Sequestration (how much, home, income)

[earthlyfather]

Tragic if those numbers weren't fabrication. The budgetary numbers for the sequest are less than 1% of the entire budget. Some aren't even immediate. This is all so much chicken little, and you tone is more and more yellow.

We all need to feel the pain. It is exactly what I said. Time to pay the piper. People, well those who choose not too, will not starve. Oh, they might have to cut back on their mobile calling and data plan, drop back a tier on their cable or satellite subscription, maybe walk that half mile to the closest convenience store. Instead of a couple six packs a week, maybe only one. Maybe a nickel bag instead of a dime bag. Starbucks will suffer. Maybe we'll have to wear that suit or dress and extra year.
It will be good for the collective soul of America. Frankly, it is the only way we reclaim it.

Originally Posted by OmarLittle

Sacrifices? You mean the 20 million for education, 91 million to Army bases, 8 million to Air Force bases, and 177 million to DoD civilian employees that Alabama will lose as the result of the sequester. That's a bit more than a (to use your phrase) "gnat on an elephant's rump".

We will all feel the pain, and it's not to support the American dream, it's just so the extreme ends of both political parties can continue to play to their base, and jockey for position in 2014 and beyond. Sadly, the response of both left- and right-wing ideologues will be to blame the other side (see previous posts in this thread). Even more sadly, these sacrifices wouldn't be necessary if legislators had really listened to Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles. Raise the eligibility age for Medicare, raise taxes on the wealthy, and start supporting legislators who can really compromise.

[writerwife]

Originally Posted by earthlyfather

Tragic if those numbers weren't fabrication. The budgetary numbers for the sequest are less than 1% of the entire budget. Some aren't even immediate. This is all so much chicken little, and you tone is more and more yellow.

We all need to feel the pain. It is exactly what I said. Time to pay the piper. People, well those who choose not too, will not starve. Oh, they might have to cut back on their mobile calling and data plan, drop back a tier on their cable or satellite subscription, maybe walk that half mile to the closest convenience store. Instead of a couple six packs a week, maybe only one. Maybe a nickel bag instead of a dime bag. Starbucks will suffer. Maybe we'll have to wear that suit or dress and extra year.
It will be good for the collective soul of America. Frankly, it is the only way we reclaim it.

Amen.

(I suggested to my husband recently that in order to help our household budget, we should do what the gov't does... we should buy a yacht and take a nice vacation. Somehow, that should save/make us a lot of money!)

[earthlyfather]

Too funny. Real Alice in Wonderlandish, isn't it?

Originally Posted by writerwife

Amen.

(I suggested to my husband recently that in order to help our household budget, we should do what the gov't does... we should buy a yacht and take a nice vacation. Somehow, that should save/make us a lot of money!)

[phantomplan]

Originally Posted by OmarLittle

We will all feel the pain, and it's not to support the American dream, it's just so the extreme ends of both political parties can continue to play to their base, and jockey for position in 2014 and beyond. Sadly, the response of both left- and right-wing ideologues will be to blame the other side (see previous posts in this thread). Even more sadly, these sacrifices wouldn't be necessary if legislators had really listened to Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles. Raise the eligibility age for Medicare, raise taxes on the wealthy, and start supporting legislators who can really compromise.

I totally agree with you! If they've looked at it from a common sense perspective and it makes sense to implement cuts in a certain way, then so be it. But we're seeing both political parties gambling with peoples' livelihoods. You know it would be a different ball game if Congress was furloughed without pay.

I've read articles that say they can't agree because the Left want to raise taxes on the rich and the Right want to cut spending from (most likely) social programs...Great, do both of them! Sounds like an easy compromise (I'm sure I've oversimplified it, but they've had how long now to work this out?)

I went ahead and called the weed control company, the lawn maintenance company, and have limited going out to local restaurants to only a couple times a month leading up to this; and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Huntsville will feel it everywhere if it happens. I'm okay with cuts if they make sense, but I'm concerned that our Congress can't compromise on a common sense approach to this. If they can't get this figured out, what exactly do they do all day, every day?

[Okie7597]

I will be among those taking the 20% pay cut. I have seen the handwriting on the wall for months, so have made sure I was living well below my means to minimize the impact. What I don't know is, what happens in the NEXT fiscal year. Will they re-align the cuts among the different "pots" of money to minimize the impact to DoD civilians?? Will they once again force civilians to take unpaid leave to the max extent allowed by law? Or, will they initiate an even more painful department-wide RIF??? Most people don't seem to think that the "sequester" will last all that long, but I think it is just the beginning of budget woes for DoD.

[mike0618]

Just trolling around... Thought i would put my 2 cents in. I am a subcontractor for comcast in indiana and we took a 30% cut last year to save our jobs and now are looking at another cut for same reason. Theres always someone else willing to do it for less. They offer less product too. Basically we are expected to do same premium job for less $. Its time goverment does same. This whole secquester thing is one more political game by obama. What he misses is that he can play the blame game all he wants but we have already taken cuts personally so we dont get upset if goverment has to do same. Since it is our money afterall! If we take cuts so should they, to think they should ask for more instead by calling a tax increase a increase in revenue is a crock! Obama can choose where to cut. He plans ( threatens) to cut where it hurts the people most shows he doesnt care. Theres plenty of waste to cut, start by cutting raises like the rest of us, instead of jobs.

[Dirt Grinder]

Originally Posted by Okie7597

...Most people don't seem to think that the "sequester" will last all that long...

I'm not one of them - it's $1.2 trillion over ten years.

Another concern is March 27th, when the stop-gap budget (continuing resolution) expires. What's happening is political posturing - at some point they're going to kick the can against a wall and be forced to REALLY deal with it when there's no more road.

I'm not being a pessimist, I just don't see any real political effort to avoid sequestration.

[CP79]

It's ok, Obama wants the economy to suffer, always has and always will. The Democrat party needs a permanent underclass in order to thrive.

[debbie at bouontiful]

It is across the board here in McAlester. No matter if you mission essential or not. The base has it notice. My husband TDYs a lot to Huntsville (Redstone).

[SwampFox35]

Originally Posted by OmarLittle

Well, that's probably worth a new topic, but since you asked (given in order of their educational value [high to low], and local relevance ([low to high])...

1) CSPAN1
2) Reruns of Happy Days
3) Webcam in Nick Saban's bathroom

Seriously, Roger Ailes' daytime programming on the big screen would be OK if alternated with CNN or MSNBC, but the Fox News monoply of the big screen says more about the airport administrators' political leanings than it does about reality.

And (back on topic), the effect of sequestration on airport security and airport security lines is likely to be significant.

democrats always fearmonger over just reductions in the growth of federal spending, it's not even a real spending cut. they always say necessities of the government will be slashed first to get people worked up. it's political theatre designed to keep people to support bloated government regardless if we can afford it.

also, it was Obama's idea to do the sequester. Even leftwing Bob Woodward admits this.