Funny thing- the "cuts" were only cuts in the additional money these departments would be budgeted for the new year. Read it this way- They had $10 last year and were looking for $11 to spend this year; now they have $10 to spend. Get it? They have just as much as they had last year. My oh my, how do they deal with such brutal government "cuts"??

sorry double posted

After reading throygh the OMBreport on what cuts the sequester would do, I was amazed at the number of exemptions allowed and the limited scope of what the POTUS had.

I can understand why he and the democrats didn't like the republicans wanting to give him more flexibility in applying the cuts. Regardless, how he applies the cuts relegated to the executive branch will show us just who he likes the most. IE cutting out waste and inefficiency department by department or ensuring that he can make political capital by screwing over the general populace.

As for his talk on increasing taxes as part of anything to do with the sequester, it was never part of the original deal and shouldn't be part of anything to do with modifying the sequester now. What I find most interesting is that the original architect of the the sequester is Jack Lew, our current treasury secretary. He and obama promoted this mess, now let them own up to it with how to work through it wisely.

Nothing short of a balanced budget amendment will give this country any hope of surviving. Because it is not if, but when will the US collapse financially. Yet every time a balanced budget amendment has come before Congress, it is the Democrats that kill the bill. Although to be fair, the condition of the country has been created by voters that keep sending the same people to Washington but expecting different results. All Obama wants to do is kick the can down the road far enough for him to be gone when the nation falls under the weight of its true financial crisis. Still the fact that no one in Washington is actually trying to avoid the inevitable, it makes you wonder it they know it is already too late, or it was the plan all along. We are already a nation incapable of meeting all of its unfunded liabilities, so what better way to clean the slate then letting the entire system collapse.

Allen, one thing is a locked certainty. Oblama has no leadership ability.

"Whenever there is absolute proof and facts how fu_ked up this president and administration is, where are the usual stupid comments from the libs that are missing!!!!"

I'm curious - is the absolute proof that Obama messed up, and the conservatives are forcing the cuts that they want? Or is the absolute proof that Obama messed up, and forced these horrible cuts on the people? I'm a little confused as to whether you are happy that the cuts are happening or unhappy that they are happening. Conservatives seem to be saying both.

"Nothing short of a balanced budget amendment will give this country any hope of surviving."

Amazing that we have survived for so many years since the 1920s -- without balancing the budget!!!! Your claim looks a little foolish when looked at historically.

"Oblama has no leadership ability."

And yet, he's in the White House for his second term with his second majority vote, and nice approval rating. I suspect Obama critics wouldn't know what leadership ability looks like.

Obama lost credibility? You can't lose what you never had.

More confusion and half-truths spewing from the party of spend-o-rama! Their answer to this fail: Blame the gop. That's the ultimate achievement of this administration.

rradiko, I don't think anyone will deny that the sequester was a bipartisan appeal. The argument comes from the fact many news reports placed the sequester squarely on the Republicans. Bob Woodard pointed out the idea came from the White House. The White House calculated the Republicans would never allow Defense to be cut so deeply, while the Republicans felt that they could get more cuts on entitlements in the negotiations. When neither happened for either group, (The President and Democrats and the Republicans in the House), the sequestered happened.

Conversely, when the discussion was brought up on the President's campaign promise about raising taxes on the rich (which turned out to be anyone making above $400,000/year, which to me isn't rich), the Republicans felt they had raised taxes to offset the cuts promised by Sequester. Then, when the President proposed another tax increase (closing loopholes on the "rich" and corporations), the Republicans felt betrayed. They went against their base and agreed to a tax rate increase ( I know, I know, this wasn't an increase, but rather going back to historic rates, however, to those who's taxes went up, it's an increase), with the idea the next discussion would be cuts and our President proposed to do cuts, but wanted another increase in taxes along with the cuts.

In my opinion, the President should have agreed to the cuts and worked a way around the sequester. THEN he could have proposed "closing tax loopholes". Why? Because most people feel the "rich" have too many ways to avoid paying "their fair share". By doing the cuts, the President could have argued, "We can now lower the deficit even more by closing these loopholes on the rich". He could have used the argument, "I agreed to the cuts by the Republicans so now is the time to close the loopholes for the Rich." It's an argument he would have won (well public opinion anyway) and made him look like a leader, but alas, he didn't and now people are beginning to see the President as part of the problem. As I've said many times, the problem with our President is he is not good, strong leader.

What I find amazing is the media and the left are so interested in digging up dirt on private citizens and businesses that they'll even lie about it. But nary a word is said about the obvious fraud and waste that is so apparent in the government. I would think a true journalist would investigate the true impact of the sequestration on federal departments and programs and investigate the waste that exists. Heck the 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. Why are we not hearing about this? That's almost 20% of the supposed $42 billion in cuts from the DHS alone!

seaskip, that's a tired old argument. Bush had the economic down turn which followed Clinton and it didn't take 4 years to clean it up. Reagan had the mess from the Carter Presidency and it didn't take 4 years to clean up that mess. While I think many people will agree with you that President Obama inherited a mess, he's had 4 years to clean up the economy and he hasn't. Failed leadership is our President's failure. Rather than campaign, he needs to lead. He shoulders a lot of the blame.

Obama is the only one in Washington who is willing to make cuts in a bi-partisan fashion.

He is the only one who's plan mirrors Peterson who was a Republican budget guy from Reagan and Bush41's administrations.

Hey hand wringing libbies -- don't like the sequester well tell your ignorant narcissistic leader and John "dock my yacht in Delaware" to not GIVE $250 MILLION dollars and commit more to the muslim brotherhood in EGYPT. But you probably don't know that since it's not being written about on the communist news source. Guess you'd have to have "skin in the game" to care what is being done with our money. So stop your whining and crying about the sequester and try contributing to society.

seaskip

Any cuts in the budget should start with with the sick tea movement like cutting their pensions, paychecks and health benefits !!!

I agree seasick that as well as the other worthless people in Washington like Obama.

SeaSkip -

Wasn't it not but only a year ago LIBBIES were talking about that over-inflated military budget and wanted cuts, and the wonderful PHOTO OP by Obama to say he wanted to curtail spending. NOW the tune changes, can't afford to cut just raise more money to spend more?

A simple history lesson - since history is perhaps our greatest teacher. It was a Democrat who started that Military Industrial Complex (FDR), It was a Democrat that signed into law NAFTA (William Jefferson Clinton) which was responsible for the migration of hundreds of thousands of jobs. It was a Democrat (Harry S. Truman) who signed into law tax loopholes and tax perks such as being able to claim the interest on home ownership, charitable contributions, foreign tax credits, etc. It was a Democrat that instituted what has become our modern day Welfare Program (FDR)- which by the way accounts for 28% (THE LARGEST CHUNK) of government spending and IS RESPONSIBLE FOR GENERATIONAL WELFARE CASES. It was a DEMOCRAT (Barack Hussein Obama and Jack Lew) that devised the plan for this Sequester as a stick and carrot for an increase of the debt ceiling. It is most certainly a DEMOCRAT(BHO) that unsurprisingly continues to take the vacations, the golf trips, the sending Michelley Poo off to buy a new dress, etc without worry, without care on the backs of taxpayers.

It is the uneducated masses embroiled by thier puppet masters that are too busy arguing and bickering amongst themselves, to be blinded to what is really going on. That somehow if we demonize those that have money that all of a sudden our financial problems will miraculously just go away. But the huddled masses are too jaded with thier partisanship to realize or even care about the double standards of those puppet masters. The bullsht here people is that Obama got his 680 billion tax increase, and promised to curtail spending and didn't. Do we easily forget Obamacare and now EVERYONE is required to have insurance - which as I recall the LIBBIES were estatic about, and now that people don't have a job, don't have the means (as was foretold by those evil Republicans) what we will now have fines imposed (even less money) for not having that mandated insurance.

Is it the libby stance that the supposed Party of NO is tired of seeing a few work and toil while the roles of the too lazy to get a damned job, sit back and enjoy a lifestyle of handouts for doing nothing. That they are OWED something because it is easier to spit out kids they can't afford, that there is a reward for such behavior, that they will improve the chances, improve thier paydays of free giveaways? To give you an example that may better illustrate the assininity of this mindset, take $50 bux of your check for the next year and increase that by 50 bux next year and 50 more the third year and just give it away. So in a mere 3 years time, you have pissed away $1,200 bux this year, $2,400 bux next year, and $3,600 the following year for a total of $5 Grand to people who DON'T contribute to your sweat, DON'T appreciate the fact YOU are providing for them, and EXPECT even more from you, and then have the audacity to bitch that you aren't doing enough for them. It is ironic that they have the balls to turn around and say you are the demon, the very cause of the problem...

Now, Republicans are not blameless, nor are they not driven by the same ailment that affects all of us - Greed. There isn't a single one of us that don't desire having more money. There isn't a single one of us that don't desire that Huge House, the big backyard, and the lap of luxury. And most certainly common sense would suggest these things don't come without sacrifice, but it is being increasingly more obvious that we EXPECT these things without having to work for it. Maybe we should just scrap current government, all sit on our asses and elect David Copperfield and have him magic us up some free money. Until we stop this SPENDING ISSUE, we will NEVER have the things we desire. UNTIL WE SAVE MONEY we can't afford the stuff we want. That is the reality, and it is about time the LIBBIES come to grips with that.

