E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSIt’s Friday, March 1, and that means the federal government has crossed the much-hyped and dreaded deadline for the fiscal reductions known as the “sequester.”
The members of Congress who for voted for the Budget Control Act – and the budget cuts contained within – and President Barack Obama who signed it into law on Aug. 2, 2011, may not have believed the day would arrive, but now it has.
But today is only the beginning of the beginning.
For one thing, Obama must sign an order formally starting the “sequester” or spending reductions, which according to a new estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, would amount to $42 billion in the current fiscal year.
And White House aides have indicated that the president is not likely to put pen to paper on that order until after he meets with congressional leaders, a meeting slated for Friday morning.
Once Obama signs the order to start the spending cuts, any furloughs of federal workers could not begin at least for another 30 days due to federal regulations and to collective bargaining agreements which the government has with the unions that represent roughly half of the federal workforce.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference Feb. 28, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington.
So the Border Patrol Agents in Arizona won’t suddenly vanish on Friday and the civilians who repair Navy ships won’t be ordered to immediately put down their tools.
As with many things the federal government does, there are multiple rules, regulatory hurdles, avenues for appeal and opportunities for litigation.
As Under Secretary of Defense Robert Hale, the Pentagon’s Chief Financial Officer, explained last week, “The bottom line is, furloughs would not actually start for DOD employees until late April.”
He explained, “There's a whole series of notifications. We started the first one today (Feb. 20), with the notification to Congress, along with a message by the secretary of defense to our civilian employees. That starts a 45-day clock ticking. Until that clock has run out, we cannot proceed with furloughs.”
Despite the fact that $85 million in sequester budget cuts are scheduled to take effect Friday, lawmakers still have not been able to arrive at a solution. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports
He added, “At some point in mid-March, we will send a notification to each employee who may be furloughed. That starts a 30-day clock, waiting period, before we can take any action. And then later on in April, we will send a decision to employees, and they have a one-week period, once we've made that decision, to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board.”
The Merit Systems Protection Board is the independent agency which hears and decides complaints when a federal employee claims that he or she has been the victim of an unfair, punitive, or discriminatory personnel action. The board issued 7,585 decisions last year.
Related: Budget cuts likely to be felt on Main Street
In a memo sent Wednesday to Cabinet officers and the heads of federal agencies, Danny Werfel, the controller of the Office of Management and Budget, emphasized that agency heads “must allow employees’ exclusive representatives” – their unions – “to have pre-decisional involvement” in planned furloughs or other personnel actions “to the fullest extent practicable” and must bargain with the unions over the impact of furloughs. The head of each department or agency must comply with “any and all collective bargaining requirements.”
In his memo, Werfel did not flatly warn federal agency heads to not hire any new personnel, but he did say they should give “increased scrutiny” to hiring any new workers, as well to the money they spend on training programs, conferences, and travel.
Like Hale at the Pentagon, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano emphasized in her briefing for reporters this week that the effects of the spending cuts – while they will be substantial – won’t be instantaneous.
“The impacts people are going to see – and they will build over the next several weeks; you won’t see them immediately like a shutdown, but it will accrue over the next few weeks,” she said. “Lines, procedures, wait times (at U.S. ports of entry and airports) are all going to get longer.”
She added, “It won’t be like a (government) shutdown, where it’s like turning off the light switch. But all I can say for folks is these are the effects that will accrue. Please don’t yell at the customs officer or the TSO (transportation security officer) officer because the lines are long. The lines over the next few weeks are going to start to lengthen in some dramatic ways in parts of the country.”
Just as the personnel decisions will take weeks to ripple their way through the federal workforce, so too will decisions on contracts for new ships, drones, and electronic gadgets.
“I don't anticipate that we will cancel many, if any contracts, because we'd incur substantial costs,” Hale told reporters last week.
He said that due to the spending cuts, the Pentagon might delay entering into new contracts, “but I wouldn't expect that we will terminate existing contracts.”
Seeking to reassure contractors, Hale said, “If you've got a contract with us, we're going to pay you ... . Even under sequestration and furloughs, we will find a time to keep our payments to our employers and the vendors on time.”
The slow grinding of the bureaucratic wheels does not mean that furloughs won’t hurt, if they occur.
A fact sheet issued by the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal union which representing 650,000 federal and D.C. government workers, spells out some of the possible pain:
•Up to 22 days out of work with no pay, equivalent to a 20 percent pay cut;
•Reduced contribution to workers’ retirement savings accounts;
•Reduced take-home pay due to the deduction of health insurance benefits at the full salary rate.
But as a recent report from the Congressional Research Service pointed out, the sequestration procedures provide for exemptions for many groups.
Among the categories which the law spares from the spending cuts are:
•Social Security benefits
•The Medicaid health insurance program for low-income people
•Payments to individuals in the form of refundable tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-wage workers and the tax credits under the 2010 health care law to help people buy health insurance.
•Retirement benefits paid to retired federal workers
•Child Nutrition Programs, including the School Lunch and School Breakfast programs,
•The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called “food stamps”
•Pell Grants for college students
•Unobligated cash balances, carried over from prior years, for nondefense programs
•Pay for military personnel.
This story was originally published on Fri Mar 1, 2013 12:00 AM EST
Leave a Comment:
/inb4 the usual pointing of fingers and blaming a political party while defenders of that party blame the other. Like a never ending game of ping pong with two Energizer bunnies, it goes on and on and on and on...
The gap between the Rich and Poor is now at crisis level. Besides revolution, there is only extreme capitulation by the Republicans to throw bones to the Poor. But, they are too stupid to capitulate. This has happened thousands of times in the past, and it may happen thousands of times in the future, if history is ignored.
But, we need people that fight for their causes. Everyone believes in different things, we are lucky here to have that choice. We do need spending cuts so let them begin.......................................................
I agree. This is just sad, sad, sad. The people who will suffer the most are those who are suffering now--unemployed, working poor, midldle class. Elected officials get their paychecks & benefits no matter what. And all the media who talk to each other day in and day out, get their paychecks. The whole thing makes me sick. In the meantime, we have no trouble coughing up money to give to Syrian rebels....
Well, regardless of party affiliation, and staying away from the blame-game, does anybody think this is an intelligent or responsible way to run a government?
.
FORWARD! :-)
Pay a bit more taxes;
Cut a bit government spending.
The impact will be gradually felt. But if there is anything major and bad, more people will blame on the GOP, according to the many polls released recently.
President Obama was already safely re-elected. I wonder if those GOP members of Congress are wringing their hands for fear of November 2014 backlashes.
KeenInsight: Or $60 billion to support banks each year or $20 billion in yearly oil subsidies.
Together, that is the $80 billion lost in the sequester.
Sounds like the Monty Python version of Robbin Hood: "Steal from the poor, give to the rich".
Would you please quit crying about the gap between the rich and the poor. I make 70,000 a year and nobody is to blame but me that I don't make 170,000 a year. That is the worst argument ever. It's not up to a government to make you a living and it is not right the take away something from an individual that they have earned. Cut spending and give me a tax break. Quit being lead around by your feelings and start to use your mind.
Yep, "the sky is falling", "Border agents will be terminated", "Long lines at the airport", "Flight delays because of lack of air controllers", "Health care for kids terminated", "Old folks left in wheelchairs in the emergency rooms", "Police given pink slips", and "firefighters remain in fire house".
There, did I cover everything Mrs. Pelosi, DHS, DOJ, Dept of Transportation and Dept of Education ?
If these things do NOT happen, you are ALL FIRED !!!
BTW.....Mrs. Pelosi said it all for the Progressive SPENDING habit: "We don't have a spending problem, we have a PRIORITY PROBLEM."
Yep, $ 16,612,000,000 debt and climbing. It will be at $ 16,900,000,000 when Mr. "Drama" Obama gives his Rose Garden speech on his failed 1 hour (his work day) talk with Senate leaders tomorrow and then Mr. "Drama" Obama can take the rest of the day off and go golfing.
Incredible (ironic name for your comment), there are people working 60-hour weeks who are at the poverty level, while congress barely works 3-day weeks. I could use a thousand profanities, but that fact alone is more obscene that those thousand profanities could ever be. Satan was never this evil as the Rich have been over America's poor. Revolution seems to be the only answer right now. It's time for America's Rich to die.
Relevant to this requester is the following truth about politics -
if there is no foreign war, there will be infighting domestically.
When Bush's wars were going strong, much of domestic dissent was smothered.
But now it's open season for partisan warfare.
Pigotry you are such an IDIOT. I understand that roosterboy, but they are elected officials. They need to be voted out until they understand what WE the American people want and need. The gap between still has no bearing on anything. Run for office if you want those hours. Take control of your own life and stop blaming the rich. I would love to have been born with a silver spoon, but I wasn't.
That' just moronic Rooster...time for them to die. Are you kidding me? Don't spend ALL of your time being jealous, go out and make a living. Tell the government to stop taxing you so much. Here is a novel idea... keep more of you money. WOW.
Correction to #1.10
Sorry.
Good night.
Roosterboy....
I hear the hens calling you back into the hen house so it is time you left the "Obama Bucks" line in NYC.
Meanwhile, back in reality:
Mr. Kerry apparently has a stash since he is giving away $ 60,000,000 American taxpayer dollars to the Syrian Rebels. Yep, sounds a lot like the Egyptian
rebelsMuslim Brotherhood. Guess he thinks the Progressives are not spending enough and we don't have a SPENDING PROBLEM.Hmmmm. I love the smell of Napalm on RepubliKKKlans in the morning. It smells like victory. Air mobile, Air calvary, death from above.
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano emphasized in her briefing for reporters this week that the effects of the spending cuts – while they will be substantial – won’t be instantaneous.
Her budget is still going to be bigger in 2013 compared to 2012 even with the sequester. Who is she kidding?
Pigotry,
Your comments are so insulting to anyone with a braincell! do you really think people are going to continue to believe your rosey lies . "Cut spending a bit" CUT SPENDING A TON!!!! Its clear to everyone this administration is clearly in way over their heads in fact people are starting to see the blatent lies and abuse by this administration. Your FAKE polls that are produced just dont jive with the reality. You cant say in one headline how cutting spending cant be done and the next headline how we are sending $60 million to a country that despises us. There is no logic to the propaganda thats being produced. People are stupid just not this stupid and you dems overplayed your hand and will see changes because of it. Regardless of your silly posts!
Big Duke 6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2KRVX6KG5w Blow those Republican savages to the Stone Age.
It's your b itch party that is crying, lying and using scare tactics. You get dumber the more you talk rooster. The victory is in shutting down the government, so in a way you are right. Just victory for the republicans. Now put your hand in your pocket and quit waiting for your next handout you POS lib.
pigatory, keep telling yourself that if it lets you sleep better.BTW-i can find polls that blame Obama big deal. And i think the GOP feel pretty good about 2014 or they would not have let it happen.
Incredible.....
Isn't this entire debate about reducing the debt? You want to cut taxes again? Sounds like a sound idea if you have no problem with debt. You guys always act like cutting taxes will magically make this country and middle income earners like you more prosperous, but never seem to realize you pay for it somewhere down the road. Growth is how you responsibly reduce the deficit, but we tried that during Bush's term. How did that work out? Now you guys want to cry about spending? Where were your concerns when we decided not to pay for Republican spending?
Bipolar....
