The sequester is nothing if funding the government doesn't get passed by March 27. Sweating over a mole hill while there is a mountain right behind it.

And so is the voting public and all Newsvine posters. Have any of you yet gone to the link I posted of the FY 2013 federal budget proposal submitted to Congress last year, gone line by line to determine what YOU would cut and by what percentage to reach that $85B for this fiscal year? Until then, we ALL need to STFU, because we are no better than Congress or the administration. I invite each of you to start posting your proposals from this link right here on Newsvine and make sure you send them to every member of Congress and the WH as well. The FY 2013 budget proposal .pdf file is 256 pages long and can be downloaded as a single file, or you can download each individual section of the budget.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Overview

The same people who will be laid off or furloughed because of failed decision making are the revenue producers for the government, THE TAXPAYERS.

The government will shoot themselves in the foot first then take one to the temple letting this insane bickering to continue......

Hey Matt: the vast majority of the Bush tax cuts helped out the poor and middle class. If those were so bad for the country, why have the Dems kept on extending them? You want those to expire and then have the poor and downtrodden suddenly see their taxes spike? Then you complain about Republicans adding to the debt? HAVE YOU SEEN WHERE OUR DEBT AND DEFICIT HAVE GONE SINCE DEMS TOOK BOTH HOUSES IN 2006? Good Lord, you libs need to open your eyes. Oh, and you do know that the house has passed over 30 jobs bills (last I saw) that Harry Reid has REFUSED to even bring up for a vote in the Senate............

Matt FYI fact look it up

Clinton added somewhere between $1.6 trillion and $2 trillion to the debt between 1992 and 2000.

Clinton ran an annual budget surplus during certain years of his administration, but no, he did not attain "zero debt."

viknat,

True but as a percent of GDP (Negates inflation) the national debt decreased from 69% to 57% of GDP.

http://zfacts.com/p/318.html

Can't wait for the cuts to go into a affect and the whole thing will be a snooze. If it is more then a snooze then wait until the BIG cuts have to go into affect - it will be interesting to watch the 47% cannibalize one another for who gets what is left of government handouts.

Pat, stop touting the garbage about 10 year cuts, what has been cut NOW? Nothing. It was about 10 years ago that the DC crew touted 100 billion dollar cuts of waste in Medicare, but if you look closely they never actually enacted those cuts. So here we are a decade later and they spent that Trillion dollars that they said they were going to Cut. Bush did it and so has Obama, they have both LIED to the American people. Wake up and see the LIES that Politicians on both sides keep saying.

85 billion in cuts is nothing but they will take the most obvious way to make them felt by the American people. It is just like State and Local cuts being the police, education and fireman first instead of cutting out the bureaucracy. Makes good headlines for the press but is really childish in fact.

What is a loop hole if it isn't an exception to a rule that is either intentionally inserted or unintentionally inserted into a bill that allows a select group to avoid a consequence others must face. Assuming the concept, "equal justice under the law" still has merit, why wouldn't Congress want to close unintended loopholes that favor one group over another while denying needed revenue to fund government? If it is an intentional loophole, why do some argue so vociferously in defense of discriminatory practices in the tax code?

Weiserg-

Hey Matt: the vast majority of the Bush tax cuts helped out the poor and middle class

That is a glaringly inaccurate representation of the impact of the Bush tax cuts.

The Bush tax cuts helped mainly those making over $200,000 (the top 2%) - they received more than 70% of the tax savings.

If you look at just the Capital Gains tax cut, it reduced taxes on those making more than $10 million annually by an average of $500,000.

Weiserg

Then you complain about Republicans adding to the debt? HAVE YOU SEEN WHERE OUR DEBT AND DEFICIT HAVE GONE SINCE DEMS TOOK BOTH HOUSES IN 2006?

============

This talking point is as old as they come. You cannot separate the financial dealings coming out of Washington as D and R. The Congress votes, the President signs. There is no D's in Congress, R's in Congress stuff.

Notwithstanding that obvious reality, when people speak about the Country's finances in only in kind of 'real time' terms, I'm turned off to them anyway. The Nation's budgetary impacts don't turn on and off like we so flippantly describe them as being.

The nation's finances are always a 'wheels in motion' scenario.

Hey Matt-

The Bush tax cuts took the bottom 50% and basically gave them a free ride. It also gave the middle class a sizeable decrease in the amount they pay in taxes. Now, who does that positively impact more? Not the rich

the president is not to blame for the budget sequester. that would be your darling republicans because they voted for this not obama.

Wrong, bucko. It is on record that obama initiated the "sequester". Disregarding that fact, it took both parties and both the house and senate to pass a BILL. It also took obama to sign the bill into LAW. So if it took a single party or person to make this happen - it was the president of the democratic party (because he certainly hasn't been working with the republicans.

Budget sequestration, which formally begins when the president orders it into effect...

So there is still time for obama to act like a leader and stop the sequester.

