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Obama forces goverment to make most painfull cuts

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Charles Kozierok said:
If it were me, I'd make 100% of the cuts directly target our so-called "defense" department and any other programs that Republicans favor.
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Sometimes the smallest of things can set the tone for one's day. This statement did it for me. I'll have a smile on my face until at least noon over this one. The raw, schoolyard mentality of the progressive left laid bare for all to see. Your statement is sig worthy.
 
boomerang said:
The raw, schoolyard mentality...
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In the schoolyard, the classical way of dealing with a bully is to hit him back twice as hard so he thinks twice about doing it in the future.

Perhaps the GOP will think twice in the future about holding the country hostage for political reasons.

The GOP is responsible for this mess. They can damn well deal with it.
 
The Washington spending axe fell – and nothing much happened

"The dreaded sequester is now upon us. Here it is within our very midst: what was billed as the fate too terrible to be contemplated, the Abomination of Desolation, the end of absolutely everything, in which federal spending would be cut to levels that would mean the collapse of airport security, the instant mass sacking of teachers and the rise of the living dead.

Everybody still there? Good. Airports at a standstill? Nope. Pupils roaming the streets untaught and unsupervsied? Nope. Any noticeable alteration in life as we have known it? Nope. Of course, it's early days yet. We are only a week or so into the Terror so maybe eventually the sky really will fall in and the taps run dry. But then again, maybe they won't. Or maybe, by the time there is any impact, people will have learned how to adjust and adapt.

The White House and the Congressional Democrats are beginning to wonder whether they haven't – to put it mildly – overplayed their hand on the predicted consequences of spending cuts. What if the electorate takes a good long look at what is – or is not – happening in the wake of the most severe expenditure reductions that could possibly be imagined and thinks, "Hey, this isn't so bad. How much of that spending was really necessary at all?"
 
Yeah I know it's an opinion piece, but it's just so spot on.

Conservative media should stop taunting the president because he spent the past month warning of catastrophe if the sequester kicks in, and the catastrophe hasn't happened. It hasn't happened yet. He can make it happen. He runs the federal agencies. He can decide on a steady drip of catastrophe—food inspectors furloughed on the 15th, long lines at the airport on the 18th, sobbing children missing Head Start on the 20th, civilian contractors pointing to a rusting U.S.S. Truman on the 25th.

He can let them happen one after another, like little spring shoots of doom. And it probably won't look planned and coordinated, it will look spontaneous and inevitable.

And you have to assume that's the plan, because that's kind of how he rolls.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323628804578346680172271600.html
 
The GOP engaged in their own full share of doom-and-glooming about this too, just with respect to the military.

So, I guess there's no problem with the sequester after all, everyone is happy now. 😛
 
Charles Kozierok said:
Once again, some alternate history...

Obama: "We need to raise the debt ceiling again."

Boehner: "You're right. We need to put on a bit of a show to satisfy our constituents that we are unhappy about it, but we'll do it just like past Congresses have."

Voila, no sequester.

Oh, you mean that's not what Boehner said?
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I think that's pretty much exactly what Boehner 'said'.

The 'show' would be latter debt ceiling debate he and Reid agreed upon.

But Obama didn't want any show, so he said no.

Fern
 
Charles Kozierok said:
The GOP engaged in their own full share of doom-and-glooming about this too, just with respect to the military.

So, I guess there's no problem with the sequester after all, everyone is happy now. 😛
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I've been trying to get data on the military cuts.

It does seem that the cuts are disproportionately heaped on the military. E.g., it appears that while defense is only 11% of spending it gets +40% of the cuts under sequestration. (Or, as some reports say 19% and 50%, respectively. The difference may be whether you're referring to just the military or defense in general. I.e., some 'defense' cuts may be in Homeland Security, or something along those lines.)

Also, it seems that the military has already absorbed two $400 billion cuts: in 2009 and under the BCA of 2011.

However, as the wars wind down we should reasonably expect some cuts.

The problem is that I can't find any data on whether the total cuts ($400B + $400B + $492B from sequestration) go far beyond just wars winding down.

