Balancing the budget

It is of great interest to me how Republicans can continue to justify cutting programs that benefit society and create jobs. Not only that, these programs protect the planet from destruction and make sure that the water we drink and the air we breath is clean. Well as clean as it can be given the sheer number of pollutants out there. It is painfully clear to me that the choices they are making have nothing to do with budgets at all. When the Republicans lost the white house in ,08 they made a deal with several devils. Get us back into office and we will extend to you great favors. So the Rupert Murdock Tea Party was born. Now lest you think I am going a little Glenn Beck on you, look at the facts. The Koch brothers huge backers of the Republican party for many years, are set to receive huge energy contracts in Wisconsin. At the national level the Republican leadership wants to ban the EPA. When Sharon Angle said it we all waved it off, but when members of the house say it we have to take it more seriously.
Now, this isn't completely new tactics. What is new is the unapologetic, dare I say balls out warfare. Taken individually these tactics are signature Republican. But they are hitting us from all sides. Abortion, environment, education, social programs, continued tax breaks for the wealthy. I will admit that I am young so I could be wrong, but during the Clinton era Republicans were willing to compromise on their contract with America. Now there is simply no way to please them, their tactics border on tyrannical.

So with that in mind, what would help to balance the budget?
1. end the Bush tax cuts
2. end oil subsidies to the oil industry
3. stop paying farmers to leave land fallow, let them grow food
4. cut military spending for things like NASCAR sponsorships, they can use a much cheaper recruiting booth
5. cut duplicate programs as long as they truly are clones of each other
6. repeal DOMA and save millions
7. doing #3 and #6 will increase revenue to local economies
8. stop spending money on outdated military machines
9. tap into our oil reserves so that gas prices don't stall our economy
10. leave health care reform in place so that more people will be insurable and therefore more desirable as employees
Surely more can be done, this is just a starting point.