The Impact of the Sequester on Communities Across America (Bring a crying towel & a bucket)

The Center for American Progress ^ | February 22, 2013 | Anna Chu

[2ndDivisionVet]

In just one week our nation faces yet another manufactured fiscal crisis. This time a refusal to compromise by conservative leaders in Congress would lead to massive, damaging across-the-board spending cuts on March 1, potentially dragging the economy back into recession and hurting American families by slashing critical investments in job training, public health, and public safety.

The spending cuts, also known as the “sequester,” are a direct result of a long push by conservatives to take the nation’s economy hostage in order to secure massive, harmful spending cuts. In the summer of 2011, in exchange for agreeing to pay America’s bills, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) negotiated the deal that wrote the sequester into law, stating that he had gotten 98 percent of what he wanted. Though there is a concerted effort to blame the president for the sequester, no amount of whitewashing can erase the fact that many conservative members of Congress voted for this plan.

Under the terms of the sequester, federal spending would be cut by $1.2 trillion from March 2013 to March 2021. States stand to lose billions of dollars in critical grants needed to fund everything from schools to new police officers to parks. In fiscal year 2013 alone, states stand to lose an estimated $6.4 billion in federal funding...

[2ndDivisionVet]

Six and a half billion dollars in Washington is about six bits to you and me.

[Mark]

The ones laid off are all thinking “We're going to Disney Land!”

[cripplecreek]

critical grants needed to fund everything from schools to new police officers to parks.

Not the parks! Anything but the parks!

OH THE HUMANITY!!!!!

[Kanzan]

If it will be anything like the “government shut-down” in the 90s, there will be a booming business at the shopping centers around Washington DC.
This melodrama is pathetic.

[cripplecreek]

[Dacula]

I met my Congressman this week and when he asked about our feelings on the Sequester, I pointed at him and said heck yes. He was not expecting my response.

[upchuck]

Though there is a concerted effort to blame the president for the sequester, no amount of whitewashing can erase the fact that many conservative members of Congress voted for this plan.

Carefully constructed weasel words.

Bob Woodward sez the sequester came straight from the White House. http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bob-woodward-obamas-sequester-deal-changer/2013/02/22/c0b65b5e-7ce1-11e2-9a75-dab0201670da_print.html

[umgud]

Lay off everbody at EPA and really save us some money.

[familyop]

"...and hurting American families by slashing critical investments in job training, public health, and public safety."

AKA programs that are notorious for infiltrating and breaking working class families, and certain anti-family constituent groups are probably exaggerating/lying about the likely effect on federal funding (pork) those anti-social programs. Not enough. Spending needs to be cut far more than that, and will, one way or another (default process).

[familyop]

"Six and a half billion dollars in Washington is about six bits to you and me."

It's worth gobs to the local-yocal employees of federal pork, who are watching their neighbors closely to regulate (see fees, fines, real property thefts, etc.) to prevent any do-it-yourself projects and small, new manufacturing shops, though. They are the link between the federal government and certain busybody neighbors, and they must be paid plenty to keep an eye on you.

[Bryanw92]

>>Not the parks! Anything but the parks!

When I was a kid in the 70’s, a “park” was any lot that didn’t have a building on it. Today, those lots are fenced and posted because of liability laws. Enact tort reform so “the chilluns” can play outside again!

We don’t need federal money for parks. We need free range children.

[patton]

Did the democrat senate vote for this plan, or is the author somehow trying to whitewash that little factiod?

Did the democrat president sign it into law, or is that to be whitewasged over, too?

Nah, somehow it was the evil conservatives, I tell you.

[JohnD9207]

They ignore the two house bills sitting on dingy harry’s desk. Frankly I really don’t give a damn. Maybe they could be smart and lay off McLame and Schummer. Perhaps lay off 10 a week until they wake up and propose real cuts in spending.

[2ndDivisionVet]

We tried to get my stepson into Job Corps when he was 18 for training in low voltage wiring. He’s 23 now working at Sears for minimum wage. We still haven’t heard a peep from them.

[rawcatslyentist]

This is all cover, for when 0m0slem defunds the EBT cards, and blames whitey.

Like Donkey Kong!

If you haven't stocked up on food and precious metals (Pb) you'd better hurry up!

[cripplecreek]

If Bronco is gonna talk tough he better be man enough to pull the trigger.

[napscoordinator]

Yes what a success that Government Shutdown was in the 90’s....the Republicans ended up with a reelected Bill Clinton. Great job Einstein.

[Blackirish]

Yes not being able to use the parks in the dead of winter is a tragedy beyond comprehension. The last time I heard something this awful was when I heard that poor Sandra Fluke and her boyfriend couldn’t afford a condom with both their life savings combined

[noinfringers2]

I have not been able to grasp what ‘sequestering’ means specifically as to the budget expenditures. I thought at one time I knew what ‘sequestering’ meant but all this talk about budget items has me befuddled. Couldn’t even put the pieces together after checking reference works. I’m guessing the understanding lays in understanding DC political talk.

[Ladysforest]

Hehehe. I know, our parks won’t be ready for months - and they are already borderline ready to close forever and ever and ever.

I just watched a local news broadcast where they claimed our miniscule and utterly unimpressive and unimportant county airport would SUFFER from loss of air traffic controllers. And maybe have some delays. Then they HAD to also report that on speaking to some other airport bigwigs at the next over airport, or whatever, they were told that no flights would be canceled and any delays would be slight. Also, they were forced to admit that the airport bigwig said that there would be NO safety issue as a result. They wore sad faces.