I am one of the ones that will be directly affected by sequestration. I have already been notified that I will lose 20% of my pay due to sequestration (one day a week). As much as I hate it, I am glad there are some in congress trying to do what is best for the country. obama got his tax increases and before the ink was dry on the last grandstanding he did he was already vowing another tax increase, along with his lap dog Biden.

TNSEVOL, the bush cap gains tax cuts you talk of also increased revenue.

PIG...

I understand you are a shill for the democrtick party... many of us have taken bets that you are really Nancy Pelosi,,, however

the oil companies are getting tax breaks NOT subsidies... subsidies are what were given to the FAILED OBAMA solar companies.

As to taxes in general... it is hard to reduce a persons taxes when they are already paying ZERO...UNLESS you count reducing the amount they get back over what they paid in... I know a family that paid in $2500 and got back $5,000... were we subsidizing them

As meeting yields no breakthrough, Obama calls 'dumb' cuts GOP's 'choice'

I can see the is no desire to find common ground and bring solutions not politics.. Is my way or the highway. The "dumb cuts", the whole idea of secuestration come from the White House.

O'$htstains idea of balanced is to get rid of the cuts and raise taxes, wake up folks, these aren't even cuts , they are a reduction of increases!!!!

DaveMM, the Republican Party wanted to go down this road if they didn't get 100% of what they wanted. It's what they have been used to for years. And now they are willing to throw the American people to the wolves because of their arrogant, selfish, uncaring policies.

I will continue to post the truth whether you like it or not. I am sick to death of people thinking the GOP are honest brokers.

They are anything but.

Hysterical.

"I am not a dictator."

Right up there with "I did not have sex with that woman," and "I am not a liar."

BigATC-

TNSEVOL, the bush cap gains tax cuts you talk of also increased revenue.

Facts to support that? Revenue decreased as a percentage of GDP under GW Bush and the national debt and deficit increased.

Studies have shown that lower Capital Gains taxes do nothing to stimulate economic growth. Here are just a few examples:

Per Brad Plummer of the Washington Post:

“The top tax rate on investment income has bounced up and down over the past 80 years—from as high as 39.9 percent in 1977 to just 15 percent today—yet investment just appears to grow with the cycle, seemingly unaffected..”.

A study by Troy Kravitz and Len Burman of the Urban Institute determined that over the past 50 years there is NO correlation between the top capital gains tax rate and U.S. economic growth—even if you allow for a lag of up to five years.

Talk to the Hand

REdDev

Boy, they just don't stop. The campaign is over, Romney lost, Obama won.

You may want to clue Obama into this little tidbit. He won. Time to lead. Not sure he knows how. He would much rather stay on the campaign trail. A LOT less pressure.

==========

Tired of this talking point as well. You people speak of 'leading' in these absolute euphoric terms. A 'follower' has within them at some level a desire to follow. Ever heard the term 'to many chefs in the kitchen'.

The GOP play both sides of the fence. They claim the position of 'leaders' while complaining that no one is there for them to follow.

This President has done nothing but continuously bend to the will of the Congress...and from my perspective has expected of Congress what they are paid to do, write legislation and vote on it

I find it hilarious that a President is looked at cross-eyed for having the Congress actually write and vote on legislation.

Obama threatened to veto a bill that would have given him more flexibility to make these cuts more sensible rather then across the board. But he has no interest in cuts, or a deal for that matter, Obama simply wants to blame Republicans. That is all he has ever done, and that is all he wants to do. For Obama to continually claim he is unable to get anything passed, proves he is incapable of compromise. The sequester was designed to force spending cuts, and what is the Obama solution? More tax revenue. Obama moved the goalpost yet again. If Obama was simply interested in smarter spending cuts, this would have been a done deal long ago. But no, Obama added the demand for more tax increases, which he knew would derail the process and give him a chance to blame Republicans. Unfortunately for Obama, some leaked that the sequester was the brainchild of the White House, and that during the last debt ceiling debate Obama moved the goalpost. Obviously Obama is only interested in political gains, and that is the reason you cannot take him at his word in negotiations.

The spending cuts should start right there at CONGRESS! Hit them in their wallets and see if they like it!

Even most of the rich admit their taxes should go up some.

Sequester should start with the ridiculous staff sizes and salaries across the entire executive and legislative branches.

Since Obummer started this stuff in 2011, yes, I know, the Dems have conveniently forgotten this, let him figure out how to fix his lies and deceit.

aworldofhurt...........You are going to have a very tough time finding that ObamaPhone, because if you take 30 seconds to research it, you will discover that what you like to term the "ObamaPhone" was a program signed into effect by Saint Ronald Reagan ! Don't take my word for it, do a little research before you spout off with the made up crap from Fox and Rush. You will of course get back to us all on this , right ? We will be waiting................................

