Enter The Sequester
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2013-03-04/enter-sequester
Sweeping federal budget cuts known as the "sequester" were set to go into effect on March 1. We talk with congressional leaders engaged in the debate over federal spending and analyze what's at stake for the Washington region.
Guests
Danielle Kurtzleben
Business and Economics Reporter, U.S. News & World Report
Frank Wolf
Member, U.S. House of Representatives (R- Virginia, 10th District)
Donald Kettl
Dean, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland; nonresident senior fellow, Brookings Institution
Comments
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Are congressional employees covered under the sequester and thus may also experience furloughs? I don't mean the Congress members themselves, but their staff on capitol hill and in the home offices.
If they're not, then it is unfair because Congress will have exempted itself from the hardships that all the other parts of the federal government will be going through.
Are there no other ways to raise money in the federal budget? End corporate "entitlement" subsidies, how is it that we give multi-billion dollar companies tax dollars to provide already profitable services and then they slap us in the face and slip out of taxes through loop holes that the executive branch refuses to close.
Reform the drug policy taxing and regulating would bring in hundreds of millions of dollars and would end the bloated spending of the drug warriors.
Tax cap gains? fix student loans.
Sequestration may have been the brainchild of someone in the Obama administration, but it became law with the overwhelming support of congressional Republicans.
The President can't make a law by himself. Only Congress can make the laws, then the President signs or vetoes it.
Also sequester was intended to not happen - i.e. to be an idea so bad that compromise would be necessary. The responsibility for the sequester is on everyone who made it a law and on everyone who refused to compromise and thus let it happen.
The sequester shows what happens when we elect representatives that are not intelligent enough to manage the nation's business.
Also, we are talking to much about sequester and not nailing the congress for a failure to prioritize what government should be doing.
Stop whining about the militaery budget. We have been fighting two wars for ten years. shalll we do it forever? The big contract overruns that have gone on for 40 years. Stop them. Fire the people responsible.
There are billions in savings. stop paying congress.
Cuts to Federal salaries seem to be a blatant attack on the middle class and small businesses. In plain terms many feds have not received raises since 2010, and now expecting them to take a 20% paycut to cover your lack of governing is unacceptable. The housing costs have gone up, the local property taxes have gone up, the childcare costs have gone up.. but nothing has happened besides trying to bury the federal worker. Perhaps those on the hill could offer up some of their pay to cover some of this hit.
What about the aftermath of all of this... many of us will have pull our chidren out of childcare facilities because the costs are way too high already. Small businesses will suffer all over the areas especially in the DC area.
There is money that can be found by eliminating subsidies for millionaires in farming and business. We also need to do more to tax investment income. Also, eliminating loopholes need to closed. Find more revenue along with getting rid of fraud and waste.