And here it is 5 years later, and libtards are still blaming BUSH for everything from Budget Woes to Global Warming. Hypocricy knows no bounds, especially when the uproar was involving the Bush Era Tax Cuts expiring for those middle class and supposedly destitute Americans. How soon we forget such trivial things...

And yes, Boehner got what he wanted - the deal was the 680 billion in tax revenue (that OBAMA wanted), in exchange for the CUTS (Boehner Wanted). That was the deal, the libbies are bitching about how THEY have to live up to thier end of the bargain. Now quite honestly I am no fan of Boehner or any politician for that matter. I am not a person that believes the fault lies with just 1 person. Truthfully it is with all of us. You see, like many of you, I love getting a raise. Love having more coin, but if we apply COMMON SENSE, we would know that those pay raises increase the costs of not only producing the product 5 or even 10 fold (it costs more money to pay workers to obtain the materials, costs more money to pay the workers to produce the product, costs more money for the truck drivers and transportation of that product to get it to market, costs more for the stock boy putting that product on the shelf, costs more to hire that cashier to take your money to buy that product, costs more to pay that bank teller to take the receipts from that business to deposit in the bank, costs more for that accountant to square the books and file the taxes, and costs more for the monkeys to process those tax forms). You see ONE pay raise equates to higher end costs, but we are too stupid, too self consumed, too damned Greedy to understand the basic concept. Businesses are not in business to give sht away. They are there to make some money. They, those that engage in that endeavor to build a business assume the risks of failure, of paying employees, of having to provide benefits to thier workers, of having to assume liability for thier products and the all too often lawsuits over thier product. I mean let's be honest here, for a person to go to a coffee shop, purchase a cup of coffee, and accidently spill that coffee on themselves, only to turn around and sue that coffee shop because the coffee was HOT, is assinine. But it happens, and of course the business pays. But where we seem to think the buck stops is with the judgment. It doesn't. That cost of that judgment (the business loss) is passed along to the customer when that 25 cent cup of coffee increases to 50 cents for that business to recoop that loss. I don't begrudge a business from making money, but I certainly do have a problem with out of control greed - like the Big Banks that were bailed out, and then have the balls to host parties, dole out pay increases for thier CEOs, and turn around and foreclose on the homes of the very same people that paid for thier bailout. Thomas Jefferson warned us about such things. Our past generation didn't listen, our generation doesn't learn, and our future generations will have to deal with the consequence. But isn't that the flavor of politics. Kick the can down the road, so we don't have to deal with the reprecussions of our greed and inaction.

The same holds true with medical expenses. Don't you think the costs of malepractice suits inflate the malepractice insurance rates, which in turn increases the cost of the office visit? Or the costs of that hospital who is linked to the economy in which they pay thier workers and buys equipment that is being produced by those who are demanding pay increases isn't passing the costs of said increases along to patients, which in turn the medical insurers who are now paying more aren't passing the costs of higher payouts (claims) onto the very people that are filing the suits through premiums? How utterly assinine and niave to think these things are not circular. You see, the point here is when you make more money, you spend more money, because the cost of those things MUST INCREASE. You can not by any way, shape or means expect that 1 is not directly linked to the other. THIS is the fallacy of our greed. We seem to think when we make more, we should have more, and therefore the prices of things should either drop or stay stagnant. In the case of Washington, increasing taxes, which is making more money will be passed along down the line in the way of it costing MORE to produce the product, which in turn is passed down to the end consumer (US), fueling yet more "END USER GREED". In order to "come out ahead" of the endeavor, one must curtail the spending of the funds available in order to see the growth (lowering of debt, amassing wealth) they desire. This is a concept lost to liberals, and one that apparently does not seem to fit within the kumbaya mindset. The time, my dear libbies, has come to embrace the fallacies of your "living in a haze, a fog of hope and change", and come to grips with the fact that you were sold a lemon. You bought it thinking it was a brick of gold, until the paint peeled and you were left holding a pile of sht.

There not here because they are on other stories that fit their agenda. The cuts are NOTHING! No one was serious. Not Dems, not Republicans, NO ONE! This was all a load of bull! A manufactured menace to make the American people believe that something is actually being done in Washington. 1.16% in cuts? Are you kidding me? The government is done.

From http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-57571850/sequester-will-mean-lost-jobs-and-less-growth/

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke had a similar assessment in testimony before the Senate Banking Committee this week.

"The CBO estimates that ... the automatic spending sequestration that is scheduled to begin on March 1 ... will contribute about 0.6 percentage point to the fiscal drag on economic growth this year," Bernanke said. "Given the still-moderate underlying pace of economic growth, this additional near-term burden on the recovery is significant. Moreover, besides having adverse effects on jobs and incomes, a slower recovery would lead to less actual deficit reduction in the short run for any given set of fiscal actions."

Of course, people like you believe that Ben Bernanke, Fed Chairman, is Yet Another Commie Hellbent On Destruction Of The US, so he's probably not a credible source for you.

For the rest of us, though, living in the real world, a slowing of the economy caused by spending cuts will increase the national deficit and the debt, which is why we don't want it.

Cutting spending is a misnomer. It should be called cutting borrowing.

There is nothing wrong with spending, if you've got it. The problem is spending when you're broke. Slow down, recover, then gear back up. Avoid borrowing. Debt is an unnecessary self-inflicted drain that stalls recovery.

Cutting $85 Billion of borrowing over 10 months is a start but is only a fraction (13%)
of the President's proposed $1.4 Trillion deficit for the year.

It took a sequester to fix 13% of borrowing.

The cuts are already having a drastic effect on graduate school admissions around the country. No faculty are going to take on new students if they're uncertain as to how much the grants they depend on to pay for them will be reduced.

Current grad students are also in limbo, as they don't know whether the funding will be there to finish their degrees.

Since the GOP cut out PELL grants for graduate students last year, these students now only have a choice of self-funding or taking out loans for 100% of their graduate degree cost if their grant funding is rescinded.

Other countries are already turning out more MS and PhD degree holders (per capita) than the U.S. You want to guarantee this country falls from its pedestal? Cut our students off at the knees. We will all be very sorry down the road.

"A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague."

@seaskip- ahh the irony that your post at 1.31 validated my post at 1.29. Have a great day!

one thing is a locked certainty. Oblama has no leadership ability...

...with the fox news disciples, no, and he never will.

Hey, look over here, a cure for cancer, follow me...

ummm, no thankyou, too much socialmarxcommunism-ism-ism

Uh, I paid my way through college, let them pay their way through college. I worked 40+ hours each week and went to night school to get ahead. I was fortunate that my employer reimbursed me for the class tuition costs that were relevant to my job (not books or any other fees) IF I passed with a B or better. Quite an inducement to do good. I had all A's with just two B's and graduated Summa Cum Laude. But in the end, I funded it myself while working and raising a family with a stay home wife. It can be done, but it takes time and effort. Not pell grants or other government funding, but rather doing it the old fashion way. I EARNED IT!

@Thinkaboutit - sacrilidge, plain and simple. Earning something not being given to you on a silver platter. At least I know I am not alone. 3 Bachelor Degrees, and 2 minors. Never got a pell grant or a scholarship. But alas, we live in a world of handouts.

You know, people in this country are being dumbed down, and instead of getting smarter, they get more stupid. I love how people think how WE in this country can't or don't have the means to be more self-sufficient. How we must rely on Japan, China, Korea, India, Pakistan, and other places for our goods. We seem to forget alot of these foreign companies that pay for thier employees education, or even the people from these foreign companies come to the USA to get thier education, then travel back to thier home country to engage in the very jobs they came here to get an education for. But WE of course forget such things like electricity, the telephone, computers, the automobile, the assembly line, the cotton gin, and the discovery of pennicillin were ALL AMERICAN inventions. The problem is, people are just too damned lazy to do the work themselves, or too damned greedy to start at the bottom and work thier way up. Then complain when the jobs have left. People are just wanting to start with making a mid level manager's wages for flippin burgers. Of course, we forget the innovations and inventions of America because we want something for nothing. We don't want to work for it. We expect it to be done for us.

It goes without saying we are more consumed by what makes us different, than what makes us the same. If you look at some of these other countries, they don't engage in the black, white issue. The hyphenated citizenship/ethnic identifications, or anything other than calling themselves Chinese, Japanese, Tawainese, Korean, or what have you. But in this country, well, it wouldn't be America if we didn't have the islands in the great sea mentality. We can go on fooling ourselves with the Democrat, Republican, Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, monickers we hang on ourselves, that somehow it makes us more superior or more of a victim. Until we cast aside those differences and start calling ourselves AMERICANS and take pride in that identity, we will always just be a divided country, living under the guise of being morally superior, while all the while being nothing more than a shell of our former glory. Until such time comes that we roll up our sleeves and begin working together, hell for that matter just begin working period, we will continue to be in the mess we find ourselves in today. I for one, prefer to remember our history, of what made us the Greatest Country on the Planet, and hold hope that one day, we can be united in our cause to be that leader again.

Our education system isn't the issue. It is with the "student" and the seemingly inbred mentality that it should come without hard work, dedication, and devotion to the endeavor. That it should be "free" and it should be something as simple as a pen stroke. The reality is, we are spoiled brats who believe EVERYTHING is our right. And since it is a right, it should just be given to us...

American Girl-724855

It's one thing for the Dems or Reps to lie But for Obama to LIE to all the people of the UNITED STATES is a sham and a shame..

The President is suppose to LEAD Congress!!! So I guess with Obama's lead everyone should start the liar train!!!LOL

seaskip: "Any cuts in the budget should start with with the sick tea movement like cutting their pensions, paychecks and health benefits !!!"

