats have been in disagreement for months about the budget – specifically how to close the $5 billion budget deficit.

    According to the Washington Post, the state battle mirrored the budget battle on the national front – Republicans putting the emphasis on cutting spending on certain programs and Democrats attempting to raise the taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Minnesotans.

    This isn’t the first government shutdown in recent memory. In 2005, the government shutdown under then Governor Tim Pawlenty. That one lasted 8 days and resulted in the temporary layoff of about 9,000 workers. Pawlenty is now a candidate for President.

    During this government shutdown, only necessary government functions will remain up and running. This includes public safety like the police and fire departments, welfare programs, state facilities like prisons, and IT management of governmental systems.

    Like I noted earlier, the state parks will be closed this weekend. This is estimated to cost the state $12 million in revenue for each week the government remains shutdown.

    The state government was close to a deal, but Democratic Governor Mark Dayton could not approve the GOP’s cuts to the health and human services department. Earlier in the negotiations the Republicans proposed a budget that included some layoffs for state workers and teachers. It also included some non-budgetary items such as a vote ID bill and abortion restrictions. The Democrats refused that proposal.

    So, with the two parties in a deadlock, the government is now shutdown. Twitter is reacting strongly to the news, with opinions coming from all sides of the political spectrum. Here are a series of tweets blaming the GOP for the shutdown –

    @garak99
    Bill King    Hey #gop Minnesota is a example of what happens when 1 side takes a no tax increase position things collapse #p2 #toct #teaparty 44 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto

    @ninahale
    Nina Hale    .03% of Minnesotans (those who earn $1M) have shut down our state due to refusal to raise taxes on them. #7700donors #mnshutdown 3 hours ago via Twitter for Android · powered by @socialditto

    @schup
    Paul Schupanitz    Thank you #mngop for shutting down state government to serve your selfish ideology and your corporate masters. #mnleg #mnshutdown #dfl 2 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Some on Twitter point to Democratic ideals as the cause of Minnesota’s budget problem –

    @LacusCurtius
    Bill Thayer    I’m glad Minnesota is no longer caving in to tax & borrow & spend; but it makes no sense to shut down the lottery, a source of State income! 45 minutes ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @jtomli
    James Tomlinson    Every state that spends too much of the tax payers money on parasites always goes broke. Minnesota is well known. http://bit.ly/jw0ytd 45 minutes ago via Mozilla F1 · powered by @socialditto

    Many have just decided to take a crack at the state of Minnesota –

    @oshakarow
    Osha Karow    #MN is known for 2 seasons: Winter & Road Construction. Since the roadwork has stopped due to the #MNshutdown are we technically in winter? 1 hour ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @tonybarlow03
    Tony Barlow    Hey Minnesota campers. You are welcome to come and join us in South Dakota. We are open for business over here! #mnshutdown 1 hour ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    @Caissie
    Caissie St.Onge    To all my Minnesota pals, so sorry your government has SHUT DOWN! I know you’re all very polite, so riot politely, but do riot. 9 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @BillCorbett
    BillCorbett    The Minnesota government has been shut down. Even the state moose-shampooing plant. #MNshutdown #dirtymooses 8 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

  • How Much Should You Spend On SEO?

    How Much Should You Spend On SEO?

    It’s a tough question, especially in a bad economy.

    The question really begs another question – what is your goal for your site?

    If you are operating it as a real business where you hope to either supplement your current income or rely on it as your sole source of income – then you need to be prepared to invest in search (it’s often the foundation of your marketing and a consistent source of regular traffic).

    You can invest time or money and in most cases, you usually need to invest both.

    I think there is someone out there spreading some erroneous information about starting a business online.  There is a lot of the “build it and they will come” mentality – in other words throw up a site and voila insta-business!

    While in many ways, it is easier to do business online because you don’t need to set up physical stores and have a lot of the issues you have with brick and mortars, it is by no means a “sure thing” – you still have to work for your success.

    Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying you shouldn’t start an online business –  I am just saying if you expect your business to grow and treat you well, then you need to treat it like a serious business.

    So, yes, it will be necessary for you to invest both time and money into generating traffic.

    So back to the question at hand – how much should you spend on SEO?

    You need to crunch some numbers and see how many visitors it takes to get a sale and how much a sale is worth to you to really fine-tune your budget – especially if PPC is part of your plans (so many people waste money on PPC that isn’t converting – spend wisely or it can suck you dry!)

    For organic SEO you will find everything from $19.99 mass submission (avoid like the plague, you may as well burn your $19.99) to tens of thousands of dollars per month.

    Most small to medium sized businesses spend between $300 – $800 per month, although I’ve also heard people say numbers a little higher, like $500 – $1500 per month is the norm.  So somewhere in that range is what you should expect to pay for quality SEO work.

    It always amazes me that people are annoyed they have to pay for SEO.  People will pay for a doctor or a mechanic, or even a web designer but they seem to resent having to pay for SEO.  If you have the time and knowledge, then by all means, don’t pay anyone, do it yourself.  However if you don’t have the time or knowledge, it’s a valid, and important expense and not something you should begrudge.  Driving traffic to your site is the foundation and not the area you want to go cheap.

    I’m jussayin…think about your goals and think about what you are prepared to do to get there.