Is there NOTHING we could cut?

Posted on February 27, 2013 by myiq2xu

draconian

Seriously:

Obama rejects GOP call to appropriate sequester cuts

President Obama rejected Republican suggestions Tuesday that he should have more power to carry out $85 billion in pending budget cuts, and instead urged Congress to work out a better solution that involves raising revenue through taxes on the wealthy.

Obama told shipyard workers that he doesn’t want responsibility for apportioning the looming “sequester” cuts because there is no wise way to do it.

“The problem is, when you’re cutting $85 billion in seven months,” Obama said, “there’s no smart way to do that. You don’t want to have to choose between, ‘Let’s see, do I close funding for the disabled kid, or the poor kid? Do I close this Navy shipyard or some other?’”

[...]

The draconian cuts are set to take effect automatically Friday as part of a deal Republicans and Democrats crafted months ago to try to force themselves to come to a bigger budget deal.

That deal has eluded them, and now all sides are resigning themselves to the fact that across-the-board cuts will kick in as scheduled. Republicans are contemplating offering legislation that would give the administration more authority to decide which programs get cut, so that he could steer around the most critical programs.

[...]

If it passed, it could give the president more ownership of cuts he has worked for weeks to distance himself from.

[...]

Even if he had more power to carry out the cuts, Obama said, “you can’t gloss over the pain” they would cause.

Really Mr. President? Is there NOTHING we could cut? Is there not one ounce of fat anywhere?

How big are these “draconian” cuts? Two percent? Three?

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93 Responses

  1. HELENK, on February 27, 2013 at 9:20 am said:

    http://weaselzippers.us/2013/02/27/obama-finally-agrees-to-meet-with-congressional-leaders-on-averting-sequester-cuts-day-after-they-go-into-effect/

    oh the thrill of it all!!! backtrack will meet with congress on FRIDAY to talk about the sequester

  2. wmcb, on February 27, 2013 at 9:22 am said:

    We’ll be eating our own young, you guys. In an apocalyptic wasteland of no govt services whatsoever, you guys.

  4. nerdle, on February 27, 2013 at 9:29 am said:

    It’s hard to make cuts when Obama owes so much to his overlords.

  6. SHV, on February 27, 2013 at 9:36 am said:

    $85 billion for the fiscal year is a catastrophe, while the FED and US Treasury pump $80 billion per month into the financial industry, trying to maintain the facade that the economy is getting better.

  8. swanspirit, on February 27, 2013 at 9:47 am said:

    OT still enjoying Donna Brazile admitting her ignorance

  9. wmcb, on February 27, 2013 at 10:01 am said:

    Guy running for office on the R ticket in Chicago. He was savagely opposed by the R machine in the primary, and is now savagely opposed by the D machine.

    I really don’t think he’s either R or D (he slams both in this speech). I think he picked the party where he was most likely to be able to win the primary. Don’t know a lot about him, but I don’t think either party wants people who talk bluntly like this running for office.

  10. HELENK, on February 27, 2013 at 10:06 am said:

    Iowa Hawk

    Difference between a $40k taxpayer and a $4T government? If you cut the taxpayer’s budget by 2%, he doesn’t let felons loose in retaliation.

  12. votermom, on February 27, 2013 at 10:18 am said:
    • wmcb, on February 27, 2013 at 10:45 am said:

      I don’t have a problem with him thinking that. I think he’s wrong. But if he wants to try to find health care providers who will give the same level of care, with all the attendant paperwork, rules, headaches, and and the reality that 60% of them WILL be sued in their career, and they will do it cheaper, then have at it.

      If Matt thinks they we can reduce doctor pay by fiat, and a few decades down the road the best and brightest will still be clamoring to get into med school, go right ahead. I got no problem with that. Do the experiment, see where it goes. Where I think it will go will be most of the country getting mediocre care, while those with money will pay docs who are really good at what they do to give them excellent care.

      Allocation of resources can only be done by two means:

      1) By market means (people get paid whatever the market will bear, i.e. what it’s “worth” in reality) or

      2) By some authority allocating those resources in a “fair” manner.

      The first always results in unequal distribution of resources, which we can then go back and “smooth out” to some degree, though not perfectly. We can somewhat relieve those after the fact who truly got the short end of the stick.

      The second always results in a shortage of resources, period. Which the truly wealthy/powerful can always find a way around anyway. They’ve done it in every human society in all of history. Neither is a perfect world. I prefer the former to the latter, because it costs less in the end relative to the quality of the product, and gives you more options.

      Choices. It’s always about choices. What people like Matt insist upon is a system where no choice has to be made: where you can literally have it all. It’s a pipe dream. You can have unequally distributed but *excellent* resources, or everyone can have a really crappy (but marginally sufficient) car. You cannot have both. It doesn’t exist.