Fitting name. Yea I remember your polls. Same ones you said showed Romney winning last November. Sorry you idiots can't win anything. It's not your fault you're too dumb to get it, somebody has to be below average for the rest of us to be standouts.
But I thought Obama said just a few days ago that the sky would fall, dogs and cats would live together in harmony, and the sick would die in the streets?
I guess that was just another speech by the Campaigner in Chief.
There's no taxes left to cut. It's time to cut down the rich. The American Revolution is upon us again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2KRVX6KG5w
lets start by retiring 3000 of the 4000+ generals and their staff at the pentagon.
Satanick....
Which administration created the dept of homeland security again? I forget. Must have been those crazy libs growing the size of gubment and spending all our tax dollars! Damn those libs and their crazy ideas!
Do you know ANYTHING about history Roosterboy? The KKK were all democrats...that's right dems. in the south. You even had one of them in the democrat party recently. His name was Sen Robert Byrd a democrat. He was at one time a card carrying member of the KKK. Bet you didn't know that because the media would NEVER say ANYTHING bad about their beloved democrats....now would they. Get your head out of the sand and quit believing all the drivel. You and Pigotry need to get some new lines.....because the old ones are becoming VERY BORING!
Sleuth, you got me! I'm a conservative that goes by the name Satanick *sarcasm*
I think the entire DHS should be eliminated. It is a total waste of money and assaults our liberties through domestic spying programs.
Probusiness....
How's the sequester helping businesses anyways? I'm sure your conservative cohorts thought a great deal about businesses when they decided to not negotiate at all. Why do they even bother showing up in DC? They could accomplish just as much over at Fox and wouldn't even have to pretend they were working like 10 days a month. You conservative deadbeats have been living off the government's dime for too long now. Get back to work!
The sequester to politics is like the quiet toddler in the bathroom; the more time that's passed, the messier you know it's going to be when you find out what they've been up to all this time.
Santa....Satan, same difference. Both make believe characters, but not sure what any of that has to do with the homeland budget being larger this year than last. What was your point? Budgets shift each year, but that has little to do with the grander debate about debt and the sequester. I never called you a conservative btw
Hey sleuth23......I dont give a da mn how much republican spending they cut. I hope that cut all spending you f u cking idiot. Just how is it conservatives live off of the government's dime? Your points are invalid and without merit. Just like a typical POS lib you just run your mouth and spew lie after lie. Take your bullsh it elsewhere and get off of welfare.
Napolitano is making this huge deal out of the sequester, saying its going to impact our readiness to respond to terror attacks and we will have less border patrol agents, etc even though her budget is larger this year than last even with the sequester. The point is that most of the cuts are phony in that they actually don't cut any spending, they just are reductions in the rate of growth of budgets. If I gained 10 pounds a year but this year I only gain 9 I wouldn't say that I lost weight.
Nuke Conservatives for Jesus. What a friend we have in Jesus!
"but they are elected officials. They need to be voted out until they understand what WE the American people want and need."
As long as they have an R or D in front of their name, the people will never get what they want or need. There is way to much corruption in their ranks for that to ever happen.
That is just sad Roosterboy....you should be proud.
I am so discusted with the House Republicans. They make me sick. I think they are all anti American.
Unfortunately, this type of economic chaos is exactly what the Republicans want. If the 1% and the wealthy cannot continue to be unfairly "tax sheltered," then let the 99%, the struggling worker, the single mom suffer!!! One way or another, [we] the GOP will take America down! Of course, we will then blame Obama! McConnell did say that a major goal of the right was to make sure that President Obama fails at everything.
President Obama, do not give the Republicans the economic bedlam and pain that this party desperately is seeking to inflict on the average American. In 2014 and 2016 at the voting booths, let the people remember this day, March 1, 2013 and how the GOP turned its back on the citizenry.
What a sad day for America...
A strong Democracy depends on a FREE PRESS/Media...
It is the Media's responsibility to REPORT/Educate the VOTERS on their Government policies & Politicians...
The average US Citizen has a 4th grade education &/or reading comprehension level...
After reading these comments, the VOTERS comprehension of what is actually occurring, is MUCH LOWER...
Brenda you are an idiot.
Ferndoc - Reported for misconduct.
42billion, thought it was 84billion.
You do realize that there are more red welfare states than blue right? Of course you did. Or else you might look like some dolt that doesnt know what he is talking about.
NBC news is a joke. It's the media arm of the Obama administration
So what does that make Fox? The media a$$hole of the Obama administration?
Dandy416,
Maybe, but the TRUTH is somewhere between these two...
Anyone that relies on just ONE Media source is just playing into their hands...
AC Robertson-2414093
That is a true and valid statement. Dandy wants everyone to fall into formation like sheep. Do as your told
We are printing 85 billion a month and giving to the evil rich on Wallstreet. MAYBE THAT would be a good place to start. We can't artificially inflate an economy like this. It's currency manipulation of the highest order and WORSE than what we have accused the Chinese of.
As far as paying more taxes WE JUST DID THAT. What happened to the "pizza night" money Obama was touting from the Bush tax cuts? My taxes ALREADY went up and I don't make a whole lot living pay check to paycheck, and now we need to pay more taxes......and HOW can anyone believe from this administration ANYTHING they say, we were promised our taxes WOULD NOT GO UP and lo'....they did.
Sequester is the only way to help stop the spending EVEN THOUGH it is only a 2 percent cut. We all got our 2 percent of flesh taken from us this past January and still they want to spend more. CUT YOUR *AMN SPENDING! He can't find ANY waste??? What a joke.
No I dont. I hate the government. But right now Dem's are far less detrimental to this country than the GOP.
Obama sends 60 MILLION to Syria!
All this HYPE for WHAT exactly???
US Teachers are getting laid off....
US children will go hungry...
Hypocrisy, thy name is Obama!
RoosterboyThere's no taxes left to cut. It's time to cut down the rich. The American Revolution is upon us again.
good thinking roosterboy but yoiur elite leader is banning all assault weapons so you can't
Due to collective bargaining Unionized Federal Workers can't be furloughed before 30 days after Obama signs the order? The UNION LEECHES are the problem. There should be a separation between UNION TRASH and the Government!!!!!!! The U.S can't afford Unions & their unsustainable salaries & out of control bloated benefits...
Typical American way of thinking " Its not my fault " Guess what its everyone fault because the only way to get action is by force so don't cry like little girls there was a YEAR from when this was designed to take effect but the politicians wanted to play games, these A-holes were elected, the GOP thought they were smart and tried to stick it to Obama instead of taking care of the real business of our country, well guess what it BACK FIRED. Ooops
The SPENDER -N-Chief just might have to follow a budget??? OH MY!!
Mr Boehner, you asked for spending cuts....
Sign the sequester. Then immediately take aways all Congressional Salaries and the President Salary. That seems to be the first and best place to make cuts.
Rockyroad-531554
What does Bush have to do with any of this? You mean, the president who spends, spends, spends, but doens't want taxes to pay for it? Wait, you are right, that does make him the SPENDER and Chief.
Paying for the sins of Mexican invaders (illegal aliens) is expensive!
Isn't there a Constitutional Amendment on housing foreign troops?
Wow!! I woke up this morning and made it to work - the world didn't end. Planes didn't fall out of the sky on top of me on my drive in. I didn't see people pounding on the doors of the supermarkets trying to get food for their starving disabled children.
Aren't any of you liberals sick of the continuous bully tele-prompter rhetoric that spews out of Obama's mouth every time he opens it. He literally vomits on everything he says. Disgusting...and to use children to do it.
I think my favorite thing about him - he can't get behind the bully pulpit alone - he always has to have a crowd of military, union workers, children, family members who lost loved ones, those less fortunate, etc behind him.
Kind of reminds me of Saddam Hussein hiding behind children....hmmmm.
The fact that he waited until the last day to meet with Congress to come to a resolution should tell you something about how serious he really is about his JOB.
For the next four years all we will see is endless campaign speeches, photo opportunities by both him and his wife, rubbing elbows with aging rock stars, wannabe's and hypocritical hollywood - and blaming the fact that he can't show up and do what the American people voted for him to do - on the Republicans.
Doesn't it bother you in the least that we the taxpayers are paying for his endless vacations, golf games, Oscar dresses? He wants us all to make sacrifices - when is he and his wife going to sacrifice?
Congratulations - all those that voted for him - you did yourself proud!!
Actually it is the other way around. The Country can't sustain the Rich getting Richer and the Poor getting Poorer. Used to be that a man could make enough to support his whole family so the wife could stay at home and raise the kids properly. Those days are gone thanks to Rich corperations going oversease and hiring sweat shop kids to do the work for 5 dollars a day. How un American is that? No, the one being unrealistic is you.
Wow, you really don't have a clue do you? You do realize that the world was not going to fall apart just because the stroke of midnight came and passed, right? It will take several months for the cuts to all take effect and then things will slowely start to fall apart. Not sure what planet you live on, but everyone else lives here on earth and understands how it works.
The Government Accounting Office comes out with lists every year describing government waste, inefficiency, overlap and duplication of programs. If all of this government mismanagement were cleaned up, it would cover far more than the approximately $85 billion in long-term cuts required by Obama's sequester. However, that would take change and moving forward. But what we have is politics as usual in DC. Hope all you want, but nothing has changed and we are not moving forward.
GAO High Risk List
Every two years at the start of a new Congress, GAO calls attention to agencies and program areas that are high risk due to their vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or are most in need of transformation.
http://www.gao.gov/highrisk#t=0
What about the 50% minimum tax every company charges one of it workers and why does no one ever mention it? You know that one workers do not even realize that they are paying since it gets taken out before they ever get paid.
How about everyone ACTUALLY STFU go find a rich person and explain to them, that "POOR PEOPLE PAY MORE IN INCOME TAXES PERCENTAGE WISE THEN THE RICH DO", and can prove it. If the rich would just pay their fair share (more in taxes) like everyone else does then we would not have a problem or as many. It is due to their refusal to pay an equal share of taxes compared to everyone else that is causing all these problems.
Every single worker pays income taxes to the person they work for since they do not get paid an equal amount of money to what they produce. It is the only way a company can stay in business and make a "profit" is to tax their workers. A worker makes $100 worth of product for example in a day, however they only get paid $50 to $33. Why is that? TAXES. A business has other operating costs, managers that do not actually produce anything, overhead, etc., that is what all that extra money that the workers "worked hard" for goes to, and why they do not get paid it. ALL WORKERS ARE TAXED AND THEY DO NOT EVEN KNOW IT.
How wasteful is that btw since many LOVE to cry about "how wasteful our government is"? If that worker pays 50% or more in taxes what benefits do they get out of it if they even get ANY benefits at all? The right to work and to be your slave? Why do you insist on charging your workers so much in taxes? That is the reason the government needs to charge you higher taxes and that is to lower the taxes you charge your workers. If we let you keep it you will. You can only have 10 to 20 times more then others in this system that we created and maintain or else there will be problems and it will FAIL.
Why do workers not get to keep all that they "worked hard" for like the rich do? Why do they pay more in overall taxes then rich people do percentage wise? Do me a favor and remind rich people just how much us poor working people actually pay in overall taxes. We have to pay BOTH the owners of the company we work for and the government, while rich people ONLY have to pay the government.
That line about how 50% of Americans only pay 1% in income taxes is BS since you forgot to add in the 50% "hidden worker tax" that they pay to you. Therefore, most paid at least 51% in taxes compared to the 24% that the rich did. The only reason you can afford to pay taxes to the government in the first place is because you ALREADY TAXED THE CHIT OUT OF US and took that money from us. How else did you "make" that money, with a printing press?