Please enlighten us, who makes up the sick tea movement?

So what happens when "The Sky is Falling" doesn't happen?

More excuses from Obama.

What is all this leadership crap I am hearing from you people about Obama? For the last frikin time the President has very little power with the damn budget. By the way he also has a plan, go to white house.gov and it is right there. Anyone making those remarks are lying republican congressman or you idiots, that are so damned stupid about government spending that it is disgusting to read you stupid remarks.

The President does not establish spending, taxes or anything else that has to do with appropriating money.

Every recession over the last 50 years have had government spending go up as a way to increase jobs. That includes the Reagan recession, both Bush recessions, and the Clinton recession, yet this President has had to cut 700,000 good paying jobs to satisfy the nuts on the right.

You can read or print it out and hold it in your dumb assed hands. The deficit is also coming down. Four years ago it was 10% of GDP it is now down to 5% of GDP.

By the way because of the lying belt way media who never ask a follow up questions, from a conservative about spending, it is as if the truth is of no conern here.

Your so excited that Obama is getting a little grief but he is still so far ahead of the do nothing republican congress in favorable that you should be ashamed to speak as if you are winning.

This is leadership? Seems more like pornography. You know, where the girl starts moaning and groaning and screaming and she hasn't even been touched yet, let alone have an opportunity to get into it.

But, then again, that is the mentality of the left.

Can't you just see Joe Biden reading the cuts, shaking his head, laughing because he doesn't really understand and then saying, "MALARKEY!".

or let us ask Barry Soetoro

"Run, run get in your cars and drive anywhere, just run it is the end of the world to not over spend!"

I'm just wondering how DHS is getting money to build out their homeland militia?

The Department of Homeland Security (through the U.S. Army Forces Command) recently retrofitted 2,717 of these ‘Mine Resistant Protected’ vehicles for service on the streets of the United States. These are former Stryker vehicles that were orignially ordered for service in Iraq and Afganistan

The new DHS sanctioned ‘Street Sweeper’ is built by Navistar Defense (NavistarDefense.com), a division within the Navistar organization. Under the Navistar umbrella are several other companies including International Trucks, IC Bus (they make school buses), Monaco RV (recreational vehicles), WorkHorse (they make chassis), MaxxForce (diesel engines), and Navistar Financial (the money arm of the company).

Along with the purchase of over 1.2 billion rounds of hollow point ammunition (you know the type that isn't used for hunting or target practice, but to only KILL people). Now DHS says they don't have the quid to keep illegals under wraps due to sequestration, but they have the money for these nifty urban assault vehicles. Any progressives want to tackle this with an explanation? Big Sis needed some new wheels to go the Stop and Go?

Seaskip,

I typically consider myself open minded and willing to listen to both sides, but you're just kind of a dumba$$ saying nothing. You are just like your friends Piggy and Feisty just talking smack with no actual content.

I will tell you what, why dont you go get a job, grow up, then you can come back to the grown ups table. Until then, go eat your peas with the other little piss ant liberals at the kiddy table.

real said -- "Since the GOP cut out PELL grants for graduate students last year, these students now only have a choice of self-funding or taking out loans for 100% of their graduate degree cost if their grant funding is rescinded."

while looking for corroboration for your comment i did find this:

President Obama signed into law in 2011. "On December 23, 2011, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2012 (Public Law 112-74). This new federal law states that the amount of Federal Pell Grant funds a student may receive over his or her LIFETIME will be reduced to the duration of a student's eligibility from 18 semesters (or its equivalent) to 12 semesters (or its equivalent). This new law applies to ALL Federal Pell Grant eligible students effective with the 2012-2013 award year beginning July 1, 2012. (DCL-GEN-12-01)"

i guess you just assumed that the republicans must be responsible but in fact it was barry. thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Our government establishment and bureaucracy has reached a point of irrepressible growth and self sustainment. I fear there will be no correction until the nation financially collapses. The VOTE no longer impacts the outcome of this improvident ridiculous government.

Unbelievably Shameful... While most wonder why Thomas Jefferson believed the Tree of Liberty should be watered from time to time.

Well, the above article doesn't make any sense, but this TOTALLY makes sense:

"This is why Obama can’t make a deal with Republicans" @the Washington Post's WonkBlog, March 2

.

FORWARD! :-)

QUICK AND EASY SOLUTION.

Cut ALL government agencies by the amount of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse found within their departments.

And, if ONE PENNY is mis-spent by ANY agency, then FIRE THE HEAD OF THAT AGENCY !!

Heck, just do a quick Internet check on Fraud, Waste, and abuse within the government agencies. You will be shocked at the BILLION AND BILLIONS of "squandered" taxpayer dollars.

We elected THEM into office to be stewards of our money. And they cannot find $ 85,000,000,000 in a bloated government ? It is NOT just one party.....it is both......and it is high time the POTUS became a dad gum LEADER. Wait a minute, I just set a high standard.

Somebody please post this article on Barry's Facebook wall. He is so confused about the Sequester. First he thought the world was coming to an end. Then Friday he seems to think all is well, not so bad after all.

Pretty funny how republicons complain and blame President Obama for not being able to change republicons from voting against America as they pledged they would.

Senate voted 51-49 on a bill and yep......republicons just filibustered it again to block a meaningful bill. Even David Gregory ...republicon shill ....said Boner was lying on national tv right to his face.

So john...you must be part of the rich 1% because the sequester doesn't bother you!

Republicons ...the party of NO to America and YES to the rich 1%.

billybob-6210632 - Appropriate handle.

Yes, Obama signed the bill taking PELL grants away for grad school. (Who else could have?)

But it was the GOP who put that provision into the spending authorization bill last year. It was part of the blackmail they were paid to get off their duffs and renew the country's spending authority.

Remember the looming government shutdown? The GOP demanded that PELL grants be one of the things on the guillotine in exchange for keeping the country out of default.

So, sure, blame it on Obama, but that's a lie.

Starsailing,

What bill are you referring to? If you do a little research, you will notice that the House put up 2 different deficits reduction plans that sat on the desk of the Senate. There wasnt even a yes or no voted upon....Just sat on their desk.

Of course, you would not have known that because your beloved MSN/NBC forgot to mention that. Grow up starsailing. Get a job. Quit blaming your failures on the success of other people. If you want socialism, move to Russia or China and tell me how that works out for you, you un-American piece of $hit.

Allen-968499

President Obama has 2 choices.

Shine & prove leadership abilities by finding 2% or less in fat or redundant spending to cut (fulfilling the promise of addressing cuts if the Jan agreement included new taxes on the rich).

Okay, first of all the January agreement did not mean that tax increases were off the table, nor did it specify that the sequester was to be replaced by spending cuts alone. Secondly, leadership has to be shown by BOTH parties, Republican and Democrat. While I agree that the Senate Democrats haven't shown said leadership by not passing a budget (yes, we liberals aren't drunk on party kool-aid), Republicans have been orders of magnitude worse by first demanding deficit reduction to be the main fiscal priority and then taking 50% of all of the deficit reduction options off the table. Then after the election they stonewalled and walked away from a prospective Grand Bargain that would have chained CPI and Medicare cuts in order to undercut Obama with Plan B, which turned out to be Plan F. Hell, Obama angered many liberals by offering up sacred cows like Medicare and Social Security and by lowering his revenue demands from $1.6 trillion to $1.2 trillion. Many of them were scared of him breaking down in front of the debt ceiling debate because of his handling of the fiscal cliff crisis. But you cannot say that the President needs to show leadership because it seems like Republicans won't touch ANYTHING that he supports, even if it was for a policy that they previously supported (cap and trade and the individual mandate, for instance).

Or further divide the country by cherry picking items to cut that he can point to the Republicans and say "that's their fault!".

Well technically Obama isn't dividing the country; the majority of regular Democrats, Independents, and a large number of Republicans support the basic concept of revenues and spending cuts for deficit reduction: that's how we did it under Reagan and Clinton, and that's how we should do it now. And in fact, it IS the Republicans' fault for many of these manufactured crises; it was because of their anti-tax ideology and their opposition to any bill that Obama supports that we have had a list of close calls like the debt ceiling debacle and the fiscal cliff in the past 2 years.

How a Liberal Progressive argues:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGwtG8nVpUU

It is Bush's Republicans Obama's fault.

Kentucky loves Ashley !!!

Defeating McConnell would be Americas biggest prize !!!

The Republican rule is coming to the end !!!

Seaskip,

You are one demented douche bag. Your head id so far up

Sambo's ass you will never ever have to face reality.

Dispute these facts and then let's have an adult discussion.......

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure.
It is a sign that the U.S. government can’t pay its own bills. ...
I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit.”

— Then-Sen. Barack Obama, floor speech in the Senate, March 16, 2006

The Budget Control Act of 2011 (Pub.L. 112–25, S. 365, 125 Stat. 240,
enacted August 2, 2011) is a federal statute in the United States that was signed into law by

President Barack Obama on August 2, 2011.

The Act brought conclusion to the 2011 United States debt-ceiling crisis,
which had threatened to lead the United States into sovereign default on or about August 3, 2011

The federal government’s outlays this fiscal year will total $3.55 trillion,
according to the CBO’s latest estimate.
Do the arithmetic and you’ll see that $42 billion is 1.16 percent of what the federal government
would have spent this year if there had there been no sequester.

Obama the magic black guy spent more time golfing and Teleprompting then working on this 3 years and 10 months of more of the same old crap.

