Just the way the Republicans planned it.
The numbers aren’t as bad as some early projections; Virginia, Maryland and D.C. lost about 1,700 spots total.
Tag: Sequester
n pl -ties
1. the state or quality of being austere
2. (often plural) an austere habit, practice, or act
3. (Economics)
a. reduced availability of luxuries and consumer goods, esp when brought about by government policy
b. (as modifier) an austerity budget
You’ve heard the word used a lot. Austerity can only work effectively in a poor economy if participated in by all its citizen. But as usual, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan wants austerity to ride on the backs of the middle class and the poor in a proposal he feels will balance the federal budget in 10 years without raising taxes any further. He proposes to do this by executing $4.6 trillion in additional government spending cuts. Same story as last year Mr. Ryan. No one liked it then, no one’s going to like it much now.
Ryan plans to unveil the House Republican budget today, and the details haven’t changed much from the last time he proposed the same cuts for the middle class with no mention of closing loopholes for the rich or reform of the Bush tax cuts which allows the rich to hold onto their dollars at a greater rate than the average citizen.
The House Republican Budget Plan,
- Calls for the U.S. government to spend a total of about $41 trillion through 2023, a 3.4 percent annual increase. That compares to the current spending trajectory of $46 trillion over 10 years, a 5 percent annual increase.
- Will grant approval to the northern portion of the controversial Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL oil pipeline, which he contends will create 20,000 direct jobs and 118,000 indirect jobs.
- Will seek to convert Medicare health care for the elderly into a voucher-like system under which seniors receive a subsidy to purchase private insurance or traditional Medicare –with no changes for those 55 or older,– so that the plan contributes savings to achieve balance in a 10-year window.
- Will again seek to turn control and funding for Medicaid health care for the poor and food stamps over to states.
- Proposes tax reform, with the goal of just two tax brackets: 10 percent and 25 percent.
“Because the U.S. economy will grow faster than spending, the budget will balance by 2023 and debt held by the public will drop to just over half the size of the economy,” said Ryan. Of course it’s a budget the Obama Administration will not be able to sign-off, continuing the stalemate.
Austerity my a_ _! ♦
A new study headed by Dr. Robert E. Bristow, director of gynecological oncology at the University of California, says that there are widespread, persistent flaws in the care of women with this disease, which kills 15,000 a year in the United States alone.
About 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed annually, and most of them are being discovered too late for even aggressive treatment to do much good. Worldwide, there are about 200,000 new cases a year.
Oncologists around the country say the main reason for the poor care is that most women are treated by doctors and hospitals that literally lack expertise in the complex surgery and chemotherapy that can prolong life.
“If we could just make sure that women get to the people who are trained to take care of them, the impact would be much greater than that of any new chemotherapy drug or biological agent,” said Dr. Bristow
The study found that about a third of patients received the best possible care, confirming a women’s best course of action would be to consult physicians in hospitals that offer treatment of the disease as their primary care. ♦
All on the heels of a recent Major League Baseball and DEA investigation into whether A-Rod and cousin Yuri were involved in obtaining performance-enhancing drugs from a Coral Gables anti-aging clinic operated by Anthony Bosch, a name that’s come to be synonymous with the words ‘Big Sports figure accused of using performance enhancing drugs.”
Sports Illustrated reported in February 2009 that Rodriguez had tested positive for anabolic steroids during the 2003 season, when MLB and its Players Association conducted surprise testing to see if the drug had inundated the sport. When Rodriguez tested positive, he dragged Sucart into the controversy.
And the plot thickens… ♦
“Increasingly, U.S. businesses are speaking out about their serious concerns about sophisticated, targeted theft of confidential business information and proprietary technologies through cyber intrusions emanating from China on an unprecedented scale,” Mr. Donilon said in a wide-ranging address to the Asia Society in New York.
Lukewarm warming words from the big boys on the block, but I suppose one’s government has to be delicate in such matters.
The U.S. “demand” came two days after Chinese foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, rejected mounting evidence that his country’s military was involved in cyber attacks on American corporations and some government agencies.