Income tax needs to be "more" for the people that have more money compared to the people that have the least or else the system will become unbalanced (one group has all the money and the other has nothing), and FAIL. IF poor people are paying 50% at least then the rich need to pay over 50% too. Since the effective rate is only 24% or so we need to raise income taxes another 26% or so at a MINIMUM. That would put the top taxes back at 65% or about the absolute minimum and 90% (like we had for many many years) would be better with the proper tax brackets adjusted for inflation.
"Tax" from Black's Law Dictonary - "a tax is a "pecuniary burden laid upon individuals or property owners to support the government [...] a payment exacted by legislative authority." It "is not a voluntary payment or donation, but an enforced contribution, exacted pursuant to legislative authority" and is "any contribution imposed by government [...] whether under the name of toll, tribute, tallage, gabel, impost, duty, custom, excise, subsidy, aid, supply, or other name"
Remove government and replace that with company or corporation since they are the "legislative authority" and the taxes collected go to support that organization. Sure as chit sounds like we pay a tax to me we just never get to see it. Of course if a company ran on the "Share plan" then each employee would actually get to see how much of what they produce goes where and what it is wasted on. I bet $ we would cry just like rich people do. Maybe we would be actually better workers and actually care about work if we were on the "Share Plan" instead of being treated like dumb workers.
I think the President is completely lost in his constant campaigning lies.
I grew up poor and now I'm middle class. I survived without union help (I negotiated my own salary and benefits), I survived without government benefits (food stamps, housing, free medical), I survived without student loans (I worked my way through college) and lo and behold, I made it. It was tough. I did without a lot of things (like vacations, fancy cars, eating out), but now life is good. Why? Because I EARNED it. And it feels good to earn it. Maybe if we as a society didn't want everything NOW, people would understand they must work for it. Starting off at the bottom and working their way up. Did I reach the top? Nope, but I'm not sorry for the way it turned out.
As an astute political commentator mentioned over a month ago, the GOP had zero incentive to try to save the country from these cuts. They are currently being driven by a sizable minority within their party to hate all government. After the last sequester fight, the GOP was humiliated. Obama got his tax brackets increased, and the GOP got a bag of chips. Their own base is so outraged right now, that they feel if they negotiate any deal to help the country (close some tax loopholes on the rich along with massive spending cuts), that they will all be out of a job.
So, as it was predicted by better minds than mine, the GOP basically sat on its hands and waited for this day. They had to prove to the psychotic portion of their voting base that they wont "give in" to democrats. Also known as "compromise" to the intelligent majority of Republicans, even they are scared of losing elections if 25% of their voters no longer vote for them.
This is how a few crazy whack-jobs can actually destroy a country. They have paralyzed the GOP into inaction, and now tens of thousands may suffer because of that.
Of course, I say "may," because this deadline is meaningless. It simply starts the cuts. If the government reachs a deal next week, the cuts end. Now that the GOP has "proven" to the crazy portion of its base that they will RESIIIIIIST the evil democrats, the same political experts now predict the GOP will quietly get the job done and compromise with democrats as they should have done these past few months. They just have to hide that fact from their fellow voters.
Uh, tired...do you realize it's the government that taxes you? Not the business. The Government makes the business collect the taxes from you. And then, the government taxes the business on their property, on their assets, their gross receipts, and the business employees (do you know that the business must pay 7.65% of YOUR social security and medicare tax to go along with what you pay the same government). Now the business MUST provide health insurance or pay ANOTHER tax. Then when you go to buy the product, you must pay a SALES tax. And if it's something like cigarettes, you pay an additional EXCISE tax and when you fill up your car, you pay a GAS tax.
I could on and on, but maybe now you get the picture. It's not the business that's taxing you, but the government which REQUIRES the business to be their collection agent.
Brenda - I have been on this planet for a while - and unlike you - I don't drink the media kool-aid and believe everything I see and hear on the extremely pro-obama/hollywood/coverup news channels.
If you have been paying attention - Obama's speeches have been for doom and gloom to begin on MARCH 1. The fact that we had criminal's let out on the streets of America - PRIOR to March 1 - was a ploy by the mighty one to prove his doom and gloom point. And if you don't think that he was behind that one - then you my dear are the one that is clueless.
The rest of us are smart enough to know that sequestration will be a process. This is what your president wanted and as usual he got his way. So in 6 months - blame him. My point. He needs to grow up and take responsibility for the mess that is the obama administration. I have zero respect for him because of the way he does NOT perform his job and the way he uses his power to scare Americans.
Am I afraid? Very afraid of where he is taking this country. He has chosen an incompetent staff to assist him in bringing down this country. And here is a news flash for you - it won't be because of sequestration.
Sequestration is the least of our worries. His foreign policies, his anger towards the "American" dream (the real one), his disdain for the Constitution, his misuse of authority and the idiots that back him up. Those are my real fears. And if those things don't scare you - then again - you are clueless.
Sleuth...Everytime taxes have been cut the economy has grown. JFK knew that as did Reagan. Leave people with even a little more disposable income, and they will BUY, BUILD, TRAVEL and all of those things BOOST the economy. Obama wants more and more taxes to waste our money on his Muslim Brotherhood countries, his buddy's failed companies, and no doubt he and the little woman don't want to miss any vacations at posh and pricey places..nothing is too good or too expensive for the Obamas. And MOST of it we're paying for. They pay only a fraction of their cost for vacations, and he'll fit in a speech and, viola, it becomes "Presidential business trip"and it's ALL paid for by us.
Obama made this mess, this debt, this deficit over the last 4 years, and Obama OWNS the sequester idea. Probably figured he'd talk with his golden tongue and it would never happen. Well, it HAS. Now he plays the innocent bystander and preaches gloom and doom and scary scenarios, which is 99% b.s. No doubt all of his travels for speeches to scare the public are just another excuse to jet around and let his serfs drink in his eye candy and wallow in their BLIND love. Maybe he should have sat his azz down and submitted his cuts that he promised if Congress raised taxes on the rich. Well, they held up their part of the bargain. They should have known better, because this isn't the first time he's pulled a bait and switch, "I'll get back with you on that", and renigged. Even with the sequester, spending will still be more in the coming year than it is now and was last year.
While the scare tactics of this administration are revealed, from the pink slips to the intentionally release if delinquents illegals Obama is losing the fight, Armageddon now will come little by little, the sky will not fall. Bob Woodward put the lies of sequestration on the spot light, revealing how , when and where start sequestration, and it was not in the Republican house, it was in Obama "house" , now he is bashed and trheated for Obama subordinates. This is not going well , and Obama should fulfill his election promise, sequestration will not occur, the leader will need to swallow the bitter pill if the want to reach a compromise and stop secuetracion
Roosterboy,
You're starting to sound like Obama and his minions. The sky is falling, the sky is falling, pink slips for everyone, 170,000,000 unemployed ahhhhhh!!!!!!
Funny thing is someone working 60-hour weeks, even at minimum wage, is about 200% of the federal poverty rate. Better watch out. People are starting to catch on to you liars.
I say let this sh*t hit the fan. IF [and it's a BIG 'IF'] money needs to be spent in certain areas, then let our public servants get to work and appropriate the funds needed.
Eliminating all these automatic payments to the million special interest arms of bureaucracy needed to stop a LONG time ago.
The 454 members of our elected reps can now sort this all out if they will work for us.
If you're panicked about this get out and plant a garden and put a rain barrel at the edge of your house to catch rain water. Take some personal responsibility for your own welfare. Don't tell me you can't stick a few tomato plants in a recycled bucket . . .
Eloquently put SSGirl. Thank you!!! It just amazes me that people cannot see the harm this President is doing and the lasting impact it will have on this country after he leaves the White House. Indeed, ignorance is bliss!!! Perhaps if more Americans would spend more time reading our history (surprisingly this country's history does not only involve slavery and taking lands from Native Americans!) and studying our Consitution instead of watching American Idol and all these silly *ss reality shows we would not be in the predicament we are in. To think we have knowledge literally at our fingertips and there is still a large segment of our population that is pitifully ignorant and totally out of touch with reality. God bless America!!!!
Brenda - is your world going to come apart when you no longer get a free cell phone, subsidized housing, food stamps and the $1000's in additional benefits you've come to rely on someone else to pay you for breathing?
Think about it - just like you, worked and EARNED my degree, advancement in my career and now the ability to live comfortably (not luxuriously) . I consider myself middle class, however, the bar has been lowered so much I fear I am in the "rich" group that Rooster wants to kill. You can tax the "rich" at 100% and it won't take care of the deficit. Cuts need to be made in the budget and people need to go back to being responsible for themselves. Dr. Carson summed it up nicely, "We have gone from a can do nation to a what can you do for me nation." I don't think the liberals will be happy until all businesses, producers, and anyone who earns an income will have left the country. Then they will have the dependent followers left to govern. Only question is, where will the money come from then to keep all these people dependent on the government. It will result in absolute anarchy.
SSGirl - you are correct. The actions being taken by this administration are extremely frightening to anyone who values the government established by the Constitution. The lines between the 3 branches of government are becoming blurrier by the day via executive orders, pressure from one department on another branch and congress relinquishing too much of their responsibilities. He is pulling power to himself to create his idea of the American dream which is everyone dependent on the government for everything. It only took Hitler six months to put himself in a position that couldn't be undone with a WW. I'm not saying Obama is Hitler just using that as an example as to how quickly a government can change, but I am saying he is grabbing more power than the President is supposed to have and people need to wake up before it is too late.
10 days ago Obama said the sky was falling. Now, that the repubs haven't caved, it's well, nothing is going to happen immediately, it really isn't all that bad, so forget what I said. And why is that? You damn fools! Of course there's no spending cuts! We just aren't going to increase spending as much as we'd planned. But, we don't want to tell you that, because then we can't use the "crisis" to get you suckers to pummel your Congressmen to cave into me. Then there's the $60 million I'm sending to Syria. Hey, gotta support the freedom fighters. Surely you understand that they are more important than the firefighters, teachers and federal employees who will be fired because of the loss of that $60 million.
Oh well, just another normal day in the life of the Messiah.
You can continue telling that the rich gets richer, but the point is Obamas policies make the rich richer, because in a bad economy , in an economy of uncertainty the rich has more tools to survive , because giving more money to the poor , lowering the requirement for welfare, creating more regulations, and no policies thatt encourage entrepreneurs and the business sector to create more jobs, the gap will continue getting bigger and biguer.
The cuts being proposed seem minuscule compared to the overall budget and I believe is symptomatic of the partisan politics that's killing us. I don't believe that the President has demonstrated any leadership nor has Congress (both sides) shown any indication of really wanting to solve the problem.
Take, for example, just one item: The USPS - we can all agree that it is in a death spiral. There are offices that could and should be closed, but Congressmen, whose districts would be affected, put up a stink. Nobody wants to bear any pain.
I know I'll draw some heat from my more liberal friends at this suggestion, but I'll offer it anyway: Go to the CATO Institute and read through some of the recommendations:
http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/
You may not agree with everything, but I think one could reasonably argue that if some percentage of cuts were made in each area - Commerce, Agriculture, Defense, etc. we could achieve a more substantial savings and spread the pain more equitably across the board. But it would require both sides making some concessions for the sake of our country...
