Defending Obama on the Sequester?

[Rob's House]

Anybody got some excuses for this guy? It looks like he needs them.

 

Apparently cutting $44 billion out of a $3.7 trillion is going to cause the children to starve, the fire departments to shut down, the schools to close, etc., etc.

 

For a little perspective, it would be as if I had a $3700 household budget and told my wife if I had to cut $44 a month we'd have to cancel the cable, eat ramen, sell the car, and tell my daughter we can't afford her tuition any longer. Is anyone really buying this?

 

 

Jonah Goldberg has a good take on it:

http://townhall.com/columnists/jonahgoldberg/2013/02/22/blame-game-rages-on-over-looming-sequester-n1517732/page/2

The federal government has grown inexorably for decades. Our president casts himself a Solomonic manager, and yet he is saying that absent a few extra pennies on every dollar there's no way he can maintain government's core functions? A manager in any other field of human endeavor would be fired on the spot for making such an argument. But in Washington this passes for leadership.

[KD in CA]

You mean anyone other than the entire media?

[Koko78]

Anybody got some excuses for this guy? It looks like he needs them.

 

Apparently cutting $44 billion out of a $3.7 trillion is going to cause the children to starve, the fire departments to shut down, the schools to close, etc., etc.

 

For a little perspective, it would be as if I had a $3700 household budget and told my wife if I had to cut $44 a month we'd have to cancel the cable, eat ramen, sell the car, and tell my daughter we can't afford her tuition any longer. Is anyone really buying this?

 

 

Jonah Goldberg has a good take on it:

http://townhall.com/...n1517732/page/2

 

According to Maxine Waters, sequestration is going to cost 170,000,000 American jobs.

 

In a Thursday press conference, California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters warned of job losses totaling 170 million if the sequester goes through. Waters’ warning comes at a time when there are estimated to be between 135 and 143 million jobs in the United States.

http://dailycaller.com/2013/02/28/maxine-waters-exaggerates-over-170-million-jobs-could-be-lost-due-to-sequestration/#ixzz2MFIGfoMv

[Rob's House]

You mean anyone other than the entire media?

I'm wondering if any of the usual suspects who sang this guy's praises have anything to say about all this.

 

It's funny to me how the Obama crowd so arrogantly scoffed at the criticisms and characterizations of his guy as a socialistic elitist who wants to take away guns and serve as our parental demagogue in Washington, and now that all of those characterizations are proven accurate they just slink away.

 

I guess it's better to be gutless and keep quiet than to defend the indefensible.

 

According to Maxine Waters, sequestration is going to cost 170,000,000 American jobs.

Maxine Waters is a stupid c*nt. She's retarded, but at least she's consistent.

[B-Man]

Sequestration Devastation in Two Charts

 

The horror! The horror!

Obama is right: Sequestration means apocalypse now. Unless Congress stops the $85 billion in spending cuts that kick in automatically on Friday, Granny’s walker will collapse from rust, first thing Saturday. Sunday morning could witness a sudden outbreak of smallpox or even the Black Death after the Centers for Disease Control’s Atlanta headquarters is auctioned off and re-launched as a giant, non-union Wal-Mart.

Heritage Foundation researcher Romina Boccia and chartmeister John Fleming have captured the carnage to come:

 

This first graph shows the deep, machete-like chop that sequestration would inflict on America’s government finances. By 2023, one clearly can see the colossal damage caused 10 years hence by what Obama has denounced as a “meat-cleaver approach” to the budget.

 

 

 

 

The second chart details the $85.3 billion sequester. Compared to the $3.553 trillion federal budget, this amounts to a 2.4 percent decrease in projected spending. This may figure may look small, but it will trigger mass destruction. Think of it as a guillotine masquerading as a butter knife.

 

Obama has warned that the sequester will mean steaks with botulism sauce, as USDA meat inspectors stay home and stare at their ceilings. Meanwhile, airplanes will circle overhead until their fuel tanks evaporate, since FAA control towers will be padlocked at airports from coast to coast.

 

It’s easy to see why these horrible things have to happen.

 

Sequestration would leave Washington just 97.6 cents out of each dollar to deliver the urgent federal services on which the American people rely. Imagine such a thing! With such limited resources at hand, is it any wonder that America’s southern frontier soon will go unpatrolled, and vaccines will go the way of the iron lung?