Why exactly is it that folks who are hell bent on blaming the President for the sequester not remember that this mechanism (sequester) was put in place as a deterrent for the Congressional Super Committee (that was the idea of the Congress) to have equal House and Senate, D and R members to do, with a scalpel, what the sequester was to do with a hatchet?

That Congressional Super Committee FAILED AT THEIR JOINT TASK OF TACKLING THE DEBT/DEFICIT.

They had the choice of HOW the cuts were going to happen and they failed so now it is not about the how, but simply how much because it is across the board.

You wanna talk about short f'n memories!

Did any of you hear the statement from Maxine Waters? That idiot said that 117 million Americans would lose their jobs from this. Do democrats even have a clue as to how many Americans work in this country? They only seem to care about those that don't work. You know, equal outcome not equal opportunity, the liberal way.

So many of you are pointing the finger at one side or the other without seeing that both sides are responsible for the problem. However, most fail to recognize the real problem. The sequester is a budget issue. each sector of government was given money to run for the fiscal year. Nearly all the money has been allocated. The sequester basically says 'give some of that money back.' Well money spent on contracts, structures, etc. is gone. So what money is left? There are short term contracts that will not get renewed, which will lead to some private sector layoffs. There's also government workers who can be furloughed, thus reducing payroll. So, in this case, government response is not much different from the private sector. Payroll cuts are the easiest to implement.

A larger problem is the mindset of our politicians when it comes to doling out taxpayer money. This is where it gets ugly and it applies to every department, bureau, branch, you name it. If a government entity does not spend it's entire budget by the end of the fiscal year it will be penalized. Instead of an atta boy for saving taxpayer money, the attitude is more inline with 'if you can't spend it I'll find someone who will. next year I'm cutting your budget to less than what you ask for'. The biggest example is the pentagon. It's amazing how much money they are FORCED to spend. And if they don't then someone's taking the fall.

All politicians are guilty of this. In order to have real change the mindset in DC has to change. Efficiency should be encouraged and rewarded. We always here of the wasteful spending, but try to find more than a handful of politicians willing to say the real reason behind the wasteful spending.

No sweat Mr. President, these hypocrites are just doing what McConnell promised to do in 2009, obstruct and attempt to destroy everything you do, hoping to destroy you too.

Stand tall Sir, you were elected by a majority, govern, and watch these sissies fall apart come election time!!!!

I'm thinking that the mentality of a "community organizer" falls far short of the mentality needed to run an entire country. The fact that he throws a hissy fit when he doesn't get his way speaks volumes.

There is zero wisdom floating around Washington, conventional or otherwise.

I know that this has been some of the conventional wisdom that's been floating around Washington," Obama told reporters

All us working people had to tighten our belts and deal with recent tax increases. D.C. should have to do the same......and without fearmongering or hissyfits please.

Gotta love how the dems are calling tax increases "revenue increases." That makes it easier to deal with right?

How about getting rid of waste & fraud instead of our first responders, military and elderly assistance programs?

Dumb cuts?

Example of dumb cuts are those who want this Government , send pink slips to teachers instead, to the bureaucrats in the federal Government, there are 10 bureaucrats by each teacher, but dismiss a teacher causes more harm and that is intended, this is the same in all departments, there are more bureaucrats than traffic controllers at airports, there are more bureaucrats than border patrol. Those are dumb cuts.

350 millions in conventions for Federal Employees.....cut the damm government in half.

How many of you would agree to this tax revision? Eliminate ALL deductions, credits, subsidies, and any other means of reducing your taxable income. Go to a straight GROSS INCOME tax structure where ALL sources of income are taxed at the same rate (wages, dividends, capital gains, inheritance, alimony, profit, etc.) and all income earners are taxed as individuals with NO dependents. The first $25K of an individual's income would be tax free. Tax all income above $25K up to and including $250K at 15%, tax all income above $250K up to and including $750K at 30%, and tax all income over $750K at 45%. It would make for a very simple tax filing form and would (or should) also reduce the number of IRS employees needed. (Of course, it would put a lot of tax preparers and accountants out of business, wouldn't it?)

Allen- Omaha

And who did they elect to be the chairperson of the Super Committee?? None other than partisan Patty Murray. When they put Patty Murray in charge of anything that needs to be bi-partisan they know it will fail. Our President wanted this sequester so he could FORCE republicans to raise taxes. He FAILED. The republicans are doing exactly what I would want them to do. That is why I vote for them.

I thought all the money from the Obama and Bush bailouts was paid back and the Gooberment made big profits on the loans?

So where did all that money go? Shouldn't that have been more than enough to make up for these cuts?

Also: Obama stimulus was to create more revenue for the Gooberment.

Where is it at?

Demorat and Repuke cults have ripped us off again!

You cultist got what you voted for. Enjoy!

Pigotry,

Here is how you get more money to educators:

ELIMINATE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION!!!

