If government can cut costs, we all can

As Americans struggle to keep up with payments, the government is busy trying to economize. The country is facing a $1 trillion deficit that is increasing as government spend more to tackle the problems of the recession.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal featured an article that explained the new savings effort within various government agencies. I call it "the organic stimulus" -- properly budgeting money so that you will have enough to continue operations during bad times.

It all started in April, when President Obama ordered his cabinet secretaries to locate $100 million in budget cuts. The Forest Services Department, for example, stopped repainting newly purchased white vehicles green to save money.
Here's a short list of some of the cut backs:

• Department of Justice:
Printing and copying on both sides of the paper.
Estimated $573,000 saved

• Navy
Delete unused email accounts
Estimated $5 million saved

• FEMA
Renovate and reuse or sell emergency trailers
Estimated $3.8 million saved

It's important to note that all of these savings merely affect the steep deficit. The cut backs only decrease our debt by about 0.006%, which is equivalent to a simple rounding error. Despite the small impact, it's a good start.

I agree with what Brian Riedl, a federal budget expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation, that one does not need a presidential order to be frugal during a recession. In my opinion, it takes responsibility and common sense to save when you have little money.