 

Clearly, the Department of Homeland Security had no other option but to release last weekend — one week before the sequester actually hit — several hundred illegal aliens whom it held in custody. As Secretary Janet Napolitano explained, thanks to the sequester, DHS “would not be able to maintain the 34,000 detention beds as required by Congress.” Freeing these illegal aliens even before sequestration kicks in, Napolitano said, would keep her soon-to-be emaciated agency “in line with federal spending.”

 

What other choice could Napolitano possibly have made under these harrowing circumstances? Lincoln would have done likewise.

 

The end days are upon us. If only Washington did not have to face this budgetary sword attack.

 

America: It was nice while it lasted.

 

.

[GG]

You mean anyone other than the entire media?

Washington Post seems to be walking a bit off the ledge.

[DC Tom]

According to Maxine Waters, sequestration is going to cost 170,000,000 American jobs.

 

 

 

http://dailycaller.c.../#ixzz2MFIGfoMv

 

 

Which, according to the monthly unemployment reports from BLS, would spike unemployment all the way up to 8.1% (adjusted).

 

Someone tell Maxine that we need to lose at least eleventy-gajillion jobs before it's a problem.

 

Sequestration Devastation in Two Charts

 

The horror! The horror!

Obama is right: Sequestration means apocalypse now. Unless Congress stops the $85 billion in spending cuts that kick in automatically on Friday, Granny’s walker will collapse from rust, first thing Saturday. Sunday morning could witness a sudden outbreak of smallpox or even the Black Death after the Centers for Disease Control’s Atlanta headquarters is auctioned off and re-launched as a giant, non-union Wal-Mart.

Heritage Foundation researcher Romina Boccia and chartmeister John Fleming have captured the carnage to come:

 

This first graph shows the deep, machete-like chop that sequestration would inflict on America’s government finances. By 2023, one clearly can see the colossal damage caused 10 years hence by what Obama has denounced as a “meat-cleaver approach” to the budget.

 

 

 

 

The second chart details the $85.3 billion sequester. Compared to the $3.553 trillion federal budget, this amounts to a 2.4 percent decrease in projected spending. This may figure may look small, but it will trigger mass destruction. Think of it as a guillotine masquerading as a butter knife.

 

Obama has warned that the sequester will mean steaks with botulism sauce, as USDA meat inspectors stay home and stare at their ceilings. Meanwhile, airplanes will circle overhead until their fuel tanks evaporate, since FAA control towers will be padlocked at airports from coast to coast.

 

It’s easy to see why these horrible things have to happen.

 

Sequestration would leave Washington just 97.6 cents out of each dollar to deliver the urgent federal services on which the American people rely. Imagine such a thing! With such limited resources at hand, is it any wonder that America’s southern frontier soon will go unpatrolled, and vaccines will go the way of the iron lung?

 

Clearly, the Department of Homeland Security had no other option but to release last weekend — one week before the sequester actually hit — several hundred illegal aliens whom it held in custody. As Secretary Janet Napolitano explained, thanks to the sequester, DHS “would not be able to maintain the 34,000 detention beds as required by Congress.” Freeing these illegal aliens even before sequestration kicks in, Napolitano said, would keep her soon-to-be emaciated agency “in line with federal spending.”

 

What other choice could Napolitano possibly have made under these harrowing circumstances? Lincoln would have done likewise.

 

The end days are upon us. If only Washington did not have to face this budgetary sword attack.

 

America: It was nice while it lasted.

 

.

 

Again, that's as much over-simplified pablum as the "The sky is falling!" crowd is shoveling. The cuts aren't out of the entire federal budget, they're out of discretionary spending (basically, the operating budget, exclusive of mandatory spending such as SSI, Medicaid, debt servicing, etc.)

 

So while it's "2.6 cents out of every dollar" in the entire federal budget, it's closer to ten cents out of every dollar the government actually spends to do its job.

 

You can argue about that all you want: can and should the government provide the same services on 10% less, is it apocalyptic or completely irrelevant? But at least use the correct !@#$ing numbers when you do.

[Gary M]

Anybody got some excuses for this guy? It looks like he needs them.

 

Apparently cutting $44 billion out of a $3.7 trillion is going to cause the children to starve, the fire departments to shut down, the schools to close, etc., etc.

 

For a little perspective, it would be as if I had a $3700 household budget and told my wife if I had to cut $44 a month we'd have to cancel the cable, eat ramen, sell the car, and tell my daughter we can't afford her tuition any longer. Is anyone really buying this?

