GOP Divided on Sequestration

US News ^ | 6 Feb 13 | Lauren Fox

[SkyPilot]

With less than a month left to replace the $1.2 trillion in automatic budget cuts scheduled for March. Republicans revealed Wednesday their party is divided over what is more important: protecting the Department of Defense or pushing spending cuts no matter the cost.

Republican Sens. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona continue to speak out about how devastating across-the-board spending cuts would be to the Pentagon, while their GOP colleagues in the House say sequestration, no matter the cost, may be the only way to force spending cuts from the White House.

"Our enemies would love this to happen," Graham said during a briefing with reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday addressing the severity of across-the-board defense cuts. "I am sure Iran is very supportive of sequestration. I am sure that al Qaeda training camps all over the world would love if [sequestration] would gut the CIA."

[mrsmith]

“There is no way ...” bull! You’re going to do it so there is a way.
I wish I was 47 again- and had the skills of a Marine seargent to boot!

And, again, I’m sorry the voters are such fools.

[wrencher]

Did you ever consider why so few companies want to hire career govt. workers? A high percentage of govt. workers are EEO hires drinking coffee and doing little else except trying to prevent work from getting done by the contractors.

[Road Glide]

“If you want to embrace all of that, go ahead.”

All right, let’s go ahead with it.
You will not like my opinion.

I say the more they cut from defense for the rest of Obama’s term, the better.

Considering how he and his ilk are trying to “transform” the military, the less they have to spend, the less damage they can do.

We do not need a “military” that they are trying to create — essentially a force that is “for show” and not for fighting. Homosexual marriage, women in combat, women on submarines, our military academies teaching cadets that conservatives are “right wing potential terrorists”, domestic terrorist training exercises over major cities — this is progress?

Not in my book. Put the military “on ice” until 2017. Maybe then we’ll get someone who will actually spend wisely to restore it.

I put in my time there, more than forty years ago.
But this is how I see things today.

Don’t give your enemy more power.
And right now, our greatest “enemy” is domestic, not foreign.

[sickoflibs]

RE “Our enemies would love this to happen,” Graham said during a briefing with reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday addressing the severity of across-the-board defense cuts. “I am sure Iran is very supportive of sequestration. I am sure that al Qaeda training camps all over the world would love if [sequestration] would gut the CIA.”

Grahamnesty and his fellow amnesty neo-cons had ~ 18 months since passage of this bill to come up with more rational defense cuts than this bill does to replace them, but they are obviously not capable of it.
This is the best they will do. And forget dealing with Obama over this. That is a disaster.

[wrencher]

This was the sour part of a previous agreement to print a few trillion more $’s up so they could pad their pensions and buy voters with Obama phones. Both parties had plenty of time to trim budgets, didn’t, and now dislike the consequences of an automatic cut.

535 nooses is a good start.

Govt. spends wildly when times are good, doesn’t save for bad times, then when bad times come govt demands ever more. Private employers have had to cut back, govt. can also.

[SkyPilot]

I am retired military. I stil care deeply about it, what it stands for, and the men and women who serve this nation. I would gladly accept a 20% reduction in my small military pension if all entitlements (both earned and unearned) would be cut by even 5%.

I also am disgusted by our GOP masters. They are endorsing amnesty, but shooting the innocent and dignified loyalty of the US military. I wish they would just pull the trigger already then. Let them wither as a party if that happens. They apparently stand for nothing.

[SkyPilot]

Then let this be the divorce papers between the Republicans and patriots.

[hinckley buzzard]

Well said. I would think by now that freepers, of all people, would see through the histrionic bull. That includes GrahaMcCain's weeping and gnashing of teeth. Sequestration, in the unlikely case that it happens, will have about as much effect as the "fiscal cliff" did.

Tempest, teapot.

[hinckley buzzard]

Nice work. The most creative and thought provoking comment on this subject yet. I find it hard to disagree with.

[sarasmom]

Poor man.
The first two pink slips didn't clue you into a need for re-training into another industry?

[sarasmom]

“1. Ronald Reagan was not a “RINO”; that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.”

Reagan was the original RINO. He was a pragmatic Democrat who changed party affiliation.

“2. Ronald Reagan would not have sat by and watch this nation's military be eviscerated by an entitlement state Congress”

That is a pure strawman argument.
I was extremely proud of Reagan as my CINC, particularly after having served while Carter was in charge.
Reagan, Thatcher and the Pope managed to set into motion the eventual collapse of the USSR, thus ending the Cold War (after he left office).
He ramped up military defense spending to fight the USSR economically, but he also made it very clear that he would USE THE DOOMSDAY WEAPONS.
It was not a bluff.

There is plenty of money to cut from the Feds defense budget.
Start by cutting out personnel subcontractors, bases in Europe, and civilian unionized DOD employees.

[sean327]

Some of you on this forum lately are a bunch of arrogant a-holes. This used to be a great place. now it’s filled with a bunch of holier than thou morons. If you don’t think 2 million people hitting the street jobless come 1 March won’t crush whats left of the economy, your delusional.
Go ahead and cheer for sequestration. When it comes crashing down it will come down on all of us.

[sean327]

By the way, I got out of the Test and Development game and moved into the safer realm of training. Less pay, but more security. That is until our elected morons came up with this awesome idea of Sequestration.

[Lancey Howard]

I’m with you, 100%.

Once again, Ubanga and the rats are demanding a “balanced approach”, ie., more “revenues”, ie. more taxes. No. Not one more thin freaking dime to scumbag big government. And if the Republicans think they can get away with lying that, “capping deductions and closing loopholes,” is not another tax hike then they are as dishonest as the rats.

Let the cuts happen.

[Lancey Howard]

I never thought people who claimed to be Conservatives were really this short sighted and myopic. It has been an education.

I never thought people who claimed to be conservative would shrug at giving the Democrats yet more tax hikes with which they can grow government and continue buying the votes of their moocher base. If the Republicans can force a way to shuffle the money around to properly fund defense without approving one more dime of tax hikes (including the dishonest "capping deductions and closing loopholes" ploy), then fine. Other than that, drop dead.

[wrencher]

Although we disagree on some of the ideas here I do want to say thanks for your service and I am sure we agree on many things. Most people change occupations multiple times in their lives. I know it’s no fun myself.

You are correct that the economy will slide further with sequestration but how is it govt. can never be cut back? The 1 party that runs us could not agree on anything, it was only pretend anyway, so now the automatic cut takes effect. Let the collapse come, and let it come when the most liberal side of the 1 party are clearly holding the bag too.