      • votermom, on February 27, 2013 at 10:51 am said:

        In Matt’s utopia the best & the brightest will get free education, be placed in professions that suit them perfectly via accurate psychological testing, and will provide services free.

      • yttik, on February 27, 2013 at 4:16 pm said:

        How come nobody ever complains about hospital administrators, insurance control specialists, etc etc? The highest paid people in my county are hospital commissioners, followed closely by hospital administrators. You have to go through 9 levels of bureaucracy before you even reach a doctor’s salary. Doctors around here earn only slightly more than local plumbers and electricians.

        Kind of sad and funny at the same time, most of our local doctors earn the same wage as Seattle’s unionized garbage truck drivers, minus the benefits. Of course, garbage truck drivers don’t have to buy malpractice insurance.

  13. HELENK, on February 27, 2013 at 10:26 am said:

    http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2013/02/27/bob-woodward-obama-is-showing-madness/

    the left will start going after woodward now. he is starting to speak against the dear leader

  14. myiq2xu, on February 27, 2013 at 10:42 am said:

    This just keeps getting better and better:

    White House was ‘unaware’ of immigration detainee release

    Neither the White House nor the Homeland Security Department headquarters were made aware of the Immigration Customs and Enforcement decision to release detainees ahead of the pending forced spending cuts, an administration official said Wednesday.

    Separately, at a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the decision was made by ICE “without any input from the White House.”

    So why did they release them BEFORE the sequester took effect?

  15. HELENK, on February 27, 2013 at 10:45 am said:

    http://nation.foxnews.com/dr-benjamin-carson/2013/02/27/dr-carson-white-house-repeatedly-asked-advanced-copies-speech-prayer-breakfast

    the white house asked for an advance copy of Dr Carson prayer breakfast speech. why?? last I heard we still did have free speech in this country

  18. ProudMilitaryMom, on February 27, 2013 at 10:57 am said:

    I wonder how much could be saved if every Congress critter, the once and his wife and the SCOTUS all cut their staffs? (And did some of their own damn work)

  19. HELENK, on February 27, 2013 at 10:59 am said:

    http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/53400

    some interesting financial history of how we got here

  20. votermom, on February 27, 2013 at 11:11 am said:
  21. fif, on February 27, 2013 at 11:25 am said:

    He is a woos, not a leader. He can’t make the tough calls, because he’s so invested in being liked. His narcissism showing again.

  22. Anthony, on February 27, 2013 at 11:46 am said:

    Bob Woodward re: Obama and cuts:

    “Obama is showing a kind of madness I haven’t seen in a long time”

    And to rub the Obots noses in it, he said it on Morning Joe.

    Video in the linked article

    http://www.businessinsider.com/bob-woodward-obama-sequester-republicans-2013-2

  23. Blessyourheart, on February 27, 2013 at 11:49 am said:

    God you people are too stupid to even read a bar graph. So where does the spending level off? Between 92-00 and 08-13. When Democrats are in the WH. And when does it blow up? Well between 00-08 and 80-92. And you still want to keep your heads in your asses and believe its Democrats who have a spending problem?? Sheesh. There really are none so blind as those who will not see…

  24. wmcb, on February 27, 2013 at 12:00 pm said:

    Uncle Si is the only reason I watch Duck Dynasty. The rest are meh, but Si is freaking hilarious:

    http://www.aetv.com/duck-dynasty/video/si-tunes-19606083783

  26. HELENK, on February 27, 2013 at 12:12 pm said:

    http://weaselzippers.us/2013/02/27/uber-hack-stephanie-cutter-shrieks-old-people-will-starve-vets-kicked-out-of-their-homes-if-gop-does-not-cave-on-disastrous-sequester-cuts/

    and here comes stephanie again. she carries so much water for backtrack I am surprised she is not overcome with rust

  27. HELENK, on February 27, 2013 at 12:47 pm said:

    need to rant

    got a letter from cigna my medical insurance that they will go to generic prescription medicine. Unless they get a doctors opinion that says to stay on brand name medication. I am trying to find out if my breathing medication is one of the ones that will change. I get getting a computer instead of a person.
    last week I got a letter saying that if I need certain test I have to go to some place i never heard of to get them. Now I go to Loma Linda Hospital Medical center for my lung doctor, my eye doctor and general medical doctor. this is one of the best hospitals in the country

    GOD DAMN OBAMACARE

    • yttik, on February 27, 2013 at 4:24 pm said:

      It’s really bad for some of my clients, Helenk, who can’t take certain generics. They can not get it waived, even with a doctors note. Some people are deathly allergic to the fillers and dyes in some generics and simply can’t have them.