 

 

Jonah Goldberg has a good take on it:

http://townhall.com/...n1517732/page/2

 

Just wondering, how much the US government spent on pencils last year?

[3rdnlng]

Which, according to the monthly unemployment reports from BLS, would spike unemployment all the way up to 8.1% (adjusted).

 

Someone tell Maxine that we need to lose at least eleventy-gajillion jobs before it's a problem.

 

 

 

Again, that's as much over-simplified pablum as the "The sky is falling!" crowd is shoveling. The cuts aren't out of the entire federal budget, they're out of discretionary spending (basically, the operating budget, exclusive of mandatory spending such as SSI, Medicaid, debt servicing, etc.)

 

So while it's "2.6 cents out of every dollar" in the entire federal budget, it's closer to ten cents out of every dollar the government actually spends to do its job.

 

You can argue about that all you want: can and should the government provide the same services on 10% less, is it apocalyptic or completely irrelevant? But at least use the correct !@#$ing numbers when you do.

 

 

Do you think the fact (I believe it is a fact) that defense spending is considered discretionary is why it seems to be having a larger effect on them?

[IDBillzFan]

Happy Sequester Day, everyone! Let's start the day with a special Sequester Day quote:

 

“The sequester is not something that I proposed. It’s something that Congress has proposed. It will not happen."

 

 

You can take those words to the bank.

[meazza]

Happy Sequester Day, everyone! Let's start the day with a special Sequester Day quote:

 

“The sequester is not something that I proposed. It’s something that Congress has proposed. It will not happen."

 

 

You can take those words to the bank.

 

Just ordered this t-shirt:

 

[KD in CA]

 

 

 

LOL. Unbelievable.

[B-Large]

At least now people can't accuse the President of not cutting spending.....

 

 

To be serious, the Sequester is a joke... not only is it a crumb of the Federal Government outlays, it doesn't even touch the programs that will likely bankrupt this country, Healthcare related Programs.... we continue to spend much, much more that other developed Nations for worse outcomes and boondoggles of inefficiency... this government is not serious about the problem, not at all...

[B-Man]

Just ordered this t-shirt:

 

 

 

Best tweet of the day so far may belong to David Freddoso, who says

 

“BREAKING SEQUESTER NEWS ** DUE TO BUDGET CUTS, THERE IS NO POPE ANYMORE — YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN, PEOPLE **

 

 

 

.

[meazza]

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/03/01/reporter_to_obama_it_sounds_like_you_are_ducking_responsibility.html

 

I'm assuming he's referring to Julie Hyman from Bloomberg.

[meazza]

http://www.businessi...stration-2013-3

 

"I can’t do some kind of Jedi Mind Meld on congressional Republicans," Obama said.

 

 

 

 

He seemed to have gotten it done on November 6th.

[Koko78]

At least now people can't accuse the President of not cutting spending.....

 

 

To be serious, the Sequester is a joke... not only is it a crumb of the Federal Government outlays, it doesn't even touch the programs that will likely bankrupt this country, Healthcare related Programs.... we continue to spend much, much more that other developed Nations for worse outcomes and boondoggles of inefficiency... this government is not serious about the problem, not at all...

 

The entire point of the sequestration was for it to be as obnoxious as possible to the American public so that the childish finger-pointing can continue. Napolitano's outright threats of extensive border delays following her release of illegals from detention is pretty clear evidence of this.

[B-Man]

 

 

"I can’t do some kind of Jedi Mind Meld on congressional Republicans," Obama said.

 

 

 

 

 

But........but.............."you Won"

 

 

.

[KD in CA]

http://www.businessi...stration-2013-3

 

"I can’t do some kind of Jedi Mind Meld on congressional Republicans," Obama said.

 

 

 

He didn't have any trouble doing it with ignorant voters.

[B-Large]

The entire point of the sequestration was for it to be as obnoxious as possible to the American public so that the childish finger-pointing can continue. Napolitano's outright threats of extensive border delays following her release of illegals from detention is pretty clear evidence of this.

 

Yeah, but its soooooo entertaining.... the sequester is a good start, sadly when it apparent that these cuts are drop in the bloated bucket and the US doesn't collapse under the 2.5% cut, most people won't translate this fact into "wow, we could do without 85B, I wonder what else we could do without?.... but it won't, most people will lose focus, tune back into their favorite partisan news sourcse and continue to revel in the finger pointing....