At a daily news conference in Beijing, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, repeated her government’s position opposing internet cyber attacks and said she wanted nothing more than to have an open “constructive dialogue” with the United States and other countries about cybersecurity issues. Perhaps China can create some type of innovative software to help America protect against…Chinese…cyber atta…ok, scratch that. ♦
Later pilgrims…
In his weekly address, President Obama says that businesses have created jobs every month for three years straight – nearly 6.4 million altogether, and have added 246,000 new jobs in February. We must keep this momentum going, and that’s why the President recently met with Republican leaders to discuss how we can replace the harmful, arbitrary budget cuts, called the “sequester,” with balanced deficit reduction.
Categories
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
“No one should get paid for inaction. And Congress clearly hasn’t done the job to avert the sequester…there’s absolutely no reason members of Congress should exempt themselves. We can and should reach a balanced compromise to replace these damaging across-the-board cuts, but until we do, this is an obvious step to hold Congress accountable for the job we need to get done.” says Nelson.
I concur senator.
As part of the extensive budget cuts, federal workers will be forced to take unpaid days off during the week starting in April going til September. Estimated loss in wages is at 10 to 20 percent of the workers’ pay. Who the hell could afford that now!?
According to Nelson’s office, the bill already has the backing of Senate Appropriations chairwoman Sen. Barbara Mikulski. Now this is a bill I can sink my teeth into. I’m keeping my eye on this one. ♦
Anyhow, Canadian academics are saying don’t believe the hype over the canonized nun and report that despite her access to a massive fortune, she chose to house her masses of poor and sick patrons in shoddy facilities with little to no proper medical attention for the really sick among them. Researchers also claim that the Vatican was a culprit in a public relations scheme involving MT, aimed at overlooking her, alleged, shady financial dealings in order to beatify her. In addition, the Vatican is said to have ignored a doctor’s opinion on the validity of the claim that Mother Teresa actually performed a miracle, healing a sick woman who had tuberculosis and an ovarian cyst (I remember that).
Just to be fair (or unfair) there are many more reports claiming that some of the beloved Catholic icon’s good deeds were fabricated for the sake of posterity. But Nobleprize.org, the official website of the Nobel Prize takes a far more positive view of her deeds, asserting that the work Mother Theresa provided was “effective help to the poorest of the poor in a number of countries.”
‘No good deed should go unpunished.’ as the sarcastic saying goes… ♦
President Obama: “At this challenging time of President Hugo Chavez’s passing, the United States reaffirms its support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government. As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights.”
Senator Bill Nelson: “The rule of Hugo Chavez is over. Hopefully there will be a peaceful transition of power in Venezuela with real, meaningful democratic reforms.”
Congressman Joe Garcia: “Today represents an opportunity for Venezuela to chart a new path, one that includes all voices, civil society and embraces democracy. If a new Venezuelan government embraces these principles then I am confident that its future will be a bright one.”
Former Congressman Connie Mack, IV: “Today, we do not mourn the death of Hugo Chavez, but instead, we celebrate the possibility that Venezuela can be born anew as a free, secure and prosperous democracy and that Latin America can embark on a new and peaceful path in the world.”
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “The Venezuela people now have an opportunity to emerge from this oppressive regime and regain their democracy and human rights. However, this can only be done through a true democratic process with free, fair, and transparent elections. I am hopeful that democracy will rise from the ashes of the Chavez regime and again become a part of a new Venezuela. Now it is up to the Venezuelan people to redefine and rebuild their nation as a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous state free of the clutches of Chavez and his disastrous social and economic policies.”
Safe to say no love lost over the death of the controversial and charismatic leader on this side of the political hemisphere. In the meantime, condolences came from around the world, including messages from filmmaker Oliver Stone and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as weeping Chavez supporters poured onto the streets all over Venezuela, chanting “Chavez lives! The revolution continues!” and “We are Chavez!”
“Don’t let anyone try to convince you Chavez has gone … He will always be with us,” said Congress head Diosdado Cabello. ♦
Yeah! That ish Sandy was that SERIOUS!:
NEW YORK (MYFOXNY) –
A coastal storm is expected to dump as much as six inches of snow in parts of New York City and possible more in other parts of the region late Wednesday into Thursday.