As for all the kool aid drinkers your bar in life must have been set a 18 inches of nothing.

Once there was a President that cried WOLF!

You know how the rest of the story goes...

So the bottom line is this, capitalism is growing anyway. It's biggest indicator, (the DOW) just keeps getting higher. Why? because slowly but surely our economy is climbing out of the hole that was created by Bush &Co. America keeps moving forward. the Trade deficit has fallen 20%. I'll bet the "liberal" media, forgot to tell you that. lol

I keep saying that our government is nothing more than a fraud. They give us the illusion that we are living in a democracy, but in fact, the wealthy rule this country and have for a few decades now at least. There is no Republican or Democrat party - both sides work together to protect the wealthy and screw everyone else. These wealthy and these lawyers write the laws in a language none of us can understand and bury the laws under thousands of pages they know no one will ever read, let alone understand. They write in loopholes and tricks so the wealthy can dodge income taxes and hide their wealth in off shore accounts. You never see them put their own pay and entitlements up on the chopping block. They should be up there. If they fail to meet their deadlines, there should be an automatic penalty, such as a 20% reduction of pay to them. And why do these millionaires need some granny's tax money to pay for their medical care while at the same time they are out to cut that same granny's medicare and social security payments? Wake up people - don't you know what is going on here? The US debt is too high. We are on a sinking ship. The wealthy are forcing our government to borrow more while they pocket as much of that money as they can and send it to offshore accounts so they'll have it when the time comes for them to flee for their lives when the angry mobs hit the streets and burn their mansions down. We have been seeing this all over the world. Things are getting worse and worse. Just imagine if the government was successful in doing away with minimum wage like they had on the tables a couple years back. Can you imagine going in to your job and your boss telling you, "Oh, we dropped your pay, you're now making $1 an hour." When you tell him you quit, he will laugh at you and wish you good luck in finding a job. You can always move to China and get paid $1.20 an hour! So stop being so loyal to whatever party you are a member of and open your eyes and take a good look at these politicians and see them for what they actually are! Liars and thieves all of them!

Not for show. I spent hours at passport control this morning, flying back into California from a business trip abroad last week. There was one immigration station open where there's usually a dozen. We're s*****. This wil devastate trade and the economy.

Should Obama really be sending billions of dollars to Egypt in the form of Tanks and Jets? Seems to me those monies would be better spent at home on needed programs. Take that roughly 2 billion along with the billions Egypt was indebted to us already, that was forgiven by Obama, you have a pretty substantial amount to fund worthwhile programs here at home.

Don't get me wrong I am not against helping out a neighbor. But when the relationship is always one sided then I have a problem with it.

STOP SENDING MONEY WE DON'T HAVE TO COUNTRIES THAT REALLY DON'T LIKE US!

California was First but now last.

Yes for show cuts don't happened that fast buddy but nice try.

One sure way to cut waste and save money would be a salary freeze on all government employees which would stay in effect until their departmental wage expense was reduced....for example not replacing one $80,000 a year employee would contribute $80,000 to a pool available for wages increases to everyone else (limited to a max percentage equal to inflation). Changes in the use of electricity and office supplies would add or decrease the pool as well!

The best way to be sure that the lights are turned off when not in use is to take the expense out of every ones pockets!

And to add to that why are we still giving money to China?

Hey Cali.......well thats what the republicons pledged to do...vote against anything good for America....record amount of filibusters prove it!Long lines bad for the economy....republicons are cheering their destruction of the economy....

Republicons should be tried for treason for pledging to Norquist and pledging against America!!!

Why are we still sending American jobs to China?.....because on 7-19-12 Republicons blocked the bill that would have ended giving tax breaks to companies who take American jobs overseas.....they want to hide their profits in offshore accounts!

Corky do some research....stop watching Fox news.....like I said...even shill David Gregory called the Boner a liar on Face the Nation when he was whining the usual false rant!

DesotoKim #1.68, you're good old boy McConnell is going to be "Kentucky Fried Chicken" !!!

seaskip

stop free loaders, In a Pigs eye, stop defending the party that got us into this crazy mess !!!

Seaskip really are you that stupid I've read 5 of you post not one make since. Other than the GOP can you come up with any other reason we are in this mess? So lets give you some clues Afghanistan Troops arrived on Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. 2005: was Bushes "Mission accomplished." we had the Taliban on the run. Obama campaign on going back to Afghanistan 2009 he added 68,000 troops. We could stayed out and let the Afghans fix their own problems. so now we added 1.2 trillion to our dept. Now a funny thing is in January 2001, the CBO projected that the federal government would erase its debt in 2006 and, by 2011,the U.S. government would be $2.3 trillion in the black. The reality, of course, has turned out to be far different due to 9/11. So the you have Obama spending 6 trillion on bail outs, failed Green tech, and you have the nerve to blame every body but Obama.

Obama is the cancer that is killing this country but we have stupid low information voters like yourself supporting this tyrant.

hey cali---your state is so broke and in dept to the govt. ya'll need to suffer more.call Obama's buddies(clooney and pee diddy) and see if they can help you out.now quit whining you voted for this mess welcome to the future----forward

I think the Republicans got Sequester mixed up with Squander, just saying - "Wink Wink" !!!

Can someone please explain to me how we can be SEQUESTERING civil service workers and Congress give themselves a pay raise at the same time? Plus they took a week off for Presidents Day with pay, cut spending cut Congress to one representive and one senator per State. Cut Congress's pay to $80K - $95K and 4 terms of 2 yrs each. Congress should get same retirement and medical benefits as all civil service workers TSP or government 401K not there salary for life like now. President should get $50K a year considering everything he does is paid for by the American tax payers. Our forfathers did Congress job for nothing I think $80K - $95K is more than generious.

I joined the military in the 70's and the Department of Defense was mandated by Congress to a spend it or lose it budget. This mean if you have money at the end of the year left over say $250K you lose that out of the coming years budget, so departments spent it on things not needed. I am retire and disabled veteran now working the past 13 years as a civil service and contractor for the Department of Defense and we are still doing the same spend it or lose it budget. That's one reason this country is $16 trillion in debit and counting.

Next we need to downsize the government not make it bigger.

Go to a flat 15% tax on income and capital gains and no returns. That's right everyone pays there fair share and now we can start downsizing, smaller IRS now that no returns well be done.

Homeland Security is not needed, combine the FBI, CIA and NSA and there's your homeland security, make them work together, if they were doing that in the first place 911 would more likely not have happened.

Unemployment, change it so that you have to take a job and unemployment will pay the difference.

Example: You were making $12.50 a hour, you get a job making $9.00 a hour unemployment makes up the difference of $3.50 a hour. Cuts cost but still helps the unemployed person out by keeping there income the same until they can find a job paying what they were making. This would allow benefit payment for longer periods without straining the system.

Welfare 3 years of payments and your done, can't reapply for 7 years so you can only recieve welfare payments for 3 out of 10 years. No more generations of welfare reciepants.

That's just a few things that can be done to curb spending and downsize government.

Removing the liberal media backing of the Obama policies and he would have been toast a long time ago.

This is his salvation and he knows it.

It will be interesting to see if the companies that advertise, on these liberal media sites, remove their business if the partisan reporting continues.

Never in history has the media shown this much support for a president with policy failures of this magnitude.

Defense funding should not have been cut by eight percent. It should have been cut by eighty percent! Even then we would have more than enough military might to counter any threats to the nation.

starsailing i give you props for supporting Obama NO MATTER HOW WRONG IT IS.

However. Obama stood on national TV and at many campain stops telling us ALL how bad it will be if the sequester is not stopped. We was telling us 25,000 teachers would be out of jobs. We would lose 1200 FBI agents and scores of TSA agents so you would be delayed endlessly at the airport. Obam was spouting out fear to the 3 primary intrests of people, Thier kids, thier security and travel.

It was all fear and talk. Thats all he knows to do. No solutions just blame. Where was he as the sequester drew near? Playing golf in Florida or out on the campain trail giving fear tactic speaches. He should have been back in the white house working to solve the problem. Why did he veto a bill to allow him discression on the cuts? some day perhaps (if we survive the next 4 years) we can finally get on with business. But that won't happen until many of you like starsailing , take off your blinders to the truth.

@ Fed Up -

"The Tea Party isn't made up of Obamabot deadbeat parasites on the dole ... so they're busy in the PRIVATE SECTOR (where you gubment employees don't have the initiative or the brains to operate) adding to their 401Ks and either paying their own healthcare or supplementing what their employers provide. ... but don't worry, it appears that Oblunders objective is to tax them out of existence ... "

Don't know where you got your information about government employees, but I have been one for 29 years, and I can assure you that I have been contributing to my 401K for quite a few years, and I have also been supplementing my employer-provided health care.

And just because all you've heard about is the few bad apples (of which I'm fairly certain the private sector has their fair share), please don't tar all government employees with the same brush. Plenty of us have both brains and initiative to spare, but we don't generally make the six-o'clock news, as people doing their jobs the way they're supposed to generally don't make for exciting news stories.

And I hate to break it to you, but there are not special taxes especially designed only to tax Tea Party members out of existence. The entire middle-class of this country is paying those taxes, including government employees.

The Sequester - seems to have energized the DOW - WOW!

More spending cuts - a better economy - sensibility anyone?

Easy to come to that oversimplified and misleading conclusion -- given all the emotions-based, right-wing, hate-filled hyperbole, and non-fact-checked narratives being tossed about in this commentary section, eh?

