The new White House plan to deal with the federal deficit is much more than just the highlights you have heard about, as supporting documents released by the Obama Administration show dozens of small provisions that are sure to anger certain groups.
The provisions range from ones that would impact most Americans, like the recommendation to allow the U.S. Postal Service to drop one day of mail delivery to a $100 per flight fee on general aviation flights that use "controlled airspace," as a way of funding the Air Traffic Control system.
Among the many plans included in the Obama deficit proposal, higher taxes on diesel fuel used by boaters on the inland waterway system of America, a $200 million assessment on the nuclear power industry to help pay for nuclear cleanup work and $740 million in new fees on companies registering new pesticides with the feds.
Making a return in this plan is another idea that has been met with opposition in the Congress, the idea of a fee on big banks to help offset the cost of the Wall Street Bailout, as a $50 billion "Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee" in in the President's plan.
The idea has never gone far in the Congress - even when Democrats were in charge of both the House and Senate, and seems unlikely to generate much bipartisan support this time.
One idea that would hit home with many Americans is a plan to raise the fee paid by airline passengers for airport security. It could go from a maximum of $5 per one-way flight to $7.50 per one-way flight by 2017.
That would bring in $8.8 billion in revenue; the Air Traffic Control system fee described above would generate $11 billion over ten years.
The plan would also allow changes in the military TRICARE health system, by starting a new lifetime registration fee and raising co-pays for prescription drugs.
The Obama plan would also set up a commission to review military benefits and retiree programs to see where further savings could be realized for the future.
The details were included in an 80 page document submitted by the White House to the Joint House-Senate panel that's dealing with the budget deficit.
You can read your way through all of that fine print - and maybe you'll find some more of interest for fellow readers - at http://is.gd/JJhWu5