Since it was established as a huge government bureaucracy, our education standards have eroded and we are way down compared to the rest of the world. Bottom line: IT'S NOT WORKING! The DOE has become a system to benefit teachers, and is not benefiting students by helping them get a better education as it was supposed to do. Close it down and take the money saved and give it to the states for their education systems. It will be much-much better spent.

Obozo just got up there and LIED again. this sequester thing was HIS idea and now he is trying to renege on it.

Obama: Our Pinocchio in Chief

Dear Republicans: you think this is the Presidents fault, and you claim that to be true because you think (and maybe he did) suggest this, and outlined it's details?

Why then did Boehner go on tv in Aug 2011 and claim:

"When you look at this final agreement that we came to with the white House, I got 98 percent of what I wanted. I'm pretty happy."

Help me understand how he made that statement then, and you all are making different statements now?

FLIP FLOP?

Im not disagreeing that he suggested it, I bet he did...it's a political move, he offered republians what they wanted in exchange for getting the debt ceiling raised. THIS IS CALLED COMPROMISE.

The ball was then put in the republicans court, because THIS is what they wanted.

Help me understand republicans, one minute you want massive spending cuts...but then, the next minute when it's actually going to happen, you want nothing to do with it - and you blame the other side?

Im not following...help this "stupid liberal" GET IT. because clearly, I must not grasp how you want spending cuts...but when they go into affect, its not what you want.

SCRATCHING HEAD BIG TIME.

*edited to add - if not THESE spending cuts, like THIS that you wanted...then why did republicans agree to it?

Seriously...im at a loss here.

Yawn.....

I watched Speaker Boehner's hit the mic and run for cover comment to the press; he couldn't get away from there fast enough--no questions allowed. Mitch McConnell released a defiant statement rather than face the press. Guess when they've run out of excuses, they can't answer questions nor can they explain their actions to the press.

Then I watched President Obama patiently answer questions from the press. President Obama was willing to answer the tough questions, take the heat while the GOPers were too cowardly and headed out of Dodge.

The FR headline regarding blaming the GOP for 'dumb cuts' is a bit misleading but it makes for good chat on the blog.

@ re@son@ble: and the first place to start those efficiency cuts would be in the offices of the members of Congress, but theirs is the first appropriation to get passed each year and the first one to get bloated. Then they tack on all of their pork to the other appropriations bills (and most generally totally non-germain to the bill they attach the pork). Then they scream about the bloated budget. One of the reasons Congress has failed to accept any of this administration's budget proposals is because their pet projects would have been cut or decreased.

Our government has been reduced to sitting around, doing nothing, and watching corporations take all our tax dollars.....

and they pitch us against each other as part of that shell game

and we fall for it

think about it lefties and righties.... the real problem is our politicians and how they play us....

Steve Benen:

Substantively, there is no difference between the two arguments. Both represent extremes. Except right now, Republicans think the first sentence makes perfect sense and no one is even bothering with the second sentence.

Indeed, if Boehner were to accept Obama's compromise, Boehner would still come out on top since the spending-cut totals would still easily outweigh the revenue totals. The president's offer, at face value, is already a win for the GOP.

But Republicans won't accept a win; they'll accept a rout. According to Boehner, the only available solution to a problem he helped create is one in which his side gets 100% of what it wants, predicated on the assumption that the massive spending cuts agreed to in 2011 have escaped Republicans' memories altogether.

At this point, most Americans want a compromise. Most Democrats want and have already proposed a compromise. But Boehner wants everyone to know there will be no compromise, and there's nothing the president can say or do to change his mind.

I'll now look forward to pundits everywhere telling me how "both sides" are to blame.

"I've presented what I think is a fair deal, and the republicans didn't take it."

That's Mr Obama's definition of "compromise".

Obama quote "I am not a dictator!" lolololololololololol!!!!!!!!!!!! rrriiiiiiggghhhhttttt . . . Keep telling yourself that Obama. Doesn't make it not true.

All you have done is told the opposite side of the isle that it is "your way" and "they won't agree with me" and "they won't play fair and do what I I I I I I I want!!" Wah wah wah!!!

I know, you can go travel around for a week crying about how bad everyone else is but YOU and pretend that Armageddon is inevitable if the sequestration goes through!!! Maybe you should have been in Washington trying to REALLY work out a compromise, not ram your ideology down everyone's throat!!!

Yep, no dictator there for sure!! Cry baby, lifelong campaigner, complainer, and yes . . . Dicktator of your socialist agenda.

ToxicChemist -

Amy, I hate to break it to you, but the tanking of the economy happened due to the housing bubble where Barney Fwank(D) and Christopher Dodd(D) were in charge.

That myth is untrue and has been debunked many, many times but Republicans keep repeating it.

The U.S. Senate's Levin–Coburn Report found that the crisis was the result of "high risk, complex financial products; undisclosed conflicts of interest; the failure of regulators, the credit rating agencies, and the market itself to rein in the excesses of Wall Street".