When everything is said and done the organizers from within will still buy that thousand dollar hammer or the two thousand dollar toilet seat..Our government can not organize anything" they're to lazy and stupid to look at themselves as the worst spenders on the planet; so the poor will suffer for it and the middle class will pick up the tap, the wealthy will run and hide and the well off will be knocked down yet another notch..
Pandy - you are so right! This nation has become so focused on what the "elite" ie Actors, Singers, Kardashians, fashion models etc are doing - that it has forgotten the basic principals that formed this nation in the beginning. There is a scripture in the Bible about getting our eyes back on God instead of on man and the things of the world.
We have tried everything else - how about giving God a chance to heal this nation and put us back where we once were!
I know that obama and much of the liberal party thinks he is the Messiah - but they had better watch out - God has a way of showing that HE is still in charge!
So the 'Fiscal Cliff' is now going to be the 'Fiscal Slide', and later it will become the 'Fiscal Slip', and later still the 'Fiscal Bump', and ultimately the 'Fiscal Nothing'.
I hope Obama gets a nomination for Best Actor this year for his role in "The Sky is Falling" - maybe Michelle could present the Oscar - it would look nice next to his Nobel Peace Prize he got for merely giving a speech. People are still laughing about that one.
It's time to wake up America, the ridiculous spending has got to stop. Why, just a couple days ago we committed millions to Syrian rebels - to a country that affects us little. Though the liberal spending of the Obama administration is what must first be addressed, the over all spending of the government establishment must change! With the exception of SS all other programs should be cut!
ssgirl, rsb: It is nice to know that there are still some people who can see things as they really are. Everyone should be scared of a President who has repeatedly says that he is going to act (through his executive orders) because the Congress will not.
One thing I'm curious about: Apparently, the so-called, sequester bill requires the President to sign the order for sequester. What happens if he doesn't sign it? After all, he's given all indications that he thinks that he is the law, and not required to follow the law. Along that same line, this sequester business is just a drop in the bucket. In 31 days, unless Congress acts, Governmental spending is supposed to drop to the level of revenues being brought in, as we face the "debt" limit again. Would anyone put it past Obama to just continue spending as if there were no debt limit? After all, he has proclaimed that he will act (on a number of things) if Congress does not.
Let's see now;
A $42 Billion 'cut' in 2013.
Spending for 2013 = $3,625 Billion.
That's a 'cut' of 1.15%
I can see why Obama called it "Draconian"and "Devastating".
How could those evil Republicans accuse Obama of being overly dramatic about the cuts.
I'm sure most everyone knows its not the cuts its the jobs behind them..You surly wouldn't want to see any go if you haven't produced any to begin with..And they have had plenty of time..
Yes I've heard about S.D. and WY. but when I walk out the door where I live its the same old song and dance, the same old bumpy road..
I for one am sick and tired of the fear mongering going on from the white house. It is such a pile of crap.
It is just a matter of priorities as this article shows.
DHS Panics About $2.6 Billion Sequester Cut, But Set To Have $9 Billion In Unspent Money
Washington Examiner, February 28, 2013
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano claims that sequestration will undermine DHS’s “core critical mission,” but the White House projects that her department will have $9 billion in unspent funding at the end of the year.
“[T]he Office of Management and Budget projected that at the end of fiscal year 2013, DHS would carry forward more than $9 billion in unobligated balances,” Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., wrote in a letter to Napolitano. “This is money that has not yet been spent, nor even assigned to a specific project, raising the question of why we would not start by reclaiming these funds. I would appreciate if DHS could provide an explanation for what these funds are for and whether the agency has considered them for sequestration.”
Pigotry's quote "Correction to #1.10
Lusitania,
It has allot to do with jobs, but why should government workers be immune?! Two years ago, I lost my job to a plant shut down due to the housing crises. Now, my hours have been cut and I lost my insurance, government should be reduced, period.
The temperature is 13 degrees lower today than yesterday.
Ahhhh... sequester!!!! We can't afford sunlight or heat!!!
We're doomed.
RoyWilson, right on, we pump 85B a month into the economy as part of QE4.
We just gave 60B to people in NY/NJ because they CHOSE not to buy flood insurance. So guess who has to now purchase their houses at 2012 market value... the taxpayers.
But 85B in cuts, but they aren't baseline cuts. TSA has a budget of 7.85B in 2012, up 153M from 2011.
The 2013 budget will be 7.65B. How will they survive. From 6.3B in 2011... wow... horrific... one person in every airport might have to take a forced day off every month. Yikes... so Draconian.
I'm not rich....but I am a republican. I see so many libs on here that think all reps are rich....I even saw a comment that "all the rich should die". WTF?? Since when is it a crime to get rich? Did you know according to the last census that there are more millionaire democrats in congress than republicans?? People....half the country is republican. We are for lower taxes, a balanced budget, less national government, more state run policies, less freebies, no abortions, and tight borders....just to name a few of our goals. If you believe in these values too I must ask why you aren't republicans? I guess it's because you are into more government spending, a huge deficit, freebies, abortions, more government, not less, higher taxes and an open border policy. Obama was quoted recently as to say: "we can't have any more cuts without increasing our revenue". What the hell?? Cuts are meant to lower our spending and help reduce the deficit. If we cut spending and raise taxes we are still right where we were...in trouble. We need a leader who knows how to run this country ....someone that doesnt think that spending is always the answer.
Now that the sequestor is here, it is up to the President to lead and make the adjustments to the cuts so that what little pain a reduction in an increase of spending causes will be minimized. Instead of laying off air traffic controllers, how about cancelling those lavish government conferences at the posh resort? Or Furloughing a few non-essential bureaucrats?
This is happening under Obama's watch- thanks voters! Yet another failed attempt tp rectify anything.
And all the mud slinging at republicans for being rich? Really? You think your elected officials dems or reps won't still be drawing their paychecks and laugh all the way to the bank in the end? Hmmm maybe that's the way it was intended to be...
National debt this AM: $16.614 billion per debtclock.org
this is where you libatards are ignorant.. we pay too much in taxes already and you are willing ot pay more .. fools! you let the govt run your lives and tell you what to do and believe with all your heart it's "for the good of everyone" well yea that's what socialism is .. everyone shares ... hard workers who actually earn their money have to give a portion to lazy people who don't work .. and you are not "owed" anything .. if you want something you should go out and work for it .. I don't care about your past .. the past is gone .. it's the present now .. get rid of that chip on your shoulder.
welcome to your new obamanation.. you can have it ( and I don't mean that in a good way)
so many ignorant blind people in this country
What a bunch of d!cks. This country needs a Company Gunnery Sergeant right now.
Roosterboy
Kill the rich? Really?
And by rich, what would be your definition? Billionaires, millionaires, People who make over $200,000, or simply anyone who has more than you?
I own my own business and have hired many punks over the years. 1 in particular showed up in loafers to pour concrete, got them dirty and left at first break. Others thought it was a great job where they could get a tan all day but work was never in there thoughts. Others, six in particular had a freakin' work ethic, learned a trade, went out and started their own businesses and are all making six figures.
Grow the @!$%# up and quit blaming others for your lot in life and do something about it!
I'm sad it's only $85 billion. It needs to be $850 billion. Even that amount still leaves us with a huge deficit. It's funny reading all the kooky liberal "The sky is falling!" remarks but it won't be so funny in less than 2 years when we will have to make drastic cuts like Greece.
Thanks Bush and Owebama! The 2 most liberal presidents back to back!
Now lets see what President Obama can do to lead the Country or blame the Republicans. Will he lead or push? Plan or talk?
STOP FOREIGN AID!!!!! That would save billionns!!!! Screw those pre-school programs! Few up with people who keep having kids they can not afford and so my tax money supports them. STOP BREEDING!!!!
I'm beginning to understand why the government bought up 1.6 million rounds of ammunition.
Rebellion anyone?
incredible-7759406
BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!
STANDING OVATION!
You, my good friend, are what America truly is all about.
It’s a shame that so many Liberals/Progressives are incapable of taking care of themselves and are so willing to kneel and submit to politicians who neither know them or care for them.
You are right. You and only you have the responsibility to be more or less successful. If all you can earn is $70,000 a year, so be it. If you can earn more, you are allowed to do it. If not, it’s your fault, not societies.
The convoluted Liberal/Progressive notion of a “living wage” is not only irrational, they can’t even define it. It is a typical emotionally driven fantasy rather than something that can be factually based.
We are a Federal Constitutional Republic with a Representative Democracy. Most Liberals/Progressives don’t even know what that means and they allow our criminal government to continue to expand and steal more and more money from us who actually work for a living. Redistributionism has never worked in a nation our size, it never will.
BRILLIANT!!!!
The Federal is known by all to be an extremely bloated workforce. I don't like to see people loose their jobs but some trimming is needed by the Federal Government. I have been forced to take an 18% pay reduction for three years in ADDITION to 10 days Furlough days each year. I and my family survived by cutting and prioritizing our spending. We took no more vacations, never went to restaurants and in place of going to the movies, we used things like Netflix for family movie nights. O'Bama on the other hand responded to having less money by INCREASING spending and creating new and expensive unnecessary Entitlement Programs. O'Bama just "printed more money" to pay for his increased spending and now the money trees are being pruned and the Socialist Dictator O'Bama is upset and having a temper tantrum because he didn't get his way. His use of Fear and Scare Tactics have come home to roost at the White House. Now the DOD can no longer pay $500 for each of the thousands of hammers. Federal Agencies, many of which perform duplicate services that other Federal Agencies perform, will have to be cost effective. Now the Feds. can't have Assistants to the Assistant Assistant Director. All Federal Employees will have to actually work to get their benefits. Crisis,Crises, they may have to visit the Islands, take a Cruise and go to Disney only twice this year and not 4-5 times each. Major departments may have to have their yearly Conferences (parties) locally and not off-shore. Private Jets for Cabinet heads will be restricted and heaven forbid they may have to fly Coach. The Cabinet Secretaries and Department Heads that fail to provide services should be dismissed and replaced with someone that knows how-to manage. O'Bama can rant and rage and put blame where ever he wants but he can't get over the fact that he created "sequester" and the Democratic Senate not only supported but applauded its passage. The Republican House supported "Sequester" because it would cut spending, encourage growth, reduce the deficit and finally cut some of the new Welfare Entitlement Programs and encourage people to actually work.
djo_34 "RoyWilson, right on, we pump 85B a month into the economy as part of QE4."
Few people realize the future impact of the Fed effectively 'printing more money to fund the Deficits'.
Obama's own 2013 Budget projections show that the National Debt will increase from $9.986 Trillion at the end of fiscal 2008 to $20.392 Trillion at the end of 2016 (Obama's last year) - but President's budget projections are notoriously 'optimistic' - it will likely be closer to $25 Trillion in 2016. The Interest cost alone will be devastating.
The Chinese are no longer buying our Debt - in fact, they have quietly 'cashed in' about $200 Billion of their loans to us over the last year (they know inflation is coming), and the Federal Reserve has had to replace that money by effectively 'printing new money' - along with about $1 Trillion in new money to finance the Deficit. The money supply (M1) has increased from about $1.4 Trillion in 2009 to about $2.5 Trillion now. Every responsible economist will tell you that this is highly "INFLATIONARY" - ala the 14% Inflation and 18% Interest Rates under Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Even the far-left Liberal outlet The Huffington Post recognized this;
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheldon-filger/federal-reserve-begins-ma_b_677483.html
PLEASE, BRENDA1964.....
