Sequestration? What are YOU doing to prepare for it?

[JeremiahJohnson]

One last attempt to get this posted. Silly phone.

The DoD budget has already been cut from prior years.

2011: 687 B
2012: 646 B
2013: 614 B

The Sequester then cuts another $55 B. The problem is that the DoD budget is nowhere near 50% of the budget but is facing 50% of the Sequester. The cuts are disproportionate. There are other areas of federal spending that I would rather see hit with a "real" budget cut.

The sequestration/furlough of DoD support programs also hit home with the soldiers and sailors deployed. Direct support for maintenance and repair and installs will sit and wait.

F*** the military. That's what this administration says.

The Dems voted introduced and approved sequestration and are happy to let it happen. Why? Because it's a win-win-win for them. They can "try" to get a budget passed with tax increases, but the Republicans won't play ball. So the military is what gets cut - which is what they want to do anyway - or the Republicans play ball and more tax increases for the working small businesses that GROSS a million bucks but make less than me net.

Spend, spend, spend in entitlements. Cut, cut, cut the military. F#@! the military.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

If you don't have a son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, brother, sister, in the military, then I guess you'll just pay higher food bills, higher energy bills, complain a little and life goes on. Who cares, right? It's just soldiers and sailors.

No carrier group in the gulf? Why do we need one? F@#$ the military.

 

[ryan3030]

Any cuts to the DoD budget are good cuts, our country wastes so much money policing the world it has become asinine.

God forbid we balance our budget and pay off debt.

Cut on

 

[funeralweb]

I've seen that list of states. Indiana isn't one of them - we're just surrounded - but there's quite a few cities in the Hoosier state that I would believe have this entitlement population overload.

Eh, seems to me about the only damage it will possibly do to the economy is by causing a panic. They should be making larger cuts, mainly in welfare and other entitlements. I heard somewhere the other day that there are 11 states where there are more people on welfare than there are working. If that is true, it is absolutely absurd.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

Any cuts to the DoD budget are good cuts, our country wastes so much money policing the world it has become asinine.

God forbid we balance our budget and pay off debt.

Cut on

There you go! F!@# the military!!!

You sir are part of the problem. Apparently you don't have any family serving. Those that are serving are glad to pay for YOUR inept congress. F*(& the military.

 

[roisigns]

Without DoD (and GOD), there is no America.

 

[bakeman]

Ive been saving my pennies. If sequestration happens ill be living off of 32 hrs a week until the end of the fiscal year. This is going to have a negative effect on the economy. I am all for government spending cuts, because it is obvious that spending is out of control. I would also be for more dod spending cuts, but this is the wrong way to do it. As far as the DOD is concerned, this is just a slash hack job spending cut that is going to hurt alot of people, including all of our soldiers overseas. I would rather see them just bring soldiers home and get out of this mess in the Middle east. That would save more moneythan sequestration would. And if you did that you wouldnt be making it more dangerous for our brave men and women in uniform. DOD spending as already been down for 3 years in a row. They need to look into serious spending cuts all all other areas (entitlements). But our beloved leader isnt going to let that happen, is he?

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

Ive been saving my pennies. If sequestration happens ill be living off of 32 hrs a week until the end of the fiscal year. This is going to have a negative effect on the economy. I am all for government spending cuts, because it is obvious that spending is out of control. I would also be for more dod spending cuts, but this is the wrong way to do it. As far as the DOD is concerned, this is just a slash hack job spending cut that is going to hurt alot of people, including all of our soldiers overseas. I would rather see them just bring soldiers home and get out of this mess in the Middle east. That would save more moneythan sequestration would. And if you did that you wouldnt be making it more dangerous for our brave men and women in uniform. DOD spending as already been down for 3 years in a row. They need to look into serious spending cuts all all other areas (entitlements). But our beloved leader isnt going to let that happen, is he?

Cut entitlements??!!!! This administration?! Are you mad man!!! Why, that would be cutting off the proverbial sacred cow! NO - the military can handle it. They're used to doing without. They're already at or below the poverty level...let's cut support that makes their job even MORE dangerous. There you go. Cuts. Just like you said - cut spending - they cut it. Ain't that all better?

 

[Racechase1]

Santa Claus isn't going to touch his voting block, he'll keep the Obama phones coming.

As for DoD, people here are in for a big surprise. There are a lot more contractors with the DoD in Indiana then you could possibly think of, and everyone is about to find out.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

My nephew is a marine and deployed. He was blown up in Afghanistan and now deployed "elsewhere". He wasn't even allowed to fully recover from his injuries - life changing injuries - and he's back out there. Now his pay - miserably small pay - will not increase by a small amount as it was supposed to do. He did get his purple heart, but no increase in pay. He's glad to do it for all of you. He's glad to bleed on foreign soil for your azzes and take a pay cut. Enjoy your freedom. He's glad to do it. He's a marine.

 

[ryan3030]

There you go! F!@# the military!!!

You sir are part of the problem. Apparently you don't have any family serving. Those that are serving are glad to pay for YOUR inept congress..

You are an angry individual. I'm curious to know how those that are serving are paying for congress? I completely agree with you that congress is inept.

The boys serving are doing exactly what they signed up to do. I owe them no pity nor would they want it if I had any to give. I am thankful for what they do.

The problem that you're not getting is that this isn't about them, or their honor, or yours. It's about a militaristic country over-reaching it's bounds. There is no reason our armed forces should've ever grown as large as they are now, let alone deployed to so many places. The is no reason for us to dump such an astronomical amount of money into defense each year.

Being in the military carries the same risks as any other government job. You are employed by the taxpayers and your budget may be cut. It is bound to happen eventually.