The 1999 repeal of the Glass–Steagall Act allowed depository banks to make previously un-allowed risky investments. Banks issued mortgage-backed derivative financial instruments. Credit-rating agencies failed to accurately calculate the risk involved, and the government did not adjust their regulations to account for these relatively new financial instruments.

You're just a piece of S#it liberal poster on a liberal blog.

Well, that may be true, but at least I have facts to back up what I post instead of repeating unfounded, inaccurate Republican talking points.

I'm Not a Dictator!!! I want to be, but the GOP is standing in my way. I have most of the U.S. citizens duped, but those d____d conservatives keep blocking me.

JH-479998

Allen- Omaha

And who did they elect to be the chairperson of the Super Committee?? None other than partisan Patty Murray. When they put Patty Murray in charge of anything that needs to be bi-partisan they know it will fail. Our President wanted this sequester so he could FORCE republicans to raise taxes. He FAILED. The republicans are doing exactly what I would want them to do. That is why I vote for them.

===========

Riiiight....because everyone else in the Super Committee were completely non-partisan: Jeb Hensarling, Dave Camp, Fred Upton, John Kyle, Pat Toomey and Rob Portman from the GOP.

If the public, beltway media etc want to blame a dumb idea, they should be taking a harder look at the Super Debt Committee that was the idea of the Congress.

Their failure put in motion that at minimum 1.2 trillion in cuts would be across the board since the Congress could not come to the consensus USING THE MECHANISM THAT IT WANTED.

Obama's gonna fire teachers & firefighters and kick old women out of their homes and let them starve to death in the streets.

However, he could pay for the sequestor if his govt wouldn't spend $340 Million on boondoggles and Vegas retreats and cut out various other waste.

Any of you losers who thinks cutting 2% of INCREASED spending as a big deal is a pretty pathetic. Obama raised your SS tax by 2% and you liberals were happy. And, you didn't even get a raise. Well, Obama's just had his taxes raised 2% and he's whining like a little sissy boy.

This is pure politics and you liberals sound stupid whining about it. I'm happy the sequestor is happening. It's the only way to reign in out of control govt spending.

I personally had to take 2 unpaid days every two weeks.

I'll bet you did, as your private industry CEO pocketed his million dollar bonus and the company added to the stash of trillions in corporate earnings. Another corporate worker dedicated to obscene capitalism, or in other terms, transferring wealth to the wealthy while settling for less.

The process to create a budget for the Federal Government is fairly simple and if you follow the process you will clearly see where the real blame exists.

• Step 1: President submits a budget request to Congress – 2/13/12
• Step 2a: House of Representatives pass a budget resolution – H Res 597 passed on 3/28/12 (Republicans 236 Yeas-3 Nays, Democrats 5-181)
• Step 2b: Senate passes a budget resolution – Not completed, Motion to proceed with Senate Concurrent Resolutions 37, 41, 42, and 44 were each rejected on 5/16/12 without a single Democratic Yea vote.
• Step 3a: House Appropriations subcommittees “markup” appropriation bills: All appropriation bills have been marked up and passed.
• Step 3b: Senate Appropriations subcommittees “markup” appropriation bills: Two appropriations bills were submitted by their subcommittees, but the remaining appropriations have not come out of committee.
• Step 4a: House votes on appropriations bills: All appropriation bills were passed between 5/10/2012 and 7/16/2012
• Step 4b: Senate votes on appropriations bills: No votes, no debate. Cannot be completed until Step 3b completed.
• Step 4c: House and Senate reconcile differences: Cannot be completed until Senate votes on appropriations bills.
• Step 5: President signs each appropriations bill and budget becomes law: Cannot be completed until Senate votes on appropriations bills and reconciliation is completed.

As Bob Woodward, Washington Post journalist, pointed out in his book, Sequestration was an idea that originated in the Obama White House. The sequestration would never occur if Democrats in the Senate and House would agree to a budget that met the required cost reductions. They tried to block it in the House, but failed. They have blocked it in the Senate by not passing an alternative to the House version. This is not now or ever has been a problem caused by Republicans.

Wouldn't it be More Productive if Our Elected Leaders Started Working Together as AMERICANS for AMERICANS and AMERICA, instead of just bickering, stalling and posturing for the next election as democrats and republicans! The American People have had it with this unproductive BS! The way that both parties having been operating for years just stinks! Neither party has really been looking out for the best interests of the US Citizens who elect them and who they're supposed to represent.

Both parties have sold out the bulk of the American citizens, who they're supposed to represent, by allowing the "out-sourcing" floodgates to open wider and wider without taking any sensible measures to stem the tide.

It shouldn't be all about Democrats or Republicans! It should be about Americans, especially our elected officials, doing the right thing for our country and its citizens. All the single-minded, left versus right, ideological one dimensional bull has got to go!