Thus, it does seem entirely possible that due to previous cuts and allocating a disproportionately high share of sequestration cuts to the military the effects will be particularly substantial.

(Sequester cuts to to other departments/program appear to be rather minor. I'm calculating less than 1% to entitlement programs and just under 3% to non-defense discretionary spending.)

So, if this is accurate, projection of "doom and gloom" with respect to military cuts may be justified, at least to some extent.

Also, if this info is accurate I'm surprised at the outrage you and other Dem/Proggs/Libs types express at sequestration. Many of you (in the collective sense, not referring to just Charles here) have long demand cuts to the military. Some go so far as wanting it basically gutted etc. I would think you happy with how sequestration seems to be working out.

And it looks to me like Congressional Repubs made another dumb deal contrary to their interests/preferences. But I suppose if the 'politics' were to somehow blow up in Obama's face they could claim a victory of sorts.

Fern
 
Defense is only 11% of our budget? That seems really low. In a quick google search, one site said it was 19% and the other 25%. In any event both parties had a voice in whose ox got gored by the sequester so the GOP shedding Boehner tears over the defense cuts is a joke.

Entitlements never were part of sequester.
 
Thump553 said:
Defense is only 11% of our budget? That seems really low. In a quick google search, one site said it was 19% and the other 25%. In any event both parties had a voice in whose ox got gored by the sequester so the GOP shedding Boehner tears over the defense cuts is a joke.

Entitlements never were part of sequester.
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Medicare got a small cut.

This link discusses it. (Their percentages are different, could be because this is an early estimate, or the info I was looking at was wrong).

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3635

This link says the Medicare cut is limited to 2%

http://www.azed.gov/no-child-left-behind/files/2012/07/sequestration-cheat-sheet.pdf

Fern
 
cybrsage said:
Not angry at all, just quoting someone I assume he trusts and believes is wise. 🙂

The real question is why do you feel the need to suck up to him?
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He gives me milk money.

While you keep evading his point that this was a situation that never had to happen until the GOP decided to use the debt ceiling as a target to go after when they couldn't have total control over the Oval Office...

\would you not admit that the GOP hasn't been the party it proclaims to be - the party of fiscal responsibility - that got shot all to hell with GWB....
 
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UberNeuman said:
He gives me milk money.
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Oh, that is actually a good reason.

While you keep evading his point that this was a situation that never had to happen until the GOP decided to use the debt ceiling as a target to go after when they couldn't have total control over the Oval Office...
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Did not evade it, but instead pushed it back to its rightful origin. He "forgets" Obama came up with the idea and pushed it to the republicans. He pretends Obama had nothing to do with its existence so he can blame republicans for it...when it is painfully obvious the sequester problems would not exist at all if Obama had not pushed for it.

\would you not admit that the GOP hasn't been the party it proclaims to be - the party of fiscal responsibility - that got shot all to hell with GWB....
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I have no idea what you are trying to say here, but from what I gather it has nothing to do with the sequester and Obama creating this mess by pushing for it to exist.
 
cybrsage said:
Oh, that is actually a good reason.



Did not evade it, but instead pushed it back to its rightful origin. He "forgets" Obama came up with the idea and pushed it to the republicans. He pretends Obama had nothing to do with its existence so he can blame republicans for it...when it is painfully obvious the sequester problems would not exist at all if Obama had not pushed for it.



I have no idea what you are trying to say here, but from what I gather it has nothing to do with the sequester and Obama creating this mess by pushing for it to exist.
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Really. If only you could hear yourself....

\my best to you sir...
\\and I mean that...
 
UberNeuman said:
Really. If only you could hear yourself....

\my best to you sir...
\\and I mean that...
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I hear the clattering of the keyboard. 🙂 I also think I hear CK trying to figure out how he will attack his own words without attacking himself. It will be interesting. He is not stupid, so I look forward to the mental gymnastics he attempts to perform.
 
cybrsage said:
I hear the clattering of the keyboard. 🙂 I also think I hear CK trying to figure out how he will attack his own words without attacking himself. It will be interesting. He is not stupid, so I look forward to the mental gymnastics he attempts to perform.
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Apparently I was wrong, he ran away instead. It was going to be one or the other.
 
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