Sequester Nonsense

It isn't good but at least it's cutting the budget somewhat. The truth is it's cutting a very small part of the budget. Apparently the overall budget is still allowed to grow from the previous year just not as much as it normally would. The main issue is the fiscal year started last October so the cuts will only be felt across the second half of the fiscal year.

The Republicans are eyeing the end of March where the government once again runs out of money.
They should have more leverage then. It doesn't look like anything will change for the next two weeks. Obama wants more taxes and the Republicans want less spending. The system is broken and something has to give.

Meanwhile the few doctors accepting medicare patients will only be reimbursed at 98% of the already paltry reimbursement rate. Maybe the only docs that will accept the cuts are: the ones doing time paying off student loans, green card docs, or island docs from questionable medical schools.

Mark Levin had a fantastic opening monologue one day last week, where he cited the GAO's own reported numbers from FY 2010 on the amount of waste in only a handful of government agencies. Between only 3, there was nearly $100,000,000,000 in fraud/over-payments/waste.

If The Most Transparent Administration Evah™ would focus on cleaning up the grift, graft, and malfeasance, we wouldn't even be talking about the Sequester™.

No doubt.

Yep, no doubt about it. Each party is trying to make the other look worse and both are succeeding.

Diseasel wrote:

Yep, no doubt about it. Each party is trying to make the other look worse and both are succeeding.

that's actually a very good accomplishment for them.

I didn't think either could look worse, but there is just no bottom for either of them.

This whole thing is pretty simple.

The left wants complete control of everything. Money, energy, self defense, what and how much you eat, all activity, your freedom(s), everything. On the other side, the right believes in liberty and the freedom to persue it, as the founders did.

In this country, for the past 50 years, the left has been working towards their goal. Much of it at first was under the guise of "doing good", so the right went along with it........ some on the right being duped and others seeing the danger from the start. Unfortunately, those seeing the danger were largely ignored or overruled in their opposition.

Over time, the left brought in allies (special interest groups) to help with their cause......the unions, environmentalists, activists for all sorts of "rights". These groups tend to be very noisy, attention grabbing, and given time with the major media. So for the most part, the left has gotten it's way. The left "helps" these groups and in turn these groups vote for the leftists. With the help of the major media, the leftists are masters at public relations and outright lies. They're pretty good at scare tactics, threats and violence too.

So here we are today. Thanks mostly to the left, this great country is in very deep debt, a still faltering economy and loss of prospeprity for it's citizens. Some on the right have seen this coming but as the rest of the right has done for to long, they went along with the left in fear of being singled out and crucified in the media.

This "sequester" was obummers idea, yet he continues to blame the right and takes absolutely no responsibility. Just this week, a reporter was "threatened" by the White House for reporting this fact. At long last, for whatever reason, the right has finally dug in. To many, this looks like a bunch of useless and impotent politicians and to some extent, that is deserved. HOWEVER, the day of reckonning is long overdue. As time goes on, if this path is not reversed, the problem and the cure will get much much worse.

Our very freedom and prosperity are greatly at stake.

This stuff reminds me of the 1960's without the hippy movement. Everyone or a least some vocals were pointing out how the government was taking over too much and spending too much. Along came the 70's, the economy got better, government kept on doing what they did, spend, get bigger and ignore the people that put them in office. Now it about control.
Last week a watched over a contractor doing work for our Authority. We got to talking, mostly me telling him what I thought was going on in government. The contractor was from Masadonia. His comment was as Americans we see the communist and socialist as being far different from capitalism. He said the only major difference he can see is that back when he was under communism, the political powers put all their relatives in government jobs and ran the country. In the U.S., we vote people in power and they put all their friend and relatives in the jobs. Not so different from each other as he said in a heavy accent.

The political system is broken. It's as if they all take turns at the wheel lavishing their own special interest groups.

You make some good points Bill but anyone can replace your special interest examples with parallel ones with the conservative camp like banks, hedge funds, investment firms, tea party, nra, heritage foundation, religious groups, AMA, etc... It's nuts to believe the republican party is some sort of sacred cow.

The banks control everything economic. Recall a few years back prior to the economy slow down, bank lobbyists made sure legislation was in place to crimp personal bankruptcy rights. Of course when the banks faltered they took taxpayer dollars hand over fist. They control interest rates and even that has been a manipulated to their advantage- see Libor scandal. I could go on and on re: this one.

The defense industry controls a sizable percentage of the annual US budget. The defense budget is passed outside of the regular US budget process as if cost is irrelevant. The truth is wars and the defense industry are huge contributors to our national debt. Its become a frickin' public works program. I heard a pundit the other day say the US spends more than all countries combined. I think China only spends $90 billion/year versus our $700 billion. It's all crazy, we can't afford it.

Diseasel wrote:

The system is broken and something has to give.

How true.
Something I have discussed with others and nobody has a clear answer is what does it cost us taxpayers for the benefits of senators and congress? IIRC after one term you get cushy bennies for life, is that correct?

Yep.