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Most elected Democrats think the across-the-board sequestration cuts are a bad idea. Defense-minded Republicans are very concerned about the impact of the cuts. Multiple industries and many federal employees are worried about significant job losses. Basically all of the sane economists believe implementing this level of austerity in the middle of the weak economy would be a terrible decision. So the right thing to do would be to just eliminate the idiotic sequestration cuts.
Congress created these cuts and can just as easily get rid of them. All it would take is a one page bill and a few minutes to make this problem go away. There is no need for pay-fors or offsets. All that is needed is a bill that will repeal them.
There is no reason a short term problem should be tied to an unrelated possible long term issue.
If members of Congress think this is bad policy they should eliminate it. Instead, basically everyone in Congress is threatening to knowingly implement a set of policies that will hurt the economy in order to punish everyone else for their inability to reach a deal on a long-term deficit package. This is not only a shocking dereliction of duty but also insane.
There does not have to be some grand package to address this immediate issue. A solution already exists, just eliminate the sequesters. If Congress wants to work on the long term deficit, they can always do that later while not needlessly putting the whole economy in peril.
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But then, Senators know, the media spotlight wouldn’t be laser-focused on Them, and as media-hungry attention whores, that simply Would. Not. Do.
Yes, that would be simple and logical thing to do. Which means they will do exactly the opposite and needlessly fuck things up good.
Obama still wants his Grand Bargain in order to screw around with SS, Medicare. If this Sequester is cancelled it will be harder for him to accomplish during this round of bargaining.
I have absolutely no faith in any of these folks.
They will do nothing but take a long time to do it. Getting rid of the nasty thing is just too easy and smart. Never happen.
The sequestration monster was created for a reason. A dilemma had to be created in the minds of ordinary folks.
So, do you want ugly choice A, or do you want ugly choice B? You lose either way.
This is like a malignant variation on the Andy Kaufman routine, “Do you wnat to hear my lecture? Or do you want to listen to the record?” When the audience demands the record, it is a recording of Andy giving the lecture they don’t want to hear.
You did say this whole thing is insane. That about sums it up.
That’s the main reason for this sequester. This was Obama’s idea. At the last fiscal cliff, Obama insisted on a 2 month delay, not a year like the Dems wanted, and the “grand bargain” BS was the reason. He was hoping for his coveted “debt deal”. He even said recently that the deal was still on the table.
So here’s to cancelling it, so Obama doesn’t get his grand bargain.
You mean the Great Betrayal.
You do realize eliminating the sequestration cuts would amount to “the reversal of a Custer decision.”
Madness. Madness.
So, Jon, two hours after you pen this post, you write this one?
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2013/02/08/sequestration-cuts-continue-to-grow-more-likely/
What is the point?
Why not simply combine the two?
DW
Perhaps keeping truth separate from reality?
No Sequestration, no Grand Bargain.
Since O clearly wants that fucking Grand Bargain, there has to be the threat of Sequestration. We all know what’s happening, why can’t we figure out a way to stop the whole kabuki dance around the Grand Bargain?
Is that not what the MOTU do on a daily basis, BS?
The “logical separation” permits the manipulated many to divorce, in their understanding, the one from the other, actual truth from the “created”, and enforced “reality”.
While austerity IS nothing but destructive, that it will be insisted upon, ought to lead to deeper questions, not just for the thoughtful few at FDL, but for the (far too) many who still “believe” that Obama and the Democrats “have their backs”, that the absolutely “necessary”, must be enacted … the same “approach” applies to perpetual war and the use of assassination drones, the truth is hidden and the assertions premised upon fear are ballyhooed from the rooftops.
How may the lie come to be honestly understood if it is always held separate, and distinct from the truth its is intended to hide and push well to the side, beyond view and apprehension?
DW
Agree completely but I was sort of answering your question to Jon. Jon, Kevin, DS must be going batshit crazy trying to report “news” to us contaminated by the MSM Propaganda BS machine so separating might make mental sanity sense.
Outstanding post here. Many are failing to simply realize what “reality” is now. The only honest guy is that famous quote from some book…don’t know who it was but he stated, “we create our own reality now, you guys don’t understand that and history will simply inspect what we did” That’s not the exact quote, but it created a lot of guffaws and hooting and hollering on the left. But this guy was simply telling the truth. DC is so beyond corrupt it boggles the mind. High unemployment is a goal and a feature. Better to keep funneling people into the military that way. The destruction of unions completetly enables easier falling of wages and acceptance of it as high unemployment funnels even more into crap paying jobs. Part of the function of “creating your own reality” is you simply have to lie nonstop to stop anyone from accepting what actually is the truth. Why people like Krugman who is far from perfect but better than most we see on TV are now complete fringe like by the PTB and DC. It’s pathetic what we are witnessing on every front.
I’d say that’s a good bet.
Let’s get real. Nobody can predict what these idiotic imbeciles we call legislaturds are gonna do other than the fact that the 99% will take it on the chin and they (the legislaturds) will suffer not nor make any sacrifices.
It’s bad and getting more worser.
Jon et al: If I may say, many of us were worried when DDay left. But you and the rest of the regulars coupled with the new guy are doing a fine job of keeping us informed on just how bad a mess the country is in on a daily basis and making sure we all go home at then of the day thoroughly concerned about ours and our children’s future.
That may not have come out exactly as I intended. :-?
… yes
… yes again
The quote you are referring to was anonymous, but is widely suspected to have been Karl Rove.
Hey, no sequestration so no DOD cuts, etc. Republicans get permanent Keynesian military stimulus and SS and the rest of the budget doesn’t get cut, either. Stalemate. Except that the Tea Party Caucus and the Progressive Caucus are going to make the Lone Ranger and Tonto look like gadflys. ” Deficits don’t matter. ” Dick Cheney