Areas north and west could see half a foot of now on the ground by Thursday morning.
The New York City Department of Sanitation issued a snow alert for Wednesday starting at 3 a.m. A snow alert means that the department begins preparing for a possible snow storm by loading its 365 salt spreaders, attaching plows when necessary, preparing tire chains and notifying supplementary personnel as needed.
Meteorologist Mike Woods is calling for a rain/snow mix for most of the region that will begin to fall midday on Wednesday.
Minor to moderate coastal flooding is expected for the shore line.
The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning for the Jersey shore, and a Winter Storm Watch and a Wind Advisory for much of the area.
Beach erosion is possible. h/t MyFoxNY
OMG!!! ♦
Later pilgrims (God willing).
A powerful Q&A happened today after President Obama met with leaders of Congress. The president held a press conference to talk about what happened in his meeting and took questions from reporters. One of the question was from a CNN reporter, Jessica Yellin, who implied that the President was not doing everything possible to force Republicans into see things his way.
In his response, President answered that he is “not a dictator,” and if Republicans say they have to go catch a plane, he “cannot have Secret Service block the doorway.” He continued;
I know that has been some of the conventional wisdom that’s been floating around Washington, that somehow, even though most people agree that I’m being reasonable, that most people agree I’m presenting a fair deal, that fact that they don’t take it means that I should somehow do a Jedi mind meld with these folks and convince them to do what’s right.
Well they’re elected. We have a constitutional system of Government. The Speaker of the House and the Leader of the Senate and all those folks have responsibilities. What I can do is I can make the best possible case for why we need to do the right thing. I can speak to the American people about the consequences of the decisions that Congress is making or the lack of decision making by Congress.
But ultimately, it’s a choice they make. This idea that somehow there’s a secret formula or a secret sauce to get Speaker Boehner or Mitch McConnell to say, you know what Mr. President, you’re right. We should close some tax loopholes for the well off and well connected in exchange for some serious entitlement reform and spending cuts to programs we don’t need, I think if there was a secret way to do that, I would have tried it. I would have done it.
What I can do is I can make the best possible argument. And I can offer concessions, I can offer compromise, I can negotiate, I can make sure that my party is willing to compromise and is not being ideological or thinking about this just in terms of political terms. And I think I’ve done that and I will continue to do that. But what I can’t do is force Congress to do the right thing.
But there was a follow-up. Jessica had another statement/question to make. She asked about New York’s Mayor Bloomberg who stated that the effects of the Sequester was being overstated. Jessica wanted to know if Bloomberg was correct. The President responded with a few examples, one of them being that the Department of Defense now had to figure out how to continue providing full education to the children of military families if their teachers were furloughed . And he pointed out that Mayor Bloomberg will not feel that pain.
Watch the full exchange below;
We all know that Republicans are not being honest when they say President Obama is increasing the deficit. And what makes that lie even worse is when they try to tie the sequester into their false claim.
But facts don’t lie, and Rachel Maddow used one of her segments last night to debunk both Republican lies – that Obama has increased the deficit and that reducing the deficit is their reason for favoring the sequester.
Without further ado, Rachel Maddow…
You hear Congressional Republicans say it all day every day, that President Obama has no plan to avert the coming sequester. Well if these Republicans were tech savvy enough to navigate themselves to a computer, and able to do the google, I guarantee they would find this:
With dramatic, across-the-board “sequestration” cuts slated to take effect Friday, most Americans believe the consequences of those reductions will have a “major effect” on the state of the U.S. economy, according to a new poll by Pew Research Center/Washington Post. But even as Americans overwhelming express negativity over how those cuts would impact the nation’s economy, the same survey indicates a sense of public fatigue over this latest in a series of dramatic fiscal debates coming out of Washington: Only 1 in 4 Americans say they’re following the story closely.
According to the poll, which surveyed 1,000 people between Feb. 21-24, 62 percent of the public believes the sequester’s effect on the economy would be mostly negative, while 18 percent thought it would be mostly positive. Twenty-one percent said it would have no impact or that they didn’t know. Six in 10 Americans, meanwhile, think the impact of the cuts on the economy would be “major”; 55 percent say the same of sequestration’s impact on the military, and 45 percent say so of the budget deficit.