Explain to us how 45 Billion or even 100 Billion is going to have a impact on our day to day lives, now or in the future. If the Federal Governments Budget was $100 this would be like us cutting it to around $95, I think they will get by just fine. Maybe that's what some in Washington fear. And remember that the President signed this back in 2011, and he can say where the The sequester cuts are made.
Mr. 29
Since we have a statist in the White House who feeds the unwashed masses with his class warfare and envy meme.
It should shame the Liberals/Progressives that Barrack Hussein constantly demands that the best they can become is middle-class. Our great Republic allows everyone equal opportunity, not equal outcomes.
Most of the uninformed voters are Liberals/Progressives. You can see their comments here on a daily basis. They have been indoctrinated in the, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his
needswants” nonsense. They actually believe in “social and economic justice” but they are only interested in the receiving end of its benefits, they never contribute to it.Remember, Barrack Hussein believes that only the Ivy League faculty lounge elitists should be wealthy and the rest of us should work for their benefit.
Elections do have consequences and America is suffering because of the last 2 elections. Hopefully they all wake up from their catatonic state and never make that mistake again.
Will I see all the Gov. workers that post here are here so the sequester must be alive and well no one got pink slipped as Nancy Pelosi was pointing out yesterday. I hope some of you left wing fools see that Obama leading you to to slaughter the man is not good for this country you need to open your eyes.
hww
That $9 billion could hire 90,000 Border Patrol Agents at $100,000 per year. I think that would improve our border security, don't you?
But then again, Barrack Hussein doesn't want to stop the inflow of prospective voters for him into our nation.
Once again you are wrong. Surprise surprise. Not about the shameful past of the Democratic party, but in thinking that our side would "NEVER say ANYTHING bad about ... beloved democrats". We actually know all about our past, and we chose to reject that kind of backwards thinking decades ago. It's the @!$%#s who continue to hate who found their way to your Grand Old Party, and the Republican Tea Party is where these soulless old white men reside today, and they are welcomed with open arms as heroes and icons among the lot of you. The shame was ours, but in the 21st century, the same is your burden now. When will your side learn? Ours figured it out half a century ago.
Wow, so anyone who argues against Republicans are on food stamps, have free phones, and getting paid to breath? Are you stupid or mentally challenged? I make almost 70k a year, pay taxes, pay for everything I own or have. I am also someone who follows the bible more then you pretend to be Republican Christians and I don't claim to be a Christian. What a hypocrite you are. I guess your still just upset that you lost in the election by a landslide and are still crying.
Rick's,
If what you say is true why did Al Gore's father voted against the Civil Right's Act while Republicans voted for it. Why was Democrat Senator Robert Byrd never called out on being member of the KKK?
brenda1964
If only 2% of the voters had voted for Romney instead of Obama, Romney would have won the most votes.
I wouldn't call that much of a 'Landslide'.
Unreal. the fact that this current leadership has yet to pass a budget, in how long? Yup. Good thing he was voted back in, because maybe he will tell the truth this ti......er....nevermind. I love all of the "plants" that deliberately make comments to try and sway more dems into thinking one way and repubs to get fired up. Love it, wish more people would see it. It does not take much effort to check profiles to see who is here to just "stir the pot" as it were.
If enough people decide to do something about it, then we, the people, can make the changes. How much are they making up there? How many days do they work? If I work 5 days a week, most weeks out of the year (holidays) and not make 1/3 of what they are making when it is proven fact that they are not in session 5 days a week for each week of the month, etc. They why do they get to reduce the paychecks of those that serve our country 7 DAYS A WEEK? You see, when deployed, some of us work 7 days a week because it happens to be a job that most dont want or cannot do!
So, they cut our teachers, first responders, military and government workers first, let out illegals (by let out I mean let out of jail IN THE U.S. to roam free as they can) without any concern for their own paychecks or personal safety. Now we need to worry about our personal safety because there are many illegals that were in jail not because they were just illegal, because they broke the law. So criminals are free to roam on our streets because of our government. Drone, foriegn weakness, military destruction, YUP this cancer in office is really looking out for your welfare alright. Sure is. But keeping telling yourself that it is Bush's fault. There are some Dems that actually act like a man and stand up for their downfalls but not this one. So once again, good job. Hope you get everything that you deserve!
brenda
You need to save your Union dribble for your losers on the left & your friends at the leech hall! $79,000 for a Chicago union teacher so that's fair to the tax payer making $30,000 a Yr.? Only work 9 months + their benefit's, sick days,health-care ( yes brenda UAW, SEIU & many teacher union trash received Obaggercare waivers) & retirement at 90% of their salary, is that fair, Brenda? Public sector unions need to be addressed & ended... O'Bama Little (the sky is falling in) is a phony & It's becoming clearer to more & more Americans! No need to respond Brenda, I know how evil the public sector unions & infrasturcture unions are.... Save your lies for the uninformed Obama voter!!!
@ Roosterboy:
"Roosterboy
Hmmmm. I love the smell of Napalm on RepubliKKKlans in the morning. It smells like victory. Air mobile, Air calvary, death from above."
Roosterdick, you're a liberal puss, what could you possibly know about napalm, air cavalry, and such?
Roosterboy banned, calling for the death of Republicans - didn't really specific elected or not - and the rich. Avoid deathwishing, especially when you've already racked up a month suspension.
incredible-7759406, you're suspended for a week for violating #1 of the Code of Honor.
FERNDOC, you're suspended for a day.
Read it, folks:
Wow for a left wing new organization to repremand someone is just unheard of Tyler
Wow, tough crowd, tough crowd. With all the insults, I thought I was at a Don Rickles show.
Stop kidding yourselves, you partyliners on both sides. Neither the Dems or Repubs in Congress have OUR best ineterests in mind. They are ALL rich, and will always do whatever it takes to keep THEIR pockets lined. Keeping the common people divided/diverted on all the "issues" keeps them fat and happy while accomplishing absolutely nothing. It's been that way for years. When the common people decide they have had enough and finally stand together, only then will our corrupt government realize we are onto them, and maybe, just maybe they will make a change. If not, then they WILL have a revolution on their hands. No one, these days, seems to remember how or why our country was founded.
Do you realize how many votes 2 percent is? Guess not. President Obama won the electoral votes, majority votes, popular votes, and all the swing states. If that isn't a landslide then I guess nothing is. LOL!
"Voter turnout dipped from 62.3 percent of eligible citizens voting in 2008 to an estimated 57.5 in 2012. That figure was also below the 60.4 level of the 2004 election but higher than the 54.2 percent turnout in the 2000 election.
Despite an increase of over eight million citizens in the eligible population, turnout declined from 131 million voters in 2008 to an estimated 126 million voters in 2012 when all ballots are tallied. Some 93 million eligible citizens did not vote."
http://bipartisanpolicy.org/library/report/2012-voter-turnout
brenda1964 "ROY WILSON-336103 Do you realize how many votes 2 percent is?"
Yes, it was about 2.5 million votes, just a fraction of the 12.9 million net vote advantage that Obama got from the 25% of voters in the low income group that included welfare recipients (average income under $30,000).
Romney won the 75% of voters that actually pays income taxes to support those on welfare by 8 million net votes.
SOURCE - N Y Times exit polls.
give & take "Mr 29:You say Dems are for huge deficits? How huge was the deficit in 2007, after have a Rep Pres and congress for 6 years?"
The Deficit for 2007 was only $160.7 Billion.
In contrast, the Deficit for 2010 was $1,293.5 Billion.
Would like to know how NY Times seems to know which voter has an income and pays taxes vs who doesn't since your vote does not show how much income you make or taxes you pay. Also your vote is private. Are you saying the NY Times has info they should not? Your 75% is false information to be laughed at. LOL LOL LOL
Nobody else may notice anything right away, but the states that had all the illegal immigrants (some with criminal records) released back into our communities BEFORE the sequester even began sure got the short end of the stick, didn't they?
There is one small flaw in your statement ..."but the states that had all the illegal immigrants (some with criminal records) released back into our communities BEFORE the sequester even began" - THEY ARE IN THIS COUNTRY ILLEGALLY, THEY ALL HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD.
TJefferson,
My main point was that we were sold out by the political hack who now leads DHS...the former governor of Arizona who knows EXACTLY what's going here and just how bad it is.
I get what you're saying, though...and agree completely.
Mrs. Napolitano lives in a Fairy Tale place, and it isn't the United States of America.
ICE works for HER, yet she is blaming ICE for their release.
No, Mrs. Napolitano.....the BORDERS ARE NOT SECURE.
Sounds a bit like Mrs. "go getum 2016" Hillary Clinton concerning Benghazi:
You were sold out by Ronald Reagan. He give amesty to the illegal immigrants in the 80's. He set the precedent of dealing with Illegal Immigrants so if you voted for him you got what you deserve. But I know you will keep on whinning about Liberal Democrats and not the poor policies and ideas of the GOP.
Nobody else may notice anything right away, but the states that had all the illegal immigrants (some with criminal records) released back into our communities BEFORE the sequester even began sure got the short end of the stick, didn't they?
That was a government scare tactic to try to put pressure on Congress to stop the sequester from happening.
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE is a joke. I think we should get rid of that department entirely. Total waste of money and they continually violate our rights with their domestic spying programs.
there is no reason to curb the free flow of immigration in a country for any reason other than sickness or a criminal past, unless the real reason is to keep a artificial race quota in the nation
Norman.....this isn't about Ronald Reagan.....it's about the mess that we are in right now and the fact that this president doesn't give a damn if we go down or not. He will be golfing.
Norman,
Was too young to vote in the Reagan election(s), but I'll still give you an "A" for effort...after all, you tried REALLY hard when attempting to stereotype me, (someone you don't even know; imagine that!) and your blind dedication to a party that encourages their followers to constantly divert from the subject at hand IS quite impressive, although not in a positive way.
Three guesses what that "A" stands for... :)
"WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?" (hillary clinton, 2013.)
And does the drunken weeper care too? Doesnt all fiscal legislation begin in the house? Yet he's pissing and maoning about other government entities? ROFL
@Roosterboy
You sir are the most racist person I've seen here. Really?
"Nuke the Republicans" and "RepubliKKKans"
Any opinion you've made here is irrelevant now. Nothing you say can even remotely be taken seriously.
Srsly-7743829
your right he must be a Democrat,the sky is falling type
The O'Bagger Administration even threatenreporters to stop the Sequester....Obama should be the first Furloughed....
Happy Sequestration Day everyone! Our (s)elected officials at their finest!
And if we had a stand-up Attorney General he would file charges against the head of DHS for the release of criminals. There was no basis for the release at the time it was accomplished. It was done for grandstanding by the administration.
It is the best we can expect Jaypea - they come to an agreement and the President moves the goal posts again. Just like he did when they were doing the grand bargain - just as they were about to shake hands on the deal he decided to demand an additional $1 Trillion in new revenue.
Obama doesn't want a deal he wants it his way.
Norman,
The 1986 amnesty was Ted Kennedy's idea, and strictly enforcing existing immigration laws from then forward, promised by the Simpson-Mazzoli Act, was supposed to be part of the deal. So Reagan (who later said it was the biggest mistake he made) and Congress (Dems and Repubs alike) went along and gave amnesty to almost 3 million illegal aliens, sending the message, that if you can steal in and stay long enough, the Americans will reward your illegal acts by giving you amnesty. How strong was that message? We now have 4 times as many, or more, wanting amnesty.