Facts can be presented to make either party look good. It just depends on which facts one uses to make their case.

rradiko,

Wasnt it the liberals that have created the term, "fiscal cliff"? Wasnt it Obama, Pelosi, Eric Holder, and Harry Reid that have been talking about how detrimental this sequester will be? Werent they the ones talking about how "unsafe" the streets will be now without the previous ammount of police? Wasn't it Obama talking about how the janitors and security guards will have to make do with a large pay cut, when in all actuality, the only thing the sequester did to them was make them request overtime pay.

So yes, I agree with you that it is easy to come to the conclusion that the lefty libtards used fear mongering as a strategy.

This is all Bushies fault !!!

If Jeb didn't rig the election for Georgie boy when he was Governor of Florida we wouldn't be in this senseless mess !!!

Corky, no, it was a Media term used when Newt and Clinton faced off. they just like the term. It scares stupid people.

Yes seaskip, if Gore would have won, the .com bust would have been a boom, Osams would have said "nah, let's not attack the U.S., let's give them money", all wars around the world would have stopped, all famines would have turned into plentiful harvests, China would have said, "you know what, you take all this labor back to your country", and we would all be sitting around a big campfire right now singing songs listening to the geetar.

Holy hell, I've never seen a people so hell bent on blaming one person for everything, then get upset when someone else blames their guy and turns it into blaming the original person yet again. The DNC, the party of BLAME, BLAME, BLAME.

I think Seaskip is conservative saying stupid things to make liberals look bad. No one could really mean the idiotic things that it says...

This is the equivalent of owing money to a loan shark.

The Republicans were bought by the Super Rich long ago. The rich have managed to get their tax rate down by more than half starting with Reagan and have things like commodity trading down to 15% and had controls almost disappear and have some sweet loopholes for the mega-rich.....causing a devastating disparity in wealth and the depression/recession during the last year of Bush Jr's term.

They let greed overtake everything, love of country and and concern for any employees disappeared. They love high unemployment, it makes people work for less and less so they can accumulate more and more.

The Republicans know that you can only tax disposable income and the super rich have almost all of that, BUT if you owed powerful people millions in personal payoffs and donations to your campaigns, would you risk your legs or life or career by raising their taxes even if you KNEW it really needed be done?

America has become totally capitalistic....no patriotism, no religion, no concern for your fellow man, nothing matters other than money and power to the super rich. Republicans are understandably too scared to do the right thing and since our constitution was set up to protect us only from the President getting too much power, the rich own us and the Republicans do what they have been well paid to do.

Can we get a little more Sequester on this Obama Dog Economy please?????

The cuts seem to be really energizing the markets - Go DOW Go!!

Stop the Bizzaro Spend Crazy Liberal Democrats!

Reaper how much did this administration just give to Egypt and Syria during a sequestration, Obama responsible now that's a laugh. Hmmm time for another 160+ days of golf or another multi-million dollar vacation. Obama sure does live by his own words "Self Sacrifices"

how much did this administration just give to Egypt and Syria during a sequestration

Egypt and Syria: about $300,000,000.

Sequester: about $85,000,000,000.

They're not even close to comparable. Also, the hullabaloo over the Egypt money completely misses the fact that it's a 75% cut in the money we've given to Egypt for years.

nope, nor is he willing to sign a bill that would allow him to choose which cuts to make.

How much did he promise in his last few speeches? How much will his universal Pre-K cost? I am betting it would cost more than the 55 billion in proposed taxes that the democrats wanted to replcae the sequester.

Tea Movement in Congress is saying they are having so much fun kicking the can down the road !!!

The crazy Tea's, why stop now and spoil all the fun we are having !!!

We pass along a trillion dollars a year in debt to the children of the next generation and you guys think we don't have runaway spending?

All of the new spending bills passed are championed by Obama and Reid. Of course congress is to blame as well, but it would be a whole other story if Obama wasn't the one pushing for what you're trying to divert blame for.

Reaper, as POTUS all he had to do is tell senator reid (via ol' joe) to come up with a budget plan to be reconciled with whatever the house came up with. Obama let the senate shirk its duties per the 1974 budget control act and therefore also became complicit in the senates illegal activities.

What is even sadder is that even when the house was controlled by the democrats(2009 going forward), the senate still refused to create any type of budget plan other than CR's.

Reaper M Jones

Well, let me explain it... the Stimulus is a gift that keeps on giving... when the Dems had both houses and the presidency, they passed it, and now it keeps pissing away the $800 Billion every year on autopilot.... add in the Obamacare spend/taxes and there you are... $1 Trillion+ in the hole each yr.... that's why Dems won't propose a budget... because any budget with that $1 Trillion deficit in it would be voted down...

I have been such a strong Obama supporter to the tune of having fights with family. And I am also a government worker on the lowest wrung of the ladder. At age 64 and single with two heart attacks, four stents and pre-diabetic, I am just disgusted with our president. Reading this article made it clear to me that we, the government employees, are taking the brunt of the cuts to the tune of 20%. What about the RICH government workers? They will hardly feel their cut. I will no longer support him, but I also squarely lay the blame for this mess on the Republicans. I will make it, being single I can eat a little less, buy a pair of shoes less, eat Bologna instead of turkey breast. How many people won't make it? I work at a military academy, and not a one of the military teachers here has to make the same sacrifice. Sickening....just sickening.

how much did this administration just give to Egypt and Syria during a sequestration

Egypt and Syria: about $300,000,000.

Sequester: about $85,000,000,000.

They're not even close to comparable. Also, the hullabaloo over the Egypt money completely misses the fact that it's a 75% cut in the money we've given to Egypt for years.

It's not just the quantity of money, it's also the timing. The day after Obama has Sec Homeland Security state that illegal aliens were going to be released in Arizona due to lack of funds due to sequester, Kerry says we're going to give money toSyrian rebels.

It is not just the money. It is also the 20 F-16s and 200 Abrams tanks.

I'm sorry for your hardship berliner 49, but many people in the private sector have had to cope with the economic downturn for the last four years. These cuts could have been avoided, but the President you supported has not acted like a leader, and brought both sides together. Democrats and Republican's have bickering in Congress for decades, it takes a leader to bring both sides together to get things done. Reagan did it with a Democratic Congress and Clinton did it with a Republican Congress. They were leaders. That is what leadership is all about.

Reaper M Jones,

Do us all a favor. Use google or yahoo, and research how the federal budget is created. If you do your research you will find how the executive branch combines with the legislative branch to create and approve a budget. It will even give Constitutional deadlines for completing the task. Do this before ever writing another post. I'm embarrassed for you (not really). You will also find that Obama and Harry Reid aren't following the Constitutional requirements of their positions. This hurts all of us. Also look up the "U.S. National Debt Clock". You will find interesting information on how the federal government spends your tax dollars. It may enlighten you, certainly inform you, and will spare us from your stupid rants. Thanks.

seaskip, the adults are talking, you should just go on outside and play. We'll call you back inside for some milk and cookies in a little while okee dokee.

Republicons ...pledged to their King Norquist to never raise taxes on the rich and they are sticking to their pledge to keep making the middle class and poor pay the taxes they won't pay.

Citi banks has over 200 subsideries in the offshore accounts at the Caymen islands...all located in the same building....and never paid any taxes while even getting billions in tax refunds....DOH!

Republicons...the party of the offshore accounts holders who won't pay American taxes!

Hey RealityBites #3.16, I don't like cookies, its beer flavor ice cream or nothing, get it !!!

wow starsailing you are so impressive with your ignorance.The Republicans just raised taxes on the rich in Jan. so that kills your point Norquist,and what about GE not paying taxes,you dont mention them ever,is that because they donate to the dem party?And to Reaper--the POTUS by law is supposed to send a budget every year to congress which he is late with this year,to busy golfing with Tiger,and remembering 1 that he did send was voted down by the Senate 99-0.You also said that the president nor the Senate have proposed a budget so it is Congress's fault.Explain to me what you think Congress is?Is it the House?Being you didnt mention them in your statement i believe you do and proves your ignorance too.House and Senate make up Congress just to save you time looking it up.

Wow Greggypoo....so lets excuse all the offshore accounts the rich hide their money in to avoid paying taxes.....Wow...a little bump and keep the hundreds of loopholes in place that bypass the raise of a few per centage points........Your little bogus rant doesn't fly among non Fox news watchers......Keep posting...I like watching you post debunked warmed over Fox crap.......only people like you believe it! You must be trying out for one of the anchorette news jobs at Fox. Good luck...you have a leg up on others with that post!

starsailing-----well how much do you think the rich should pay in fed taxes,40% not enough?how would you like 40% coming out of your welfare check,40% of your food stamps?The majority of the population is where they are by the choices they make in life,most of the rich made good decisions while the poor got pregnant and sucked up the taxpayer money to support their mistake(s).Middle class,like myself,made decent choices and work hard for the stuff i have and want.So shut up and suck it up,find a job and pay your fair share,the rich already pay more than thiers.

@greg smith:

As long as you rich boys refuse to pay your employees living wages with health insurance benefits, you can expect to pay your share in taxes to compensate for your greed. How much should you pay? As much as it takes till you learn what it means to put people ahead of profits.

So, dogly, you say that the federal government should levy taxes as punishment? Tax, then tax some more, then tax some more, until they really feel the pain?