Both parties need to start working together and actually start doing something to fix the real problems in our country like "out-sourcing", illegal immigration, the out of control costs of health care insurance and our reliance on foreign fuel. If they don't start working together and actually start making progress by the next election, then American citizens should run a nation-wide campaign to vote out all incumbents regardless of party to send the message.

The ONLY REAL FIX is to Raise Revenue, by Bringing Back Jobs to US Citizens who Pay Income Tax.

Massive cutting just puts more people on unemployment, which just depresses the economy even further.

Returning private sector jobs to American Citizens will provide income tax revenue to OUR Government versus our government having to pay unemployment benefits to those who would be jobless instead. We need our elected officials to Start Protecting American Jobs and do whatever it takes to bring back the jobs they let go. We need leaders who will actually stand up for the American people.

The bottom line is that “Our Government” has to protect domestic industry and the jobs that those industries provide. If they do that, the rest will take care of itself.

We may have to pay a bit more for products made here in the USA by US citizens, but at least we'll still have jobs and a future for our children.

I'll bet if Congressmen's salaries had been put on the chopping block as part of this sequestration they would have come up with a compromise real fast. Maybe next time.

Didn't congress/Republican's say if they didn't do something they would forfeit there pay? Well?

Bringing manufacturing back home to the USA is going to end up being not only a key to restoring our economy, but to maintaining our national security as well.

China has been crushing the USA in a war without even firing a shot.

Just check out Chinese extreme pollution issues - We all live in the same world, but not every country plays by the same rules.

0123456789

The GOP needs a reminder that the American people voted down their ideology- unemployment and finanicial ruin just wasn't that interesting to most Americans. The party of NO is alive and well and the biggest threat this country faces.

*** 0123... Did you fail to notice that the American people voted IN a Republican House? Do you not notice that 3/5ths of the governors are Republican? Or do you just say whatever you want and that makes it so? No, FEWER Americans voted for Obama than those who chose to either buy off on the campaign promises or give him another chance. Sorry. You can look it up.

in this story:

Obama acknowledged that the sequester's effects will be painful but predicted that the cuts will be manageable by a resilient American people.

"We will get through this," he said. "This is not going to be an apocalypse, I think, as some people have said. It’s just dumb. And it's going to hurt."

does obama not even listen to himself? he and his party lackeys have been declaring the end of life as we know it all week and now he is proclaiming himself and these same lackeys as being dumb.

this guy again stands in front of the world and explains that he is incapable of leading our country. he should right by this country and resign.

while i think biden is pretty much an doddering old fool, he does know where congress is located and would certainly go visit and discuss things with them as every predecessor to obama has done.

Ok, a couple of things for the uneducated here.

1st off, Sequestration was the Obama Idea so as to give King Barry a higher debt ceiling in which to take golf trips on the taxpayer dollar. That was HIS "concession" to get what HE wanted. And he got it.

2ndly, This bullsht of it's Bush's fault song and dance is about assinine, as we are here a full term PAST what Georgy Porgey did or didn't do. And if TRUTH BE TOLD, this road of government handouts harkens all the way back, IF you people were smart enough - not being dumbed down by the current state of education - to the NEW DEAL under a Democrat, who also instituted Medicare, Medicade, Food Stamps and our current (by yet Frankensteined) welfare program.

3rdly, to believe the assinine argument that somehow it is the fault of any one particular party is absurd. EVERY politician has thier hands in someone's pocket, is on someone's leash called Campaign Contributions, PACS, SuperPACs, Lobbyists, and Big Business that buys that politician - known in our 98% as Corruption. George Washington in his farewell speech warned the generation then and the message sings even more true today, that Political Parties only seek to separate what men and women fought, bled, and died for. For that, WE SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED.

4th, to even suggest that only 2% of the population is greedy is not only assinine, but hypocritical. ALL of us LOVE MONEY and loathe those who have more. I am far from rich, but I don't, unlike most of you, blame the rich for having money. What I should point out here is a common sense, objective look at WHO is running the country, WHO is in Congress, and HOW MUCH money (Greed) they have. Show me just 1 congressman who makes MEDIAN Wages, Who doesn't earn over 250k a year, who has ever been on "welfare" or for that matter, struggles to just make ends meet, like most of the CONSTITUENTS they are supposed to represent. In Fact, my fellow morons, they are all "rich" according to our paintbrush, and we expect them to legislate against themselves, somehow expecting that they will not serve thier own selfish interests. How utterly morose, idiotic, and niave to believe such a thing.

And lastly, I agree with Anti-Trust in a sense. Only I would say the flat tax rate should NOT be placed in brackets, but applied acrossed the board. 15% flat on every dollar, whether it comes from wages, investments, inheritance, windfalls, or what have you. And yes, even those SwellFare Checks, so everyone pays a fair share. And those that are on Welfare SHOULD be made to do something for thier dole, be it community service, be it drug testing, getting a required education to better themselves to get off the dole, wouldn't be out of line. IF a person who works, gets laid off, and goes on unemployment has a time limit in which to draw on said unemployment, then it is ONLY FAIR there should be a limit on drawing Welfare. Break the cycle of that Generational Welfare garbage, and start accepting the responsiblity of doing something for yourself.