So, let's give these 12 million illegals amnesty and in another 20-25 years it will be 48 million wanting amnesty. Does that sound like a good idea to anyone?
‘This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this.” - Senator Kennedy, 1986
Yet here we are again, about to "bring forward another amnesty bill like" the '86 one.
Well said hs321. I forgot it was Senator Ted Kennedy that lead that charge.
Funny, we've always held a standard in our justice system that nobody is a criminal until convicted of a crime - not just accused of such. One can't have a criminal record until they've been caught, tried and convicted, right?
Vigilante justice has always been rejected by civil society and for good reason. You've never pledged allegiance to our flag? Never said the words "and Liberty and Justice for ALL"? What exactly does that mean to you? Because it obviously does not mean the same thing to you as it does to rational, intelligent Americans.
Rick, "...we've always held a standard in our justice system that nobody is a criminal until convicted of a crime..."
Not really. Saying that they are given the presumption of innocence is not an indication that they did not commit a crime. It has to due with the burden of proof. The presumption of innocence puts the burden of proof on the accuser. If you steal you are a thief even if you are never caught. If you commit a crime you are a criminal even if you are found not guilty in a court of law.
But without the presumption of innocence, and by allowing the presumption of guilt, then fair and equitable justice is non-existent. Our founding fathers did not implement such a design so that one could - wink wink nod nod - presume guilt while professing presumed innocence for everyone else.
Justice for all, or justice for none. That's the slippery slope.
Sorry Rick I think there may have been a misunderstanding and the fault is mine.
TJefferson said - "THEY ARE IN THIS COUNTRY ILLEGALLY, THEY ALL HAVE A CRIMINAL RECORD."
You are correct in saying that this is not necessarily true. They may have broken the law must until their case is adjudicated in court they will have NO criminal record (unless of course they have prior records) and that is clearly not what TJeff was trying to say.
My bad.
So, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a noise? Can we really believe all the hype that has been publicized for the past 20 months. This is a result of the Super committee not doing their job. Thanks again government officials...
I don't think it would have mattered. There are too many elements out of control of the party leaderships.
Bogey -
The committees did their jobs, however Obama and the democrats ignored their suggestions. At least the republicans in the House tried to come up with something better. Reid wouldn't even allow those ideas to be debated until yesterday.
hooray change is here .....
If they don't cave in and come to an agreement, before midnight; that means both parties finally did what's best for the country. I'm sure there will still be enough electricity to run the printing presses, printing money for foreign aid.
The members of Congress who for voted for the Budget Control Act – and the budget cuts contained within – and President Barack Obama who signed it into law on Aug. 2, 2011, may not have believed the day would arrive, but now it has.
What a bunch of CLOWNS!
They are the ones who who agreed to it and Obozo the Clown signed it into law
Ha! And YOU voted for them!
Just like he told Tiger Woods...."I need to use another Mulligan."
Jaypea, what he told Tiger is I've got a good swing but my balls don't know where to go.
Finally we get something started on the spending cuts. This should have happened years ago. The way the administration made it sound was like a nursery rhyme - "Chicken Little" The sky is falling, the sky is falling. Yeah right. Every time you turn around for him the sky is falling.
Kim...okay so you want the spending cuts name what you want cut. Because a recent poll asked Americans what they wanted cut. Americans wanted cuts made to progams that benefitted others but not those they need/rely on/use. The poll summary reflected only one area had the largest support for cuts. To the surprise of some it was funding for foreign programs. Americans want spending cuts but they don't want the programs they rely on/need/use cut. When Americans don't support specific cuts what is congress to do. The poll results suggest Americans need and want government programs but they don't want to pay for them. A program that seems dispensable to some is critical to others for a host of reasons.
I say we start by cutting the number of times Obama goes golfing. Sure, he has the right (and should) take a few vacations. I can't even imagine how stressful being the president is, but c'mon, $4,000,000 trip to go golfing in Hawaii? It's just too much.
Next, stop Mr. Holder from taking personal luxury jet flights on our dollar every week. Can cut a couple million there.
Remember the GSA? Millions of wasted dollars spent on lavish resorts in Las Vegas? Oh, ya, we really need that.
We really don't need to be cutting programs, just the ridiculous waste
Mary911256
how about we start with the raise the president put into effect for himself and congress, they should all lose their jobs or be there without pay cause they sure as heck ain't working !!!!
Mary - how about cutting free cell phones, reducing food stamps back to the same percentage of receivers as when Obama took office, stop all welfare, child support payments to mothers under the age of 26 and make their parents responsible for them and their insurance, stop supporting renewable energy at prices that fully reimburse all expenditures of the developers, stop all the block grant programs where the feds do nothing but collect money and pass it along to cities and states.
If the cities and states desire the programs they can pass their own taxes.
Mary - "When Americans don't support specific cuts what is congress to do" Their job! It may not be easy but this is a representative republic and it is their job to make tough decisions. It is the President's job to propose a budget which he hasn't done since year 1 of his first term, which does make Congress' job more difficulty but doesn't relieve them from their sworn duty.
The amount of wealth that will be lost by America and Americans over the sequester will offset any kind of savings made by spending cuts, many times over in the long run. Shortsighted, armchair economists always spend a lot to save a little.
Where does all these billions we send to these countries that hate us fall in this fiscal fiasco???????? Why don't we stop all foreign aid except to Israel??????
Why Israel? I mean, if you really WANT Congress to fix this, Israel would be first on the list. Most of Congress would rather sh*t their pants on live TV than mess with Israel.
IIoh, it's way more than billions. Billions were sent to the Gaza Strip alone! It was for "humanitarian" purposes like education etc. But they did use it for education at least. This year they had their first class of over 3,000 graduate with military training so they could become well trained little terrorists. Glad we could help educate them on how to wipe Israel off the face of the world, kill Christians and kill us, the dirty dogs in America, with OUR tax payer's money. And more has been sent to help rebuild Mosques in the Middle East. All the while our education here in America has been cut back. Let's just cut back on even more jobs for the American people so that we can send even more to, as you say, the very people who hate us! Way to go Washington!
Foreign aid is like nothing in terms of the deficit. I agree that most of it should be cut but even if we got rid of all foreign aid we would still have an enormous deficit.
Thats because they are spineless. Aid to Israel needs eliminated. All I can think about is the old bugs bunny cartoon where there's this little yippy dog that starts @!$%# with people while he has a 2oo pound bulldog behind him. I'm sure you can figure out who's Israel and the US in that metaphor.
Paying countries to be our friends is a lot cheaper than war. War is very expensive.
Except that many of the countries we're "paying" still aren't our friends. They hate us. It's absurd. Cuts to foreign aid may only be a drop in the bucket, but you've gotta start somewhere, right?
I say we give notice to all the idiots at the White House. Hopefully they will be gone by April 1st!
Finsaction...
Your team tried that in the last election and lost. Get over it and stop whining. The majority of the US voted for President Obama because we were tired of you idiots running this country into the ground. We voted that way TWICE, so take a hint and stop voting for the TP/GNOP clowns that have failed to do their jobs for going on 13 years now. Bring some moderate conservatives back, stop voting for stupid, and you'll probably be a lot more pleased with the kind of work that actually gets done. You are always free to move out of the country if you hate it that much.
There is truth here, The damage Bush did hurt the GOP in fact I see little to no difference between Bush or Obama.
How about conservative Republicans in Congress.
sleuth....the majority does not always make the best decisions....we had Jimmy Carter, remember? I am one of the minority who was not fooled by the Great Divider. Things are going down quickly thanks to you sheeples who voted for him. You were fooled.....gullible.
We did elect Jimmy Carter, and we also elected Bush. Although by comparison, Bush made Carter look like a genius. The difference is that Democrats learned their lesson, and Republicans are trying to pretend Bush had nothing to do with the national debt that exploded because of the spending he passed, but never paid for. Now you are blaming the guy cleaning up your mess for creating it in the first place, while blocking ANY compromise. Neither party is free from blame, but Republicans have a monopoly on denial and ignorance.
sleuth...very good points. Further, we enjoy the right to vote and choose who will represent us and be our voice. No one cares about how they feel about any policy issue they are not empowered to do their own bidding.
But I dont see you declaring that Bush was a mistake- did ya? LOL and you call other people sheeple. CLowns.
How are those BILLIONS of USD that was spent on the Muslim radicals in Afghanistan, by Carter, working out for you???
How about the money spent by Clinton on these same radicals? When he transfered them from Afghanistan to Bosnia, to support the EU Muslims...
Or the money spent to support the Muslim Brotherhood as the Arib Spring swept through, by Obama???
Remember when Obama sent over a BILLION USD to the Palistinians???
7/24/2009 · Israel Concerned Over Hamas Plans for Gaza Aid as the U.S. Transfers $200 Million in Aid to Palestinian Authority...
6/2010 - President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that the United States will provide an additional $400 million in aid for the Palestinian-controlled West Bank and Gaza...
4/27/2012 · Obama Overrides Congress, Signs Waiver To Send $192 Million to Palestinian Authority...
8/18/2012 · Obama Administration today revealed it is embarking upon a $300 million Palestinian construction project; U.S. companies, however, need not apply.
Indeed, the stated goal of this U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) project is to award program contracts solely to West Bank and Gaza-area vendors, according to presolicitation notice released today.
2/14/2013 · Obama Fires 20,000 Marines, But Sends $700 Million To Palestinian Terrorists...
I like how you glossed right over Reagan, Bush and Bush. Reagan armed friggin Osama bin Laden in the 80s - all you GOP's are terrorist sympathizers if you ask me.
Washington's policy in Afghanistan was shaped by US President Jimmy Carter's national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and was continued by his successors. The CIA received BILLIONS of USD..
Osama bin Laden, one of 20 sons of a billionaire construction magnate, arrived in Afghanistan to join the jihadin 1980. Carter was POTUS 1978 to 1982...
Reagan did not start the funding & support of the Muslim radicals, but he did cut it OFF...
Bush Sr fought his UNFUNDED War with Iraq & the WORLD paid over 80% of the US military cost. The end result was the USA dumped their Vietnam era weapons and replaced them with MODERN systems...
George Bush's Administration originally planned to fund the Iraq Liberation with sales from Iraq's OIL reserves. This plan was shot down by Pelosi/Democrats and US Oil Companies were restricted from rebuilding Iraq's oil industry, by the DEMOCRAT controlled Congress...
Some of use were there and saw these things happen...
The terrorist sympathizers are the ones that have funded and trained these Muslim radicals...
Terrorist sympathizers are those that support the ILLEGAL Polices that are INCREASING the numbers of terrorist sympathizers. ie - The current CIA/Obama policy of attacking suspected terrorist and then targeting the 'First Responders' to the attack...
That may be the most blatant rewrite of history I've ever seen on the vine.
George Orwell would be proud of you.
Carter was POTUS from January 1977 to January 1981.
After supporting the funding for his whole first term.
That's all the fact checking I'm going to waste my time on.
You all need to rid yourself of this ancient history....bring on the budget cuts.