Little greggy has a guilty conscience from not paying his fair share....well let's put a date on the trickle on middle class and poor....start paying your owed fair share since reagan came into office....1% owe money from all the way back then to now. Time for trickle up!

alan, are you saying that McCain and Graham are on the loose ???

seaskip,

Is there anything we can give you to put you out of your misery, maybe hemlock? You're really embarrassing the "progressive" liberal cause.

As a Liberal I think seaskip is doing just find, if any embarrassment its the likes of you and your party !

seaskip is what you get when Pigotry and her messiah procreate.

seaskip is just trying to create his own soundbytes.

all of us having to pay double for gas...nope that won't hurt the economy

the government spending decreased by 2%...end of the world

I know several people that lost their jobs in the past few years, and instead of finding another job, they rode the 99 weeks of unemployment to its finale. Two of them refused to work even though they lost their houses. Paying people not to work is some of the upsidedown idiot logic that is bankrupting the country. These folks have now been out of the job market for long enough that all they could get were low paying service jobs. Guess what, as soon as the freebies ran out, they got jobs.... duh!

I agree with you Fed Up. I know someone who did the exact same thing, hoping unemployment benefits would be extended. He isn't looking for work. When he was laid off, he was able to stop sending his daughter to daycare after school as he was home. He was eligible for food stamps and with unemployment, he's doing just as good. He's not actively seeking a job because he's got it good, according to him. I worked along side him for three years and he was a hard worker, but I never saw this side of him before.

My father in law lost his job about 4 months ago. He wound up taking a temp job that paid half as much as his previous job and a bit less than his unemployment benefits simply because he didn't feel right taking taxpayer dollars. Oh, and he's a liberal.

There will always be anecdotes of the lazy and there will always be anecdotes like the one I provided. It's just human nature and proves what we already know. Here's a thought: Even a lazy person with a job won't be terribly productive. They'll just be the problem of the company that hires them instead of society's problem.

Think about it - You do realize that 80% of people getting government subsidies are the working poor? Stop with blaming the little people and look at the other news. Corporate profits going through the roof but NO JOBS.

Yet you all want to keep cutting the taxes for the rich, I gues in hopes that they will share their money, or create some jobs?

This President won the election campaigning on "Shared Sacrifice". He won on that campaign, now the right wing uses what ever deceitful tricks they can muster, to stop his agenda.

Bill you speak just like a true sipper of the kool-aid. Rachel Maddow talking points for sure. I haven't heard anyone talking about lowering taxes for your so called rich. What I have heard is that raising taxes on anyone is not the way to get out of this mess, and that spending is totally out of control.

Your president didn't with the election talking about shared sacrifice. He won the election by bashing people that made investments, people that wrote paychecks and people that paid way more taxes that your beloved 80%. He won because he played the class warfare card, the race card and pandered to the low information voters such as yourself that bought everything the poor sap had to say. Now when the rubber meets the road, and the pompus underachiever can't deliver, it is easy to blame, the GOP, The Tea Party, The Rich, The Evil Corporations. Anyone that isn't a progressive is fair game.

@ Bill,

No Bill I just want our wasteful government to get under control while protecting SS. It's more Demo than Reb, but it is the government establishment in general.

Hey bdjbforfun, Lets stop with the foreign aid $55B to $75 Billion a year is nothing to sneez at, that would be a big helper going to the debt !!!

This foreign mad money is 1.5% of our budget, I think the Sequester is 2% of our budget ???

There are others in this category as well. Our military are our heros, but do you know how many, especially the higher ranking, have never seen a day of war in their lifes? Why are they exempt? Generals rake in $?????? don't even dare to say, how about they give back 20% like the secretaries that work for them? I am now extremely disenchanted with our president, but I dislike thee Repucks even more.

I bet they get a pay raise soon.

berliner:

Our military are our heros, but do you know how many, especially the higher ranking, have never seen a day of war in their lifes? Why are they exempt? Generals rake in $??????

The "higher ranking" (can I assume you mean Generals by your next sentence?) weren't always Generals. They worked themselves up through the ranks, some even from the lowest enlisted ranks, and saw not only combat, but all the other nasty duties of being on the bottom of the rank structure. They even endured the pathetically low pay when they started their careers - and when compared to civilian jobs, the military is still way behind. Every military person prepares for war while, at the same time, wishing it never comes.

From you comment, I can see that you either never served in the military or were unable to succeed there. In either case, shut your pie-hole.

"It's hard to place your hand over your heart when it's extended waiting for a handout" - veteran55

I bet if he used the money he would have saved on his Campaign Trip of "Finger Pointing" last week.....He would have been able to hire at least 20 teachers.

What a waste of Tax Payer Money! He should have to re-pay it back!

The American Public should DEMAND IT!

mike

You are a idiot. Congress is the big wasters...they only work less that 3 days a week. And Bonehead calls "recess more that any kindergarten kid gets. That is More waste than anything. Your hate should be directed at all in congress.

Wait a second ...The President spent a week trying to blame Republicans for an Idea that came from the White House ...Spent an unbelievable amount of Tax Payer money on his campaign of "Finger Pointing"...Not to even come back and leave the time to set up a meeting with Congress before the Sequester....Is the President that Big of a Jack Ass...that he does not even know the schedule of the Congress? You know they tried to schedule it around his very important Golf outing with Tiger. He plats more Golf than a retired Millionaire. Sorry the schedule of Congress couldn't accommodate him.....I guess that was a little more important. Ohhhhhhh that's right ...Nothing according to the Left is his fault...

After he realizes Cuts are going through he does not try to sit down with Congress re-Direct the Cuts...He said he was not up to the task..So he signs the Bill as is ..He is Pathetic as a Leader.....He let his Ego get in front of the welfare of this Country.

psp...

The WH controls the sequested departments that congress previously funded. Unfortunately for us, congress controls their own funding. However as a sign of good faith I would have no objections to congress also reducing (via furloughs) their staffs as well as the number of "studies" they do that merely rehash what they already knew from past "studies".

Praysalot, try praying for some intelligence, you've definitely been shortchanged in that department.

Hay, freeloaders, I think he has a point. It wouldn't be enough to fix the debt problem but it would be a start. If each Senator and Representative would lay off half of his/her staff it would help. Then, if they all worked four days a week they could finish their work and adjourn for the year in June like they did back in the 1950's and before. If Congress can't set an example for the rest of the country then maybe they all should be replaced.

Okie, here is a good example of a Senator that is doing what should be done throughout all Government agencies and offices.

Just search in google "Rand Paul 500000", for some reason I can't post URLs, but there are articles all over on Politico and whereever else you prefer to look at your news (probably no articles on MSNBC though since he isn't a Liberal")

Agreed...to a point. Actually, it is all of government, not just Washington DC, that thinks a cut is a reduction in the rate of growth. I got a pay cut this year - I anticipated a 10% raise and only got a 1% raise. (I know, I was lucky to get anything.)

I anticipated a 10% raise and only got a 1% raise

So by Washinton Standards, you got a 9% CUT in pay.

I think you guys don't understand that the budget is divided into basically "Social Security & Medicare" and "everything else." You can have a cut in "everything else" that is smaller than the increase in "Social Security & Medicare." It is still a cut. If your salary goes down 8% and your neighbors goes up 10%, it still feels like a cut to you.

Our Company (69,000K employees) were told no 2013 salary increases at all.

damyou

Maybe you personally don't deserve a salary increase in 2013 because you're spending way too much time screwing off on the Newsvine instead of working. Maybe you should be fired for exactly this reason. Who would you blame then?

Where did the whole idea of sequestration originate?

It goes back to 1985. The tax cuts of Ronald's Reagan early years, combined with his aggressive defense buildup, produced a growing budget deficit that eventually prompted passage of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act. GRH set out a series of ambitious deficit reduction targets, and to put teeth into them it specified that if the targets weren't met, money would automatically be "sequestered," or held back, by the Treasury Department from the agencies to which it was originally appropriated. The act was declared unconstitutional in 1986, and a new version was passed in 1987.

Sequestration never really worked, though, and it was repealed in 1990 and replaced by a new budget deal. After that, it disappeared down the Washington, DC, memory hole for the next 20 years.

What about the 2013 version? Where did that come from?

In the summer of 2011, Republicans decided to hold the country hostage, insisting that they'd refuse to raise the debt ceiling unless President Obama agreed to substantial deficit reduction. After months of negotiations over a "grand bargain" finally broke down in July, Republicans proposed a plan that would (a) make some cuts immediately and (b) create a bipartisan committee to propose further cuts down the road. But they wanted some kind of automatic trigger in case the committee couldn't agree on those further cuts, so the White House hauled out sequestration from the dustbin of history as an enforcement mechanism. It would go into effect automatically if no deal was reached.

In the end, no immediate cuts were made, but a "supercommittee" was set up to propose $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction later in the year. To make sure everyone was motivated to make a deal, the sequester was designed to be brutal: a set of immediate, across-the-board cuts to both defense spending and domestic spending, starting on January 1, 2013. The idea was that everyone would hate this so much they'd be sure to agree on a substitute.

Needless to say, no such agreement was reached. So now we're stuck with the automatic sequestration cuts.

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/03/the-sequester-explained

Reagan had no choice. Carter trashed the military and left us defenseless. I was in the usaf during those times.

Reagan had no choice.

He did, as any president has a choice. Defense was just a good way to starve the beast.

mike...

Agreed, but the wording of the sequester has many exemptions and even limits what obama can do.

If you will recall the GOP wanted to give obama more flexability in applying the cuts but obama and company nixed that idea. What a guy!