Whether or not we agree or disagree, the problems this country faces involve out of hand spending (the #1 expense isn't the military if you people were smart enough to actually look at the cost break down of government spending - you would quickly discover 28% the largest chunk of expense is Welfare Programs). We run our households on budgets. We don't spend what we don't have or can afford to pay for. Government should be no different. I don't pay 25K for a toilet seat. I don't pay a private chef's salary to cook grub for me and my family, and I certainly don't get FREE VACATIONS to play golf, send the Mrs Shopping, or for that matter, run around the country and blame everyone else for the things I do or don't do on the taxpayer dollar. I think it is more than about time we all acted with a sense of common sense, and realize that raising taxes without cutting your spending does NOT lower your debt to income ratio. But hell, common sense isn't so common, either here or in Washington.

In 2008 it was "Hope & Change".. Ever sense it's been "Debt & Blame"..!!

Obama claims he's not a dictator. Well, he's not, but he certainly aspires to be one. In any event, Obama backtracked from his "sky is falling" doom scenario resulting from this sequestration going into effect.

One must remember that even with this 85 billion removed from the budget, the budget is still higher than it was last year. Removing of this 85 billion should be correctly characterized not as a budget cut, but as a reduction in the amount of the budget increase.

His inability to accommodate an 85 billion dollar reduction from a 3.6 trillion dollar budget exposes a glaring incompetence on the part of Obama, something even his lapdog media can't cover up.

It really doesn't matter who proposed the sequester,all that really matters is that,once again, the Republican Party has voted along the interests of the few at the cost to the many. They (Republicans) can't even agree amongst themselves. Moderate versus the Tea party wackos, Boehner is afraid of getting primaried, so is Mc Connell. We all know who the American people are going to blame over this fiasco, and it's not the President.

The American people voted along President Obama's plan for getting us out of this recession and the Republicans are deaf.

We are seeing the implosion of the Republican Party, it won't be long until they go the wayof the Whig party.

Obama depends on blind rah rah people like this lady (probably works for him). This sequester thing was Obama's strategy to get budget cuts and place the blame for causing the pain on the repubs...or anybody else. Obama doesn't have the wits to negotiate. Afterall, he's a professor with the greatest ideas and doesn't need to negotiate. At least he thinks that way. America is being destroyed by this guy and his team. We are bankrupt but the rich are getting richer at the expense of the middle class. These two parties we have need to be dumped. They don't serve the people...only their own self interests over the interests of the American people...just like the only president who didn't belong to party said they would. Who was that...why George Washington...pretty smart guy.

Who proposed the sequester? The President did ALONG WITH Speaker Boehner. Boehner even said at the time that he got 98% of what he wanted. It was intended to be so distasteful that it would never come to pass.

Well, Congress voted for it. Cantor even encouraged Boehner not to change it. Boehner could not get enough votes from his own party to do so.

The President has made several overtures to Congress since the initial suggestion of sequester. The only compromise offered by the Republicans was to try to pin all of the responsibility on the President.

Republicans in Congress now suggest that all of the compromise already agreed is in the past and compromise must begin anew.

So suggestions that this is all the President's fault, or that the President has not compromised, or that Congress HAS compromised... are false.

The President offered a Grand Bargain of cuts, angering some on the left who felt it would hurt the elderly and poor. It was an incredible deal for the Republicans, but they chose to reject it, believing Romney would win in 2012 and they would get their cuts without raising taxes on the uber rich. You can't keep saying Obama refuses to make cuts, because that's not the truth. It's the Republicans who kept walking away from the cuts, in order to preserve tax loopholes.

I'm not saying the republicans are free of guilt on this. I seen reason NOT to close loopholes. But I still don't trust obama's 'cuts'. He stated that ACA would save money. Well, the GAO estimates it'll end up adding 6.2 trillion to the deficit, and my wife and I's health insurance premiums are going up, not down. Not only that but even though we pay over 800 a month for health insurance, the quality is going down. She needs to see a pulmonary surgeon and the wait here locally is four weeks. We tried out of town and they are booking into May right now. Why? Because of ACA and the 1000s that got added into Medicaid.

All I see for cuts coming from either party are done with government math and they don't amount to hill of beans. How about cutting overlapping government organizations? How about defunding known racist organizations like la raza? How about doing an audit of welfare and kicking off all the workable adults? How about defunding defense cronyism? How about defunding all of the foreign aid?

There are tons of places to cut down what we physically spend TODAY. All the politicians can do is cut down what we 'might' spend tomorrow. Those aren't cuts.

