Chris
02-22-2013, 09:54 AM
The Reps are dead wrong.
America is fed up with GOP obstructionism. So undoubtedly, everyone is hopeful that Republicans will allow President Barack Obama's sequestration plans to proceed unhindered. It's only right.
The GOP, in fact, should quit while it's ahead. Rather than penning editorials and appearing on Sunday morning talk shows to try to pin the blame on others, leadership would be far better off simply saying: "Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for dreaming up a plan that implements some minimal spending cuts. Thanks for signing it into law. It's not much, but we sure appreciate it."
..How will it play out? "Are you willing to see a bunch of first responders lose their job? ... Are you willing to have teachers laid off or kids not have access to Head Start?" asks the president. Don't forget firemen, TSA agents, and mental health workers—a chilling proposition if any of it were true. We're about a week away from a White House press release warning that sequestration would mean your kid's disabled preschool teacher would have her wheelchair repossessed.
This scaremongering shows not only that Obama isn't serious about deficit spending or reform but that he believes his skill and perpetual campaign machine is enough to persuade the public—and consequently the House—to see it his way. This time, he may be wrong.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, we're actually looking at a $44 billion spending reduction in 2013—or reducing what the federal government planned to budget this year by 1.5 percent. So it's a cut that would total 0.5 percent of gross domestic product. Does the average American believe that living without a week's worth of government spending would crush civilization? Does anyone? Notwithstanding Obama's contention, not a single penny has been cut by his administration. So when Obama claims that the sequester cuts would take a "meat cleaver" to government, he's arguing that even a modest reduction in future spending could devastate the economy. Does that fly?.
...
@ Why Republicans Are Bungling the Sequestration Debate (http://reason.com/archives/2013/02/21/thank-you-mr-president)
So are the Dems.
America is fed up with GOP obstructionism. So undoubtedly, everyone is hopeful that Republicans will allow President Barack Obama's sequestration plans to proceed unhindered. It's only right.
The GOP, in fact, should quit while it's ahead. Rather than penning editorials and appearing on Sunday morning talk shows to try to pin the blame on others, leadership would be far better off simply saying: "Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for dreaming up a plan that implements some minimal spending cuts. Thanks for signing it into law. It's not much, but we sure appreciate it."
..How will it play out? "Are you willing to see a bunch of first responders lose their job? ... Are you willing to have teachers laid off or kids not have access to Head Start?" asks the president. Don't forget firemen, TSA agents, and mental health workers—a chilling proposition if any of it were true. We're about a week away from a White House press release warning that sequestration would mean your kid's disabled preschool teacher would have her wheelchair repossessed.
This scaremongering shows not only that Obama isn't serious about deficit spending or reform but that he believes his skill and perpetual campaign machine is enough to persuade the public—and consequently the House—to see it his way. This time, he may be wrong.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, we're actually looking at a $44 billion spending reduction in 2013—or reducing what the federal government planned to budget this year by 1.5 percent. So it's a cut that would total 0.5 percent of gross domestic product. Does the average American believe that living without a week's worth of government spending would crush civilization? Does anyone? Notwithstanding Obama's contention, not a single penny has been cut by his administration. So when Obama claims that the sequester cuts would take a "meat cleaver" to government, he's arguing that even a modest reduction in future spending could devastate the economy. Does that fly?.
...
@ Why Republicans Are Bungling the Sequestration Debate (http://reason.com/archives/2013/02/21/thank-you-mr-president)
So are the Dems.