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure.
It is a sign that the U.S. government can’t pay its own bills. ...
I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit.”

— Then-Sen. Barack Obama, floor speech in the Senate, March 16, 2006

The Budget Control Act of 2011 (Pub.L. 112–25, S. 365, 125 Stat. 240,
enacted August 2, 2011) is a federal statute in the United States that was signed into law by

President Barack Obama on August 2, 2011.

The Act brought conclusion to the 2011 United States debt-ceiling crisis,
which had threatened to lead the United States into sovereign default on or about August 3, 2011

The federal government’s outlays this fiscal year will total $3.55 trillion,
according to the CBO’s latest estimate.
Do the arithmetic and you’ll see that $42 billion is 1.16 percent of what the federal government
would have spent this year if there had there been no sequester.

You do realize that the Forbes article was an Op-Ed piece that is subject to criticism, yes? It took selected statements and the opinions of others, and the writer obviously drew his conclusions about it to fit into his political prejudices, given his history of published opinions. it doesn't make what he says as the truth, it makes what he says as collective hyperbole of his own conclusions.

Even Bob Woodward came to a conclusion that I'm sure the writer of this piece would not agree with him, when Woodward said that although The President and Jack Lew gave the GOP Tea Party's economic agenda a name, he said, "the Republicans definitely have a role in this 'Sequester."

Hell, even the President and Jack Lew didn't originate the so-called, 'Sequester,' it was a named invention of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act of 1985, during the Reagan Administration. The GOP Tea Party was grasping for a memorable label to define everything they wanted, and the White House gave it the name that the history of the Reagan Era already gave it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramm%E2%80%93Rudman%E2%80%93Hollings_Balanced_Budget_Act

Lets be clear....according to Fact check.org...The idea originated in the White House and introduced to the Congress ...Sorry...Please do not distract from the truth .....This came from the Whitehouse ....and the President lied! ...What part do you disagree with?

The President did Lie!....That is a fact...according to Fact check.org....Please quit trying to spin it any other way....Because you can quote any article you want...Fact check.org ...trumps anything you got!

The President is a "Bold Face Liar"...End of story!

Donkey-1

Your right. President Cry Baby spends twice that much flying around the Country trying to make the GOP look bad . I bet he spends more Jetting around & on vacation than what these cuts are. He is like a teen age girl. He has no comprehension of what "BROKE" means.

And the GOP have done what? Please...explain again what your golden GOP has done correctly? They haven't placed blame on anyone? They haven't taken part in any fear mongering? Is this how your party is going to handle every crisis? Tell me again how what you're accusing Obama of differs from your GOP does. I understand it might be difficult...you don't want to appear a hypocrite by admitting the GOP behaves no differently, but you don't want to lie and say they're no different when there's so much proof that they do. So, which one are you, a hypocrite or a liar...you're one or the other. Prove me wrong.

Oh, as far as his flying around the world trying to make the GOP look bad...you guys do that just fine yourselves. Every time one of you opens your ignorant mouth, either lies or stupidity just flies right out of it. You know, stupid, like complaining about how much time Obama spends on vacation. Of course, you could look it up yourself and see that the last three republican presidents have spent twice what Obama or Clinton ever spent. But when Bush did it and someone complained, you guys said he could still get his work done and be on vacation.

You guys are the biggest godd*mn hypocrites out there. And I'm sure you're not rascists either, just because you hold a black man's feet to the fire for doing the exact same things your own golden party did. It's bad enough you people are stupid, but hypocritcal too? People like you guys are an embarrassment to your country.

Reaper M Jones

We are slowing the bleeding a little. Just a little. What do YOU not understand about a DEBT that we can't afford to pay back. We can't keep spending money we don't have. You Liberal spendaholics are pitiful. Spend today & to hell with tomorrow. The GOP has stoped Obama from spending us into the poor house & raising taes on people who can't afford any more taxes. They have done what they were ELECTED to do.

Yeah yeah yeah, I'm a racist too. What else you got Buck Wheat?

Liberals spent the first decade of the new millennium opposed to the wasting of billions of dollars in Iraq. Nice to have the rest of you on board, finally.

a20% reduction in income nets a 20% reduction of spending and taxation. Any college town, any military town, the entire state of Colorado if federal employment continues to be the major revenue source there as it previously had been, all will suffer immensely. If packing plants are not inspected the flow of meat will slow to a griding halt and butcher shops will go out of business. People will buy less gasoline. Vacations will stop next summer. Even mighty Walmart will suffer if this continues. Nobody will go out to dinner or to the movies. Think massive domino effect. The nightmare we have come to expect at controlled airports will escalate when they remove air traffic controllers from many airports now safely monitored, nevermind impossible delays in seurity screenings! Our men and women in uniform are supported by a massive army of civilian workers who ARE giving up a full 20% of their pay beginning next month! They have already been told there will be NO VOLUNTEERING for the sake of the mission. So much for being conscientious.

@reaper...the GOP has bills ready to go that would allow the president to make targeted cuts to pork programs, instead of the broad based cuts assigned by the sequester...

guess who said he'd veto that bill?

ROFL @ "he is like a teenage girl"

Obama is "Lolita"... chewing bubble gum and fiddling with the car radio.

You are correct, Reaper M. Jones. The biggest right-wing moralizers often prove to be the biggest closet hypocrites. Their leaders like to point fingers but hardly give workable solutions save to benefit only themselves, for as long as they can convince their peers to vote against their own interests to benefit the ultra-conservative wealthy that their true-believers will never become.

Other than placing blame and filibustering obstruction to the point of the absurd (it's on the congressional record that they filibustered their own proposals, and even based one of their most recent filibusters on non-fact-checked fabrications), what have the GOP Tea Partiers done in an official capacity, nationwide, to measurably help middle-class, ordinary working Americans, or the disabled, the poor, the children, the minorities, the unemployed, and the elderly -- while President Obama was elected, and then reelected -- by a majority of American voters?

Leader of our country? You called Sambo a leader?

ROTFLMAO.. Captain Oreo a leader?

Delirious, the GOP would love to put the entire onus on the President for making unpopular spending cuts, it's called "The Blame It All on Obama" bill. If the Congress wants to make targeted cuts why don't they do it. One of the biggest sources of waste in the Defense Department is due to Congress forbidding the services closing unneeded bases, retiring obsolete or unwanted weapons systems and keeping people assigned to unnecessary jobs because they "provide jobs in my district" or the company building the unwanted weapons system is a big donor to his campaign bankroll.

Wow, Kim, burned any crosses lately?

Okie, this is due to the fact that the left still continuously pulls the "it's Bush's fault, it's reagans fault, etc."

If the automatic spending cut provisions were to remain in effect, they would reduce deficits by at least $1.2 trillion over the 10-year period from 2012 to 2021, the CBO has estimated. Total federal outlays over the next ten years will amount to $45 trillion.

noncomsense- $45 Trillion do you really think this is going to be an economic boost LOL. Sounds more like an economic disaster

noncoms - Why cut 40% from border patrol, or $250 million, and then send $250 mill to Egypt? Please explain to me how we can afford to send the muslim bortherhood controlled Egypt millions of dollars but we must make cuts to our own border security? The left is no smarter than the right, and claiming the right cannot comprehend these ideas of yours reduces your credibility. These are not spending cuts, by the way...

You aren't going to get an answer because that subject was not covered in their talking points. Never an original thought.

They think simplistically "if you spend less, you have more." No, that doesn't apply to the government. If the government spends less, the nation has less. Less money and less jobs.

If you're Greece or some other country where the majority of the jobs are government jobs, then yeah. In our market, raise taxes by 3% on businesses (aka "rich people"), and that's just plugged in as an operating expense and passed along in price increases to the middle & lower class or with another combination including layoffs to offset the 3% price increase. Lower taxes on the middle & lower class and they get to keep more of their paycheck and spend it on things (aka - growth in economy).

Explain to me from your "talking points" covered events where this would be true for Joe Smith working @ XYZ, Inc where taxes went up on his employer and himself and how Joe became better off.

@ noncoms that only makes sense if government created every job in the country. It doesn't do that or even come close. We're spending for the sake of spending and you liberals cheer it on because you folks apparently don't even have a rudimentary understanding of economics and refuse to actually learn how economics work.

Obama said the Sequester is just plain DUMB. Whose idea was it again?

What kind of legislative body would vote for something that was presented by somebody that didn't know what they was doing? But you're right, of course, it's only one man's fault because he forced the sequester, right? Nobody else voted for it, right? Thinking it was a good idea. Who's clueless again, rober?

Reaper, please see Obamacare... who wrote and voted for that without knowing what it would do?

Reaper... Who said they would veto any try at changing or repealing the automatic cuts to domestic and defense spending? Who set the bar for this dumb idea so it would go through no matter what?

Not a tough answer as it's been well documented.

And Republicans proposed freezing the debt ceiling.. Just like the Sequester. Stupid, cruel and arbitrary. Only Ten times the magnitude of the sequester. (100B vs 1T in cuts)

But you're right, of course, it's only one man's fault because he forced the sequester, right? Nobody else voted for it, right?

Go read about the sequester again. Nobody voted FOR it, it was a fallback measure proposed by one man for the event in which NOTHING was voted "for". The blame falls squarely on Obama and Dems for backing out on the January agreement. Allow new taxes on the rich and we'll tackle spending cuts in Feb. At no point did the agreement allow for even more tax increases. When Obama forced Reid and other Dems to move the goal posts, it backfired.