@ Sleuth23, lol, wow you are lost my friend, truly lost. Only the ignorant would vote TWICE for someone that failed the first time. Someone that didn't even give a @!$%# about the economy. If Obama made the economy his priority instead of his obamacare maybe things wouldn't be as bad. Sorry but only a fool would think putting a national healthcare plan/tax in during a recession is a good idea. I'm all for a national healthcare if done correctly, but not when it pushes common sense to the side. And as far as ignorance, adding more and more spending and raising the deficit to do so and pretending their is no end in sight seems pretty ignorant to me. You should really stop posting you look like a fool. Sorry but anyone that it fooled TWICE and then unknowingly admits it is pretty ignorant.
B Miller, Take away all the people with there hand out for welfare, food stamps, illegals looking to stay so they can drain the system and there goes Obama's votes that got him in. That's what allows him to pull off all the ridiculous money losing idea's he come's up with. While it might appear that the polls show Obama has a good rating even after his constant lack of leadership it's mainly because all his free loaders don't object to whatever he does as long as there check keeps coming.
Seems to me that presidential meetings with congressional leadership should have happened long ago. Period. Raising taxes accomplishes one thing. Less taxes paid. Fact: Look it up. Spending is out of control. Would anyone deny that? There comes a time where you get all the factions in a room, lock the door and figure it out. Plain and simple.
Mac.....
Your idiocy is beyond compare, except for the people you vote for in congressional races. You are proof positive that education has been failing US citizens for too long, and now it has come back to haunt us in the form of the TP/GNOP. Care to share a link to anything that proves paying more = paying less? No matter what your political belief, that's the dumbest statement I've read this year on this forum, and that is quite an accomplishment!
It's called the Laffer curve.
YOU look it up.
John....
I understand the laffer curve well. I've answered you clowns on this before. In your words: LOOK IT UP! Saying the name isn't tantamount to understanding the concept. Here's a quiz. At what tax rate does the curve turn south coinciding with reduction in the amount paid? In other words, where is the peak on that curve? Come on genius, we all await your answer.....
Mac...#9 respectfully you need to do a little research. President Obama's administration has reduced spending more than any other president. Read the links below and then factor in a key question. Since President Obama's administration has reduced spending more than any other president what further spending cuts is Boehner seeking? The U.S. House GOP members have consistently argued they want "entitlement," spending cuts. Americans polled overwhelmingly said don't you dare touch "entitlements," or be prepared to get canned. The U.S. 112th House Bill is dead as that bill was written during the last congress. So Boehner needs to submit a new bill from the U.S. House for the current 113th U.S. House. However, you really should see the work schedule announced by Eric Cantor for the U.S. House this year. You'll be happy to know they will work a whopping 126 days total. How you would get anything done with that schedule is anyone's bet given the work load.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2012/05/24/who-is-the-smallest-government-spender-since-eisenhower-would-you-believe-its-barack-obama/
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/03/19/446990/obama-bush-reagan-government-spending/
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Columns/2012/06/01/Whos-the-Biggest-Spender-Obama-or-Bush.aspx#page1
Good points read the last one and then tell me who was in charge of congress during the 2008 great increase. The republicans have stopped much of the Obama spending since. But what is going to happen when Obama care comes into effect and more spending starts.Oh I know Bush did it sorry.
Mary - go back and re-read the article for comprehension. The huge 17.9% increase in Obama's 1st year was TARP, ARRA and auto bailouts. Both Obama & McCain told Bush to sign the laws into effect because they were needed. So the problem we face today is that - that 17.9% increase which was supposed to be temporary has become the baseline measurement against which all discussions start. If that spending was truly temporary we would have seen a massive decline in Federal spending in 2010 - it didn't happen then and it's not happening now!
Here's a link, it's from the White House site, for those who really want the facts:
The first link will show you the revenue and expenditures by year from the 1700's to 2011.
Actually National Health care will save money. You got to quit listening to Limbaugh.
How is that since it is a copy of what is banrupting Great Britian?
It isn't a copy of Britain's system and what Britain has isn't bankrupting Britain.
"here's a link from the White House site, for those who really want the facts:"
hahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahha!
thanks dude, i needed a laugh.
The Conservatards got their way. They crashed the economy (again). Still the most important programs-- the ones that preserve life rather than destroy it-- are in tact, sort of. But give it time, the Conservatards will torch those programs, too, with more of their obstructionism, false negotiations, reversals, and so forth, until millions are living on the streets. Of course, the funniest part is that the darling middle class is getting boned this time, too, including government employees! It's all fun for the middle class to rail against the poor until it's their turn, huh? LOL
I'm lovin' it!
Dogly - get a clue, Obama is the one that came up with the cuts and will be the one doing the cuts. He is the one that refuses to lead this country, and instead tries to create crisis after crisis real or imagined. For the last two weeks he had been on the campaign trail shouting about all the bad cuts that would happen.(the same ones he thought up) Then when he realized he wasn't scaring congress into doing what he wanted(tax hikes) he had to back off and say they would not happen for maybe a month, and most people wouldn't feel them at all. When are going to wake up and demand leadership from the community organizer. Remember when he promised no tax increases on people making less than $250,000. I don't make that and mine went up two months ago. Just another lie from dubba dubba do. Get over you black guilt and open you eyes.
Yeah still blame the republicans, YOU IDIOT!! you stupid Democrats still control 2/3
You moron your making people dependant on the govt like you liberals like to does preserve life it ruins it. God are you really that stupid, no wonder our country is in trouble.
You sure like calling names. Are you that insecure about your poor stance.
J.P.Dogly....what part of going bankrupt do you not understand. If the Feds. weren't printing make believe money we would already have crashed. I, personally , believe this is just what Obama wants. His plan is moving forward. We the people will be the ones having to pick up the pieces of this once great nation. He will be living in Hawaii with the tax payers footing the bill.
Here's a civics question for you jeopardy contestants - can a bill make it through 2/3 of the government and become law? Having 2/3 might as well be half or less given that the party of NO is still putting roadblocks out.
Here is the Republican play book. When the Repulican president is in the white house, run up the deficit, expand government hiring. When a democrat president takes over at the helm, the republicans cry government is too big, cut government jobs, cut our deficit.
Sledge123. You must be a moron. The reason why your paycheck took a slight dip was that the payroll tax which was temporarily cut back in the summer expired. Remember the payroll tax was temporary reduced by 2%. Well it expired recently. Get your facts straight before you head up an argument
Before you totally hissy fit out, wait a bit and listen to the silence, who din't, who couldn't, ahhhh who lied.
OBAMA DID. Time for you libs to realize we have a responsability to this country to get our house in order, time to do it was before, we HAVE to do it now. You got your tax hike, and thought you were going to bamboozle us into even more tax revenues, guess again. Now we begin.
Bojohanson, you must be a moron. First its Obama crying cut govt jobs, because he doesn't want to cut any of the bonehead precious entitlement projects(like the one that gives 50k to any black person that wants it, which I won't go into cuz I don't want even more money being spent), along with many others. Second, Obama has been running up the deficit and when republicans want to get it under control all he wants is to raise it higher.
What I don't understand is how the liberals are spinning this off like these are real cuts. The money cut isn't even covering the total increase in spending. Obama is full of ....., nobody needs to lose their job etc, under these spending cuts. They just wouldn't be hiring anyone new. That's why the military said they would finish out the contracts they have. It's the same thing as people that complain about the recession that still have their job, have the same costs of living etc. Nothing has changed for them if they don't want it to.
All this is is a bunch of chicken little crying the sky is falling. I have not heard one work about eliminating the pay of the jerks that caused this and are not doing their jobs.
The following article shows how much this is nonsense.
DHS Panics About $2.6 Billion Sequester Cut, But Set To Have $9 Billion In Unspent Money
Washington Examiner, February 28, 2013
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano claims that sequestration will undermine DHS’s “core critical mission,” but the White House projects that her department will have $9 billion in unspent funding at the end of the year.
“[T]he Office of Management and Budget projected that at the end of fiscal year 2013, DHS would carry forward more than $9 billion in unobligated balances,” Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., wrote in a letter to Napolitano. “This is money that has not yet been spent, nor even assigned to a specific project, raising the question of why we would not start by reclaiming these funds. I would appreciate if DHS could provide an explanation for what these funds are for and whether the agency has considered them for sequestration.”
Sen. Coburn you seem to have forgotten that YOU gave Homeland Security an unlimited budget!
Sounds good. Cut DHS to nothing. I live along Lake Erie and see where my tax dollars are spent with board control agents making sure Canada doesnt invade us.
Most of the 911 attackers entered this country from Canada.
Can't be touched... the very things that should be cut, handouts to the BO voters!!!!
•The Medicaid health insurance program for low-income people
•Payments to individuals in the form of refundable tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-wage workers and the tax credits under the 2010 health care law to help people buy health insurance.
•Child Nutrition Programs, including the School Lunch and School Breakfast programs,
•The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called “food stamps”
Let's just tax all churches. That would help reduce our deficit and they could finally pay their fair share for using their collective power to manipulate politicians into passing worthless legislation that has no place in a secular society. About time they stopped spending so much on elections and started paying for their freedoms like everyone else.
And subsidies to the rich!
And the BO (ELECT ME) free phones...A program called Lifeline provides free phones and free monthly minutes to anyone on food stamps, WIC, Medicaid, Head Start, and several other government programs. And just like food stamps, Lifeline (aka "phone stamps") has been growing by leaps and bounds since 2008, at significant cost to taxpayers... 3.3 billion a year.
WTF???????
Yeah you are a "good Christian".
God Speed...don't know what neck of the country your from but states that rely heavily on government assistance tend to be red. Data supports how much they paid versus how much they rely on so check out where you live. See link below. I hope your user name reflects your a good christian as you'll need to open your home to a whole lot of needy people. Your logic is going to make a big whole in this nation's middle-class on both ends of the spectrum. BTW...your reference to vote for BO get a free phone obviously you don't know how to fact check. If I was you I'd take a look at the latter two link below. Pay attention to the end of the last one. The source a GOP member on his facebook page learned he failed to do the same as you. He then apologized learning the source he used was dare I say it not credible.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/11/states-federal-taxes-spending-charts-maps
http://www.factcheck.org/2009/10/the-obama-phone/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/oct/31/adam-putnam/putnam-obama-campaign-gives-free-cell-phones-suppo/
Fiscal restraint iis the only way to stop the insanity. There has been no budget passed and there won't be as long as this administration lasts. That way there are no controls on what they do. We have (I would suspect ) no idea how much money has really been spent by this administration since there are no guidelines for them to follow. With no rules there is only anarchy and we certainly have that.
Mary -
Then tell me why the states receiving the lion's share of government monies are states like California, New York, and Illinois?
You are lying to yourself - the worst type of dishonesty - if you look merely at the per capita rate, as you are doing. You must also look at the total amount of federal money received by each state. Consider: North Dakota gets about $1.30 in federal spending per person compared to California's $.65; but North Dakota has a population of about 500,000 people compared to California's 30,000,000. When multiplied out, who gets more? California! ($1.30 x 500,000 = $650,000.00, $.65 x 30,000,000 = $19,500,000.00; 19500000>>650000).
This is similar to the gun debate where anti-gun people wish to look only at the total deaths caused by guns, ignoring the per capita rates. Both must be looked at and understood to get an accurate picture of what is happening. The per capita rate for death by guns and violent crime is far lower than in Great Britain or other places where they have outlawed guns although the total numbers are higher due to our population being greater.
Especially with the "WTF" remark, looks like god speed's god is money...A fast buck maybe.