 

[in625shooter]

But their spending is NOT being cut. This is total BS. The budget is bigger than last year's for ALL departments as I understand it. The "cut" is only in the additional spending. Tell me why a company would lose workers if they are making more than they made last year? None of this makes sense. Sure, we are not spending more, so ADDING more government related jobs (in these areas) is unlikely, but how is that a bad thing?

Which is worse, hiring more workers with money you are borrowing from China, or not hiring, and not borrowing? I thought everyone agreed that the government needs to shrink, and that we passed sustainable borrowing thresholds a decade ago.

Obama and the senate setup all these cliffs by not producing a real budget or proposing any intelligent alternatives. What I see is absolutely disgusting lack of leadership. It is like we are on Titanic, everyone sees the iceberg 100 miles ahead, and the captain keeps saying "full steam aead". Dems ignore that we are out of money, and continue to try and GROW the government! Don't get me started on Obama care, I am fuming at the stupidity going on here.

I never saod there doesent need to be something done about spending. Only that the worker bee's being fourloghed will effect EVERTHING. Worker bee's don't have any say in where or how the money is spent by each agency/department.

You are an angry individual. I'm curious to know how those that are serving are paying for congress? I completely agree with you that congress is inept.

The boys serving are doing exactly what they signed up to do. I owe them no pity nor would they want it if I had any to give. I am thankful for what they do.

The problem that you're not getting is that this isn't about them, or their honor, or yours. It's about a militaristic country over-reaching it's bounds. There is no reason our armed forces should've ever grown as large as they are now, let alone deployed to so many places. The is no reason for us to dump such an astronomical amount of money into defense each year.

Being in the military carries the same risks as any other government job. You are employed by the taxpayers and your budget may be cut. It is bound to happen eventually.

While we all question some policies by every administration on what help we give to what countries, politics aside. We still need a good sized standing military due to the increased threat Russa, China and North Korea has become in the last 20 years let alone a nuclear Iran.

 

[jgreiner]

Me personally, Ive been making rounds for the last five days. I have a butt load (no numerical value for this) of .40 S&W, and will start on the A**load (again no numerical value for this) of 5.56. Hopefully I dont run out of bullets before I run out of primers.

Planning a "Smaller Gov't" party................

 

[Sticks]

It sounds like the administration is trying to scare the public with predictions of layoffs and cuts to programs. In the long term I don't think it will really affect the spending because the numbers are made up and they usually increase the debt to cover shortfalls - when they want to. In the short term, I think it will be an eye opener for us all to see just how much federal money is intertwined in our ecomomy (with strings attached).

 

[LarryC]

I disagree with cutting the military budget. In reality that and very few other things was ALL the Federal government was set up for in the Constitution. It was to keep a strong military, Not a standing army, and make rules for interstate commerce ONLY. They have disregarded the Constitution with the liberal judges and made many laws using the interstate commerce as a fictitious reason.

In my opinion all Federal hiring should be stopped for at least 10 years, with any necessary position opened by retirement, deaths or persons leaving with someone in a less critical position (tongue in cheek - really don't think there are any critical positions in the Federal government).

The Welfare should revert back to the states, leave all the money in the states that pay it to the Feds now. That would make it way more efficient and the states that have way too many people on Welfare would do what they have to in order to get some of them off the welfare rolls and working.

If I spend more than I take in I have no options but to cut spending - many "needs" quickly become "wants". I have lived within my income all my life and am now enjoying retirement in pretty good shape. But I did have to decide which were "wants" vs "needs" early in my life. I think the pay of all Federal senators and Reps should be reduced by a portion of what they vote to spend. If that happened many "needed" bills would be eliminated.

 

[jcwit]

Came out on this mornings news that its the Pres. who decides who and what gets cut.

Again, its only 2% of the total budget, not really like the "End is Near".

Mayhap is the big O would stay in Washington on the job instead of running all over giving speaches how bad he's gonna make it, something might get accomplished.

 

[Expat]

Sorry JJ, but I think we have to cut the military. We also need to cut all entitlements. Cut about half the of the Federal departments altogether. We have to switch from deficit to surplus and start paying off the debt, IMO. There will be lots of pain to go around, but we can't stay on this path that we are on...

 

[thatgtrguy]

champagne

 

[jcwit]

Frankly I believe there would be plenty of monies if the frivolous spending were cut entirely out. Bike trails paid for by grant money from the federal government, public transportation buses running hither and yon with no one riding or at the most 1 person, all the little towns thinking they "need" a museum that no one visits, the list goes on and on into all areas of government. Towns spend grant monies like its water than people complain about taxes and how wasteful the feds are, well boys and girls, the grant money came from the fed.

 

[canav844]

I'm prepared for this to take over the news cycle and I'll have to look to see who is trying to sneak gun control in under the radar.

As to military cuts, there is excess spending there, as it's the Department of DEFENSE not offense, I'm hoping, though in all honestly doubt it would have any effect, that having to be mindful of the budget, would prevent the unnecessary meddling in foreign affairs that extend the use of the military beyond the legal powers granted to the president without congressional approval. But since the king in chief apparently gets to decide where cuts are made (only saw that in this thread), I'm sure that the cuts will be in the support areas that keep things running and not cut his expansion and misuse of power. The DoD is a HUGE entity, you can't look at it all as one but instead need to see it's components, there are areas there that are ok to make cuts in.

Oh and I'm all for cutting the budget for programs that have already closed like that video mentioned. Would love to see the TSA cut outright, let that become a private security entity again, before we had people groping and posting underage backscatter pictures on the internet; stop DHS drone funding and well probably half of their programs and consolidate them under the DoJ. The postal service could stand some cuts and again be truly privatized and off of the federal budget; same for amtrak.