So much film, so little story

I have no idea how Tarantino managed to pad out so little story to 2 1/2 hours.

It would be a much improved film if the following cuts were made:
* the entire stuff about Beaumont Livingston
* the entire Loius Gara sub-plot - De Niro is a great actor but his part was not required
* with Gara gone, we could lose Simone too
* with Gara gone, we could lose Chicks Who Love Guns

I reckon the film would run a much more sensible 80 minutes. Don't get me wrong, I like long films, but there has to be a substantial story to warrant length.