Let me get this straight. Federal workers have to be furloughed, Congressman and no load Obama get to keep theirs. Contractors and congressional staffers get to keep theirs. Federal workers come to work each day, have a contract to get paid by the federal government, and yet they are singled out for non-payment because someone else is not doing their job. Those not doing their job get to keep their paychecks. Now they mention taking money from retired federal workers. And the people who don't want to work, get to keep their welfare checks and food stamps. (I'm talking about people who never work and never will, and are 4th or 5th generation welfare recepients). Okay, now I am thinking about discrimination, and that is what always happens to federal workers. They get screwed because they can't do anything about it. Why do people just bitch about things and these a..holes in congress, but they keep voting them back in office? I don't understand. I wish I knew how to get a Million Man March going. I know I would damn sure participate if someone did.
Here Here!!!!
Be thankful that you were ever able to work. A lot of people fell ill so early in life as to have never been ABLE to work. You know, Scrooge, there is such a thing as being SICK and DISABLED. Be careful what you wish for. Debilitating illness can strike anyone at anytime, and you and your loved are not exempt from that possibility. Maybe you need to think about that before you ridicule and stereotype those who receive "their welfare checks and food stamps." Then again, I don't think that you would give a damn. Until it's you.
J.P.....we don't have a problem with the truly sick or disabled....we do have a problem with someone who takes advantage of the system. They're millions in America who are doing just that. The ACTUAL WORKERS that are paying the 50 percent of the federal taxes are getting sick and tired of the moochers. They pay ZERO federal taxes. They can have lobster with their food stamps, they can go to the doctor free of charge, they pay next to nothing for rent, they get their teeth fixed on the govt. dime and their kids and also get free eye glasses and exams, you name it, they get it. We are sick of footing the bill for generational moochers who have a zillion kids which the taxpayers pay for and have a different baby daddy for each one. Liberals are perpetuating this horrible mess and the hard workers are paying for it. The middle class is the bigest loser of all!
The president has to protect his welfare babies.
Some times the Hindus get it right for instance they do not believe in charity for the sake of charity.
usnedspec, Your probably going to see a million man march and everyone will have guns. This nonsence has to stop and we can't wait 2 or 4 years and hope to vote them out the cancer has spread to far.
god speed and usnedspec seem to be the type, who would cause the crippling.
Much ado about nothing. Most of the people I talk to about this are tired of the scare tactics, it's pi$$ing them off.
Now get to work and cut some waste!
Let's furlough Pelosi & Reed for a start.
pete, That's a start they are two of the most pathetic for sure.
If you don't offer any cuts Barry how can you expect the right to go along with you and your tax increases - you cant tax your way out of this - you signed and initiated the sequester in the first place over a year ago - in 2006 you are quoted as blasting Bush for wanting to raise the debt ceiling to $8Trillion - now you want double that? I distinctly remember you saying during the debates the sequester won't happen and said that was untrue - you LIED to the American people once again - you are disgusting - a whiner who cries everytime he doesn't get his way and blames everyone else for your own failures,
How about cutting the $60MM aid to the Syrian rebels as a start?
guess: How about taxes to finally begin to make a payment on those wars?
There as been cuts offered.
Sandy....oh silly Sandy
Congress voted for the authorization into Iraq. (Whether you agree or disagree) Obama always stated we should be in Afghanastan. So with that said, do you believe the Afghan war should start to get paid off? I mean Obama said thats where we should of been!
Just because Obama didn't vote at the time of these wars, doesn't mean he wasn't for at least one of them. So when you complain about the wars and paying them off, why hasn't Obama or congress started that process.
It was OBAMA that ESCALATED the Afghanistan UN 'Nation Building'. With his 'Just War', he doubled then doubled AGAIN the US Troop levels and placed his 'hand picked' Generals in charge...
George Bush & the UK turned the 'Nation Building' over to the UN and 52+other countries - Dec 2001...
The only things Obama has accomplished in Afghanistan:
1. ASSASSINATED OBL, using Bush's intel and has changed NOTHING. Both Bush & Clinton refused to kill OBL when they had the chance...
2. KILLED over TWICE the US Troops in half the time as Bush...
3. Spend BILLIONS/Trillions more US Tax dollars...
4. EXPANDED the CIA's drone program to include the WORLD and US Citizens...
I love how you neo con clowns want to bomb everything in the world but if a US citizen in another country is a terrorist - they should be pampered and given hugs? You people are terrorist sympathizers.
The part that aggravates me is that if the president were Republican, the neo-cons would be shouting at the hippie peaceniks to STFU about the expanded drone program killing people trying to harm America. Then question their patriotism out loud, maybe even throw in a word like "traitor."
But when it was a Republican, how many Dems wanted him tried for war crimes that the Congress voted for? Get real, it goes both ways...
Hey, another thought. With all the illegals released from jail, we can be assured they will get their welfare checks. Not mention all the crimes in the border states that is forthcoming. Obama did that just to get back at the states who didn't vote for his sorry a..
put all the release illegal aliens on buses and drop them off at the border and tell them to walk home.
usnedspec,
Illegals do not get "welfare checks" stop being a sheep.
MO,
Who's going to pay for that?
Buses are totally free, Mo. Especially for thirty million people. And you know, all you have to do is ask them and they'll go, so that means there will be no manpower costs associated with rounding up thirty million people. They won't need to be detained anywhere, at all, en route from thousands of locations around the USA to "the border," so there's no cost associated with that. Wow, you have the perfect answer to this problem! Economics major?
Illegals don't get welfare checks.....Yet. If the immigration reform goes thru there are 11 million low income illegals who will eventually be able to sign up for welfare, medicaid, food stamps, housing allowances, child tax credits, earned income tax credits, and every other social welfare program. The costs will be staggering and cost in the trillions over time.
Politicians better wake up to those facts. The old argument by McCain that we will be putting them on the income tax rolls is a crock. 47 percent already pay no income tax and most of those 11 million won't either. They will be sucking cash from taxpayers at a rate that would make Ross Perot have nightmares.
Deportation, you do it as found, you don't have a massive round up.
lizard -
However their anchor babies already do get welfare checks. And illegals do get medical care as hospitals are required to treat them and cannot ask if they are illegal.
IIoh, it's way more than billions. Billions were sent to the Gaza Strip alone! It was for "humanitarian" purposes like education etc. But they did use it for education at least. This year they had their first class of over 3,000 graduate with military training so they could become well trained little terrorists. Glad we could help educate them on how to wipe Israel off the face of the world, kill Christians and kill us, the dirty dogs in America, with OUR tax payer's money. And more has been sent to help rebuild Mosques in the Middle East. All the while our education here in America has been cut back. Let's just cut back on even more jobs for the American people so that we can send even more to, as you say, the very people who hate us! Way to go Washington!
Obama added 5 trillion bucks to the national debt in his first 4 years. All you morons who voted for him a second time deserve what you get....laid off from work....hahaha....losers.
And don't start crying next year when your medical premiums double because of Obamacare....You suckers who voted for Obama will regret it badly when your paychecks are smaller.
Frankly, I hope that the middle class house-slaves do end up paying double or triple for healthcare. Let them suffer for creating a health care system that denies health care altogether to 50 million people. They created a system that charges $39 for a hospital blanket that retails for $6 outside of it. Let 'em pay and pay big!
No one is really listening to you idiots anymore. Talk about chicken little? You people are chicken @!$%# little.
You dolts have been screaming the sky is falling since Obama took office - OH NOES!! OBAMA i5 teh MUZLIM!! - He wasnt born in this country - he's going to bankrupt the country - we are all going to die because he's soft on terror! OH NOES!
A presidential loss - loss of senate seats - loss of house seats - poll after poll that puts blame for fiscal cliff / sequester squarely on the shoulders of your GOP side kick cronies and you idiots still cant see that no one is listening to your stupidity any more.
Any of you that think anyone will suffer should be ashamed of yourselves for believing the BS coming from the potus and the democrats. Add to that IF anyone does suffer, it is at the hands of Obama, he had the opportunity to work with the republicans, but chose to stand on my way or the highway, he got it shoved back down his throat this time, enjoy the taste. He also gets to chose where the cuts happen so again if anyone suffers blame your hero. Don't give me the he's not responsable, it's painfully clear he is.
Yo Dogly, no one denies them health care, the problem seems to be with the custom in this country of paying for services, you morons think everything should be free. If it's all free how does it get there, how is it made, who will make it, who will work for free, start to see the problem with your moronic Utopia?
Will this effect the Moose's vacations?
Does this mean the airports will be shut down in the morning? How about the firemen being laid off? Will the air be to polluted to breath by mid-afternoon?
What a great President!!!!!!!!!!!!POS
I see AZ in your handle - does that indicate where you are from? If so - you calling the president a POS is like the pot calling the kettle black right?
Dandy, are you saying that everyone from Arizona is a POS? Stereotype much?
So all the scare mongering the administration was spouting off about isn't happening? Amazing but not surprising. We need to get our spending under control.
If the conservatives had caved and taxes had gone up as the administration wanted, the taxes would have gone up immediately on March 1st.
Did you even read the article?
Well Pete, it's not too late, one more meeting before he signs the paper! They could still cave in the morning over coffee.
I did. And the title would have sufficed.
My taxes went up January 1 by 400.00 a month. And after the ACA kicks in next year and the 27 new taxes it will impose I will lose more money. But hey, I guess I could become a lib and go on government assistance and get free food, housing and a new I phone.
You do realize there are more red welfare states than blue right? LOL You idiots still think that only democrats on welfare. I live in PA and regarding the people around me - the democrats and liberals all work - the republicans / tea baggers are all on welfare complaining about government spending.
I have an acquaintance that is on the dole with 3 kids on the dole also and the unwed mother of the 3 bastards? On welfare. Both him and her regularly complain that they want the government out of their lives and how Obama is encrouching on their civil liberties. See the irony? LOL
Very good point. These are the poor whites who receive welfare checks and governmet subsidies think that government spending needs to be reduced. In reality more whites on welfare than blacks. In percentage of population, blacks on welfare are higher than whites. I suppose most of the welfare checks go back to the economy which keeps the economy going. On the other hand very few people talk about the corporate welfare. Exxon Mobile still receives welfare checks in terms of subsidies from the govt. Why it still needs it, it makes over how many billions per quarter. We can reduce our defense budget. Another point I want to make is that the sequester though it is only $44 Billion spending cut in federal programs. It has the multiplier effect. That is, government workers will have less money to spend which will affect all industries. Food has to be cut back, entertainment has to be cut back, vacation takes a back seat. I hope all of you out there, just because it is federal government spending is being cut, it might have an effect on your pocket down the road.
ALL Foreign aid must be cut.... Even the dreaded Little American Israel... Sorry but we wouldn't even be in these wars if we minded our own damn business.
Leon,
Maybe our gov't should declare a real war on Mexican drug cartels by going into Mexico and bombing the hell out of anything remotely connected to them. Then we can send your 11 million illegal immigrant cousins back to Mexico on buses where they belong. Then what our gov't should do is set up mine fields and barbed and razor wire fences for 300 yds inside our border. Let's see your cousins get through that detour and if they get through it they have to watch 8 hours of Nancy Pelosi speaking.
All valid points but at least a month, month-and-a-half (?) late in figuring this out? Damage control! NBC is 100 percent and foremost state media!
Me and Jack Daniels are having a Sequester Party all are welcome!
98% boehner is having a party of his own, no doubt!
I'll swing by after I get Johnnie Walker but Jose Cuervo can get his illegal arse back to Mexico..