Reid: Small steps on sequester (Proposes Replacing Sequester)

Politico ^ | 29 Jan 13 | JENNIFER HABERKORN

[SkyPilot]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said today that he prefers to deal with sequestration in a series of steps.

"What we think would be a better effort would be to move forward and, on short increments, to pay for the sequestration," Reid told reporters in the Capitol.

“There are many low-hanging pieces of fruit out there that Republicans have said they agreed on previously. I'm not going to go into detail, but one of them, of course, is to deal with oil companies," he said, adding that he wants any sequester-avoidance deal to include revenue.

[SkyPilot]

Reid is a worm, but he has put the GOP in a box. He is making the GOP choose between taxes on "Big Oil" vs. the nation's military. Our military has been held hostage to this garbage for a year and a half now, and it continues. The spotlight continually comes off of entitlements (that are the real cause of our deficits), and the focus gets shifted somewhere else.

Paul Ryan and John Boehner have already thrown the military in front of the Prius. They never should have let the Democrats and Obama force the 2011 "Budget Control Act" poison pill on this nation. The military at 17% of budget takes a majority of the cuts, and the Democrats have been torturing the hostage ever since.

From another article on this same subject: Defense hawks warn that the cuts could cripple the military as problems fester around the world in places like Afghanistan, Iran and Syria. "If you believe the Defense Department, (and Defense Secretary Leon) Panetta, we're destroying the finest military in the world at a time when we need it most," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "I can't explain it. It is beyond my ability to explain it to people."

Explain it this way Lindsey: the Democrats are holding the US military hostage to terrorism, both political domestic and international. Stop it now. Right now.

If I had Paul Ryan's cell phone, I would advise his this:

1. Reid wants to pay for the Sequester cuts will taxes on oil companies. Fine. Call his bluff. Take that deal, on the contingency that the Democrat cut out the fraud of unearned entitlements that are bankrupting the system. No more Food Stamps to illegals and no tax refunds to an illegals 26 "nephews" in Mexico.

Illegal Aliens Get Billions in Tax Refunds

Stopping the illegal tax refunds to illegals will save us $4 Billion a year. alone. A reform of Food Stamps to illegals will save billions more. Also prohibit any Govt agency from using taxpayer dollars to advertise EBT services on Spanish language radio and TV stations (yes - Obama does this now!)

It will box the Democrats into their own corner.

That strategy plays right into the immigration debate, and will send the Democrats running for cover because they don't want to discuss the fraud committed by illegals on our system.

2. Eliminate the tax refunds to those who pay no Federal Taxes ($5 grand "Earned Income Tax Credit").

That will save more billions.

Don't let them sucker you into a debate on "earned" entitlements like Social Security and Medicare.

Tackle illegals and the EITC - and the GOP will win this round, pay off this year's Sequestration cuts, and win one for a change.

[Paladin2]

"to deal with oil companie"

WTH does The Hairy Reed think he is?

[SkyPilot]

He is a worm, but he is shrewd.

Gulf coast Democrats will howl of taxing the oil companies, but Reid has them in his pocket.

Reid is reacting to Paul Ryan's appearance on Meet the Press where he threw up his hands and said let the Sequester happen, which everyone in DC knows wounds the military the most.

The GOP was insane to agree to the 2011 Budget Control Act in the first place. ALL entitlements were "exempted" from the debate, which was simply madness.

The GOP should out-maneuver Reid and up the ante.

[sickoflibs]

Reid :”There are many low-hanging pieces of fruit out there that Republicans have said they agreed on previously. I'm not going to go into detail, but one of them, of course, is to deal with oil companies,” he said, adding that he wants any sequester-avoidance deal to include revenue.”

HA-HA, sequester??? What's that Harry?

Tell him to add his suggestions to his Senate budgets for FY13 remainder+FY14 and call back when they pass the Senate..

Jerk!

[Smokin' Joe]

Harry knows the Oil Companies will end up passing the tax on to consumers somewhere. Of course, the oil companies will be said to be "gouging" or some such, and will be blamed for staying in business.

Now the ringer--when they have the hearings on that, (and they will), they will push to nationalize the oil industry. Just watch.

It is the one sector at the root of much of the job growth in the private sector, and the Gummint hasn't been able to shut it down. Furthermore, it is populated with Conservatives, at least on this end of it (Upstream--Exploration and Production).

[cotton1706]

Methinks Harry doesn’t want to actually cut the government! Perhaps the sequester is having its intended effect.

[Adder]

Explain it this way Lindsey:We Republicans had zero and his merry band of clowns trapped and surrounded in 2011 and we turned the gun on ourselves.

For the sake of this country, play harball with these clowns! Let them OWN it.

But I do like incremental steps...since smarmy Harry thinks incrementalism is a good thing, we can do that with immigration reform. Deal with the border 1st. Then we’ll chat.

[Paladin2]

"The GOP should out-maneuver Reid and up the ante. "

The House needs to get its act together and develop their own OODA loop (for observe, orient, decide, and act) to run at high speed to drive the agenda.

[Ford4000]

My personal favorite: eliminate the tax exemption for 2/3 of the 501c organizations.

[SkyPilot]

Agree. The GOP should seize on today's horrible economic reports to argue that Obama's reckless policies are destroying the nation.

Economy unexpectedly shrinks as US defense spending slumps

Instead, the Republicans are trying to maneuver the Democrats to agree to some entitlement reform. But - they GOP has missed EVERY opportunity to force the Democrat's hand during 2011 and 2012.

It seems that now the GOP strategy is "Let the Sequester devastate the US military - at least that is SOME savings."

Hey! Great strategy there Republicans! What is next? Allow 40 million Illegal aliens into the country, because "At least they won't be able to say we are racists?"

[SkyPilot]

But I do like incremental steps...since smarmy Harry thinks incrementalism is a good thing, we can do that with immigration reform. Deal with the border 1st. Then we’ll chat.

I agree. Beat them at their own game.

The Republicans say they don't want to get into a "Morality argument" with the Democrats. The problem with that is the Democrats have redefined Truth, Morality, and Justice. Those concepts are from Almighty God, and they cannot be redefined.

The Republicans should throw this back into Sin City Harry's face, and say "You want to stop Sequestration? Fine - we are for that too. We'll give you a tax on oil, and you give us elimination of illegal's welfare fraud."

Even if the Democrat's reject it, the GOP wins the argument by default.