How to double FY 2011 savings and save an additional $40 billion over the next 10 years

Even in an era of budget cuts, these government programs won’t die - The Washington Post

In brief the article that four programs that neither Republicans nor Democrats want and that both Republican and Democratic presidents have tried to cancel cost the US taxpayers $337 million a year.  Remarkably, contrary to all common sense, these programs were NOT defunded in the recent $38 billion 2011 budget deal.  You remember that deal; that's the one that actually saved $352 million in FY 2011 and some $20 to $25 billion in the next four years.

So here's a Common Sense suggestion to double FY 2011 actual savings; kill these four programs!

Common Sense notes that it cost the US taxpayers roughly $5 billion per year in direct expenses to pay and fund Congress.  That's not $5 billion in budget but a real expense against the treasury of $5 billion per year.  As a point of reference in 1963 when John Kennedy was president Congress costs a paltry $192 million!

So here's another Common Sense suggestion to save $40 billion over the next 10 years in addition to the $38/$25/$20 billion Congress could find.  Lets cut Congress's budget to $1 billion per year.  That's still 5 times what it was during the Kennedy administration.  Surely Congress can manage on five times what they once spent.

Common Sense wonders if Congress should be on the list of four programs that ought to be cut!  Common Sense definitely believes that Congress needs some, well, common sense when it comes to spending on itself; not just spending on the rest of us.