      Another crappy rule is only giving somebody two weeks worth of medication. I guess the reasoning is that if you croak, the insurance company doesn’t want to be out the cost of an extra two weeks of medication. The problem is people keep running out and by the time I get there, they haven’t been taking their medication for over a week.

  28. HELENK, on February 27, 2013 at 12:51 pm said:

    #BREAKINGNEWS Wheat Ridge gun shop break-in overnight. Got in through hole in roof. Shop called Gunsmoke. Still checking what firearms taken

    expect a lot more of this

  30. myiq2xu, on February 27, 2013 at 1:18 pm said:

    Benghazi penalties are bogus

    The four officials supposedly out of jobs because of their blunders in the run-up to the deadly Benghazi terror attack remain on the State Department payroll — and will all be back to work soon, The Post has learned.

    The highest-ranking official caught up in the scandal, Assistant Secretary of State Eric Boswell, has not “resigned” from government service, as officials said last week. He is just switching desks. And the other three are simply on administrative leave and are expected back.

    The four were made out to be sacrificial lambs in the wake of a scathing report issued last week that found that the US compound in Benghazi, Libya, was left vulnerable to attack because of “grossly inadequate” security.

    State Department leaders “didn’t come clean about Benghazi and now they’re not coming clean about these staff changes,” a source close to the situation told The Post., adding, the “public would be outraged over this.”

  31. votermom, on February 27, 2013 at 1:23 pm said:

    Donna’s been to the spin doctor

    • swanspirit, on February 27, 2013 at 5:14 pm said:

      Sometimes, when the basic ignorance of some people at supposedly high levels of authority and functioning reveal their ignorance , it is absolutely breathtakingly stunning . Can’t spell price gauging ?? Cheeeeeeez Louizzzzzzeee She is surprised her premiums went up? PRICELESS

  35. wmcb, on February 27, 2013 at 2:13 pm said:

    THIS needs retweeting.

  36. foxyladi14, on February 27, 2013 at 2:51 pm said:

    After all that purging maybe we can get some people with a brain. :)

  37. John Denney, on February 27, 2013 at 3:13 pm said:

    I’ve been having to deal with a 2-3% cut every year for decades. It’s called “inflation”, and the Fed controls it, striving to keep inflation at around 2.5% per year.

    In 10 years, a dollar is reduced to about 78 cents; in forty years, to 36 cents.

    • yttik, on February 27, 2013 at 4:27 pm said:

      Quite true! Let’s not forget that recent 40% increase in gas prices.

      • wmcb, on February 27, 2013 at 4:31 pm said:

        Oh, they “fixed” the inflation numbers years ago by ceasing to include fuel or groceries prices in the data.

        So even that 2.5% number is a fucking LIE.

    • DandyTiger, on February 27, 2013 at 4:52 pm said:

      And of course, inflation is essentially a hidden tax. And it turns out to be most painful and harmful to the poor %-wise. The current policies could push us to hyperinflation. We’re sitting on more and bigger bubbles, artificially propped up by the fed. We’ve got to pay the piper sometime.

  38. wmcb, on February 27, 2013 at 4:04 pm said:

    Protein Wisdom’s comment on Hagel’s confirmation:

    I guess “never again” has been downgraded to “oh, come on. I mean, what are the odds, amiright?”

    - See more at: http://proteinwisdom.com/#sthash.MeFB6xQq.dpuf

  39. wmcb, on February 27, 2013 at 4:30 pm said:

    Woodward isn’t shutting up. He came out now and reported that the WH is threatening him. He’s telling it ALL, baby.

    Bob Woodward said this evening on CNN that a “very senior person” at the White House warned him in an email that he would “regret doing this,”

    Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/bob-woodward-obama-sequester-white-house-reporting-price-politics-2013-2#ixzz2M9JCrPgO

    http://www.businessinsider.com/bob-woodward-obama-sequester-white-house-reporting-price-politics-2013-2#ixzz2M9DmsnGD

    • wmcb, on February 27, 2013 at 4:56 pm said:
    • DandyTiger, on February 27, 2013 at 4:58 pm said:

      I’m not the slightest bit surprised. Obama and his court are angry, vindictive, little fucktards. They have nothing. No ideas. No interest in actual policy. They’re just angry teenagers without a cause. They have a hit list, a favorites list, they think they are gods, and they’re out to smite anyone who doesn’t pray to them.

  40. yttik, on February 27, 2013 at 5:00 pm said:

    Okay, this is just criminal! Aneheuser busch is accused of watering down beer. Between my state taxing the crap out of it and manufacturers watering it down, I really can’t explain why we haven’t had a revolution yet.

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