Why Everything Republicans Are Saying About The Sequester Is Wrong

[ProfessionalLeftist]

Barring a last minute Congressional compromise, $85 billion in automatic across-the-board cuts will go into effect in the next 72 hours as a result of the sequester mechanism included in the 2011 Budget Control Act.

Republicans — many of whom voted for the BCA and have for years championed deep spending reductions — are hoping to blame the Democrats and President Obama for the consequences of the cuts, claiming that if “bad things” happen as a result of sequester, “it’s because [Obama] wants them to.” As the nation moves closer to the March 1 deadline, here is your guide to the GOP spin on the sequester:

1) We need spending cuts to get the economy going. The GOP claims that government spending is out of control and reason that reducing spending would spur greater economic growth. But government expenditures have grown at its slowest pace since the Eisenhower administration under President Obama and the latest projections from the Congressional Budget Office show that the nation’s deficits have shrunk by trillions of dollars, and the debt is close to being stabilized as a percentage of the economy. Austerity measures have dragged down economic growth in Europe and some economists argue that sequestration won’t actually lead to substantial shrinking of the deficit, since fiscal contraction caused by sequestration is likely to slow economic growth, reducing tax revenue and preventing meaningful deficit reduction.

2) Agencies need more flexibility to avoid cuts in crucial services. After backing sequestration mechanism — the across-the-board cuts that were designed to force lawmakers to reach a comprehensive deal to reduce the deficit with additional revenue and spending reductions — Republicans are now considering legislation that would leave President Obama and federal agencies with the responsibility of carving out waste and unnecessary spending while preserving critical government services. In reality, the problem isn’t one of authority. Programs will see their budgets cut by anywhere between 2 and 10 percent and most will be unable to salvage services and only target inefficiencies. The Republican replacement is just another effort to implement spending reductions without also increasing revenues.

MORE...

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/02/26/1638861/why-everything-republicans-are-saying-about-the-sequester-is-wrong/

[TheMastersNemesis]

1. It Is Not That They Are Wrong - It Is That THEY ARE LYING AND THEY KNOW IT.

They also have a complicit sadistic media who loves to report on suffering and misery.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

2. And the media's goddamned false equivalency crap

is insufferable. Media parrots GOP talking points while refusing to hold the sociopaths accountable for any of this mess and this mess IS the GOP's exclusively. But none in the media dare say so. Lest they end up like Soledad O'Brien or Phil Donahue. Ousted.

[TheMastersNemesis]

3. I Hardly Ever See Anyone Challenge GOPPERS To Their Face And They Can Say Anything

They Want No Matter How Vile Or Stupid.

[madville]

4. I think all are equally at fault

The voting was fairly bipartisan and the President signed it into law. Everyone is just busy blaming everyone else, have they even had any meetings about a compromise?

I think it's all just theatre at this point and they are going to let happen exactly what they wanted to happen. I might be jaded as well since I have worked in the federal government several times and the waste and inefficiency is unbelievable, just look at Congress, their budgets need to be cut as well if everyone else has to give up a piece of the pie.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

5. At this point, I don't think Congress should be paid AT ALL

Until/unless they decide to actually do some work FOR THE PEOPLE (not just themselves, big corp and the very wealthy).

They get HUGE lifetime salaries. CUT 'EM. COMPLETELY. OFF.