Remember, even Democrats were against what Obama wanted in tax increases. They worked across the aisle to find middle ground to raise taxes on people making much more than just $200K and now Obama started meddling again by demanding a 2nd tax hike for the 2nd month in a row.

Go read about the sequester again. Nobody voted FOR it, it was a fallback measure proposed by one man for the event in which NOTHING was voted "for".

Don't try to redefine "for". Voting for the sequester means they voted yea. They might not like it, but they made it law. Nobody held a gun to their heads and made them vote yea. And Obama signed it into law, but it took an act of Congress to get it on his desk. Obama proposed it, they could have told him no. We know Congress knows how to do that. But they didn't. They held a vote and it passed.

The blame falls squarely on Obama and Dems for backing out on the January agreement.

The blame falls on both parties for not compromising and passing the sequester in the first place. It took a bipartisan effort to set the sequester up. And it took a bipartisan failure to let it get triggered.

Hello RE-343089,

You truoly must have some life issues that need to be resolved. The sequestor as requested per Obama is a rather insignificant issue. If our elected officials are unable to deal with a 2% or 3% hold in spending then they really do no deserve to be in office. I do not see the "poor hungry children, the elderly, and the disabled" being affected by any of this. Although according to some Obama staffers the remarks have been made that the tax payers may need to suffer to feel the impact of this, not what I expect to hear from the Obama administration. Although this does seem to be how the Obama administration works, if you do not agree with them, or are not willing to concede they unleash the NBC team to attack.

I don't think anyone said Obama created the deficit. However, reality tells us he's done nothing but add to it breaking his promise that it would be cut in half during his first term. I keep forgetting Government spending money is ok but only if it's a liberal President doing it.

Hey Re.....

What Dick head started this?

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure.
It is a sign that the U.S. government can’t pay its own bills. ...
I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit.”

— Then-Sen. Barack Obama, floor speech in the Senate, March 16, 2006

The Budget Control Act of 2011 (Pub.L. 112–25, S. 365, 125 Stat. 240,
enacted August 2, 2011) is a federal statute in the United States that was signed into law by

President Barack Obama on August 2, 2011.

The Act brought conclusion to the 2011 United States debt-ceiling crisis,
which had threatened to lead the United States into sovereign default on or about August 3, 2011

The federal government’s outlays this fiscal year will total $3.55 trillion,
according to the CBO’s latest estimate.
Do the arithmetic and you’ll see that $42 billion is 1.16 percent of what the federal government
would have spent this year if there had there been no sequester.

Here are the facts: In 2001, Bush inherited a $5 trillion debt from Clinton. At the end of 2006, the debt was 8 Trillion. So 3 trillion in 5 years. Since 2007, when the libs took full control of congress, until now, more than doubled the debt. Sorry, facts are facts.

Drew, can you think of one piece of legislation passed by Democrat controlled congress, aside from the Stimulus, that created the additional debt?

Obamacare for one... Tons more! You probably forgot, because you are a lib, how Nancy Pelosi would hold up bills for the military to add her spending proposals. Why did you let Nancy spend all that money? Do you hate America?

Actually no Drew, the major part of the costs associated with Obamacare haven't kicked in yet.

I can tell you though that the on-going costs of the Iraq and Afghan wars in addition to the tax cuts that only recently expired most certanly did.

Mark...........it must be wonderful living in Fantasy Land!!

What about "Cash for Clunkers", the home buyers tax credit, shall I list the thousands of policies of the libs that have brought us to this point? You can Bing, go look for yourself.

All of those were related to the economic revovery programs, and even in total they don't come close to the impact on the debt that the wars and the tax cuts had (in in the case of the wars, continue to have).

All programs that failed. Obama is a failure on all levels and you are disengenuous to disagree. Obama and the libs have prevented any recovery of substance to happen because of ideology. You diagree with that, then you have no point being on these boards and should get back to OFA.

Whether they failed or not is debatable.

That they didn't add anywhere near the amount to the debt as the wars and the tax cuts isn't.

BTW, every single industrialized country implemented a stimulus program, even China. Most economists say it likely averted a depression.

Debatable? Holy hell, do you not see the mess we are in? As for being the President, he could stop those wars, which he did, but the total amount of spending on the Iraq war, was not much more than the Obama failed Stimulus. The 10x amount he gave to "green" companies who happened to also bundle money for Obama... hmmm.... 9 billion to oil companies, 90 billion to Obama bundlers... You are okay with that though, right? Obama lied, 4 American's died in Benghazi; he went on for days and even at the UN that it was a protest from a movie, then denied he did it. Denies now that he has been demagogueing over the last few weeks about the sequester... Geez... This is what you support? How sad is it to be you.

He did stop one war and he is stopping the other. Even republicans, many of who didn't want to quit Iraq, say that a gradual exit was necessary.

BTW, if creating 2m jobs in addition to tax credits for new hires in the private sector during a time when we were losing 800,000 jobs a month is a failure, what would you call a success?

You put foward anecdotes but the bottom line is that we wer facing the worst economic times in 100 years, and arguably longer than that. What do you expect the government to do? Nothing?

Behngazhi? You have the nerve to bring up Benghazi when republican policies caused the death of 4,000 in Iraq and many times that number wounded, not to mention well over $1t spent, all of which we know now was based on sketchy, at best, intelligence?

Big difference between a policy and specific intentional negligence.

Obamcare has been shown to add a couple percentage points only to the cost of privately funded healthcare.

That's just a fact.

Not at all, I am telling you reality; my health care bill went up over $6k because of Obamacare this year. Sorry, you are wrong or ill informed.

Additionally, because of Obamacare, I have a prescription I need monthly, prior it cost me $20 a month, now it is $299 a month. I cut them in half to last two months and do not know how much longer I can afford them. This is what LIBS DO TO AMERICANS!!!!

Your employer may have decided he wanted or needed more profits but the fact is that Obamacare did little to affect the premiums your employer pays.

http://www.factcheck.org/2011/10/factchecking-health-insurance-premiums/

No, they changed because Obamacare would have charged a 40% tax on the health coverage they provided. They didn't want to pay that, nor did they want to pass that on, so we all got screwed.

Did you even read the article in the lonk I provided?

Most large companies had programs that already met the requirements of Obamacare. Some small companies didn't certainly, but most did.

Do you have any link to the contrary?

Look up what Obamacare considered a Cadilac Health Care program and how it was taxed 40%.

Cadillac plans should be taxed at higher rates. They are compensation for, mostly, highly paid individuals. It's a great way for companies to have the government subsidize their employment costs.

That aside, it dosen't add to the deficit, it reduces it via higher tax receipts.

Obama...6 million dollars to insurance companies to cover their costs for Obamacare (quietly given)...many thousands of employees either cut loose or hours cut back by employers "adjusting" for Obamacare already. And there will be more casualities coming after 2014. Get real Mr. Thomas...

The Cadillac plan tax is several years away in ACA. I think it is 2018 or something

The larger discussion of whether health care benefits provided to employee's is untaxed compensation is debate that is happening but is not something really happening in ACA. Today and for nearly everyone healthcare benefits through their employer is an untaxed benefit for that portion paid by employer and employer's can deduct it has an expense. One of many things they can deduct including the portion SS and Medicare they pay for employee's

The primary reasons many employer's are shifting more healthcare premium cost to employees is overall rising healthcare costs effecting their bottom line. Until recently healthcare cost increases far exceeded normal inflation. The rate of this increase is markedly down in the last few year

so ACA is not a big player in the employer cost shifting on health care cost Many othe factors here

Just like the factors where many companies corporations are for and doing much to put downward pressure on wages through many means

Once all of your strained analogy to the Caine Mutiny is deleted, the few "facts" you recite are wrong: "Economics is not an exact science, but some of its rules are now well-known, and one is that a government cannot spend its way out of a recession" Wrong: the application of this element of Keynes has pulled economies out of recession. Failures and half successes have been due to insufficient stimulus. You then say, "President Reagan's application of the Laffer Curve proved emphatically, and only a short while ago, that the way to both stimulate the economy and to increase government revenues is to lower taxes." No respected economist accepts the Laffer Curve as valid and Reagan raised taxes amazingly, after initially lowering them and discovering how ugly that result. Finally, congress has abdicated its responsibility in its childish display of partisanship. The President is NOT responsible for appropriations and spending.

He's right, we can just raise taxes and increase labor regulations like Greece, Italy, and Spain. If it works for them, it'll work for us.

Votes against the United States? You mean in the UN General Assembly?

It's interesting that you're so concerned about whether different countries agree with Obama's United Nations delegation.

It's also interesting that, to you, voting differently = hate.

He may not have stated it the way you want, but he has a valid point about us starting the budget cuts with our elderly and our military, with no talk at all of cutting foreign aid or oil subsidies or closing tax loopholes, wait....after about 50,000 letters, my congressman is actually introducing legislation to close the tax loopholes for American companies that act as foreign corporations. (Levin, MI). Plus his list is incomplete, its much easier to list the six countries that don't received aid from us than to try a list all the ones that do.

Jackhammer, why shouldn't he be interested in whether different countries countries agree with Obama's United Nations delegation since it is the president's job tjo represent the US, to protect our country & Constitution.

And why should we be paying billions to other nations where their people burn our flag & yell death to America. Sounds like the Government is doing nothing more then paying bullys to be nice, black mail in different form. Wow wonder why the school system is teaching our children to be cowards & snitches instead of allowing them to defend themselves.