Fewer – 30 percent – say the impact on their personal finances would be “major,” while 40 percent say the looming cuts would impact their finances in a minor way.
Something big is getting ready to happen on March 1st. The Sequester is coming and Republicans are once again, sitting on their hands instead of doing whatever they can to protect the economy and the middle class. It’s the same old story – By doing nothing, the effects of the coming Sequester protects the rich, while the middle class suffers.
So in preparation for the big event, Democrats are coming together through the efforts of The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee – The DCCC – by creating an ad targeting 27 Teaparty Republicans who would love nothing more than seeing a suffering middle class after the Sequester kicks in.
The head of the DCCC, Steve Israel put it this way:
“There are real-world consequences for middle class families because of House Republicans’ dysfunction and chronic chaos. For the defense workers who may get pink slips, the federal law enforcement officers who may be furloughed, and the FBI agents and the food inspectors who are looking at layoffs, they will be reminded that those pink slips have been brought to hardworking Americans by this Tea Party Republican Congress.
It is time for House Republicans to come back to work to avert this crisis, stop protecting tax breaks for special interests and corporations — and stand up for the middle class.”
The Republican leaders in the House of Representative and their members have been on vacation for the past couple weeks. There is absolutely no urgency on their part to get back to work.
Meanwhile, March 1 is just a few days away.
This week, President Obama used his weekly address to urge Congress to work together to stop the next manufactured crisis slated to take effect on March 1st. The President said;
Our top priority as a country right now should be doing everything we can to grow our economy and create good, middle class jobs.
And yet, less than one week from now, Congress is poised to allow a series of arbitrary, automatic budget cuts that will do the exact opposite. They will slow our economy. They will eliminate good jobs. They will leave many families who are already stretched to the limit scrambling to figure out what to do.
But here’s the thing: these cuts don’t have to happen. Congress can turn them off anytime with just a little compromise. They can pass a balanced plan for deficit reduction. They can cut spending in a smart way, and close wasteful tax loopholes for the well-off and well-connected.
Categories
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Case in point: Jesse Jackson Jr., son of notable civil rights activists and cultural icon Jesse Jackson Sr. (also, not without his issues) is under investigation for embezzling money from his own campaign funds to buy more than $20,000 worth of Michael Jackson memorabilia, $10,000 in Bruce Lee paraphernalia, as well as fur coats and capes. Yep! Certainly worth going to the Booty-Pen for, Junior.
Jackson is expected to plead guilty to federal charges filed today in Washington. He faces up to five years in federal prison for his bad judgement or lack thereof. His wife, an ex-Chicago alderman, has also been charged with falsifying tax records and underrepresenting her income. SMH!…♦
Few folks would believe that Congress will actually take us to the brink of a dreaded sequester of $85 billion in automatic spending cuts due to its failure to come up with a solid, mutually satisfying balanced budget, but here we are 2 weeks til the deadline and we’ve got nothin’.
“We’re pretty far away because we have revenue in ours…”– Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.).
“It’s my guess that sequester is going to kick in on March 1 because, again, unless you have real reductions in spending, this bill just kicks the can down the road…” — Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.)
[*NOTE: Colors correspond to inadequate response to the sequester by affiliated Parties.] ♦
I’m only asking because some concerned friends of mine, abhorred that I’d write about my contentment to sit at my computer all day and claim to have a satisfying relationship with it, mentioned to me that my present state of single-ness was unacceptable. Actually they used more harsh terms, but I won’t print them here.
Suffice it to say, they’ve given me an assignment to break it off with PC and go out and find a RealGuy. O000 — I don’t know, that sounds like a lotta work. But Spring is coming, and God willing, will soon be followed by Summer and I’ll only regret not listening to their threats when those glorious Summer Nights start rolling in in the world’s greatest city, New York and I’ve got no one to spend time with. So, I’ll indulge them for as long as I can. I don’t know how MyComputer’s gonna take it though. He’s scary-jealous. ♦
Later pilgrims…