Maxine Waters said:

“We don’t need to be having something like sequestration that’s going to cause these job losses — over 170 million jobs that could be lost — and so he made it very clear he’s not opposed to cuts but cuts must be done over a long period of time and in a very planned way rather than this blunt cutting that will be done by sequestration.”

I guess we all lose our jobs because of the 2% reduction in spending. Oops, we don't have 170 million jobs, guess we need to hire a few people and then fire them.

Bill - so then, why did Boehner say he got 98% of what he wanted in this sequestor and was pretty happy about it?

I know Obama suggested it and signed it, and it's pure politics.

But if you believe that Republicans werent playing politics too, you're sorely mistaken.

They passed this - at a time when they had not agreed to tax increases - because they believed they would win the 2012 election. That gamble did not pay off.

Their hands were forced, and they raised taxes as required - but again, that wasnt part of this sequestor deal.

Politics are still being played, and at the end of the day...republicans are so far in the polls that their only choice is to take Obama down with them, because they have no move that will make them look good, while making Obama look bad. They're only move is to make everyone look bad.

It's good for them, bad for America.

Politics at it's finest.

Check/Mate

Didn't Barry SIGN this bill when it passed the Congress? How can he now blame another? Oh that's right..... Barry is the KING of blame......

Why is it the Dems fail to remember it passed the Senate by unanimous consent & passed the House 414-2........ FACTS tend to be ignored by the left......

Weiserg....

I simply love how you ignore that the economy failed during and because of the Bush admin & GOP economic policies. De-fanging Glass Steagal via the Gramm Leach blighley was one of the largest contributors to the BS that occured during the early 2000's. Blaming the dems for the financial crisis shows me that you truly have no idea what happened in 2007. You and your opinions are baseless and so lacking in merit that i would listen to my dog before you.

Wrong.............Bammy owns this along with the Dems. hehehehehe........even the Media is starting to turn on him, this is going to be fun to watch!

Yup, Mr. Accountable standing up and taking responsibility once again. I will admit he does work hard at blame deflection you got to give him an A for effort in that area.

Steve - blame? it's not about blame, it's about reality.

The sequestor doesnt have to happen, but it's going to unless the republicans compromise.

but even still, republicans are getting what they want - cuts in spending.

are they the exact cuts you want? nope...because republicans didn't do anything when the sequestor passed their house. is it democrats faults republicans dont have work ethic? im not sure.

but here's what we've got, and it's cuts to spending...and republicans want cuts to spending.

and you guys dont seem to think it'll impact the economy negatively, on the contrary.

so, might as well embrace this...and be proud of the fact that spending is getting cut.

it's what you want, isnt it?

WOW!!!! You liberals and Democrats are like middle school children!!! Nothing is ever you fault, nothing can ever be blamed on your great leader obama or democrats, it is always someone else's fault!!! You idiots continue to blame Bush for this mess? Are you serious? How about doing the responsible thing and research the issues, and see where it came from. You all hold Clinton to your hearts, saying he left with a balanced budget? Guess who had control of congress and the house you idiots. Republicans!!! Oh no that can't be, that would mean they actually did a good job! You do know it was clinton that wanted to place a higher tax on Social Security checks going out, it would have destroyed homes that depended on that check but wait.... the Republicans said Hell No! Your clinton wanted to place a tax on heating oil and gas so that it would cost the average person $2,400 a year in taxes! Wait for it.... the Repubicans put their foot down and again said Hell No! Sorry the president doesn't do the budget, only obama is the one trying to give congress a budget he wants and even his own Democrats called him crazy it wouldn't work!!! That can't be your fearless leader does no wrong, he is the greatest ever!!! So if the Republicans are the one that did the budget during clinton, wouldn't that mean it would carry over to Bush?

Oh yes it did carry over, and it was fine until you democraps took over the final two years of his second term. Before that we had and average of 5.6% unemployment, the average Bush spent was near $600 billion a year, and yes you idiots that was with both wars in the budget. Do some reading and educate yourselves, budget for two wars wouldn't be able to be kept off the books like you believe and how your liberal media outlets failed to prove and when they were proven wrong they still say it was kept off the books. So how do you explain that Republicans controled both houses and budgets were passed and we had a surplus but when you idiots get power all hell breaks loose. Our government can no longer balance our budget, unemployment skyrockets, debt increases with no control.... This can't be right! You liberals and democraps keep blaming Bush and the Republicans for everything, even four years after your great leader was elected still blaming Bush! You guys are morons, idiots, sheep, blind and a dangerous fungus sucking the life out of the tree of liberty and the only way to purge this fungus is to burn it!!!

"Anti-trust - Here you go

Dept of Ag -

6.1 B - Renewal and clean energy environmental improvements.

Whatever portion of the food and nutrition services that goes towards "Supports State, local, and Tribal efforts to serve healthy meals and snacks to schoolchildren."

1.8 B on Marketing and regulatory Programs

9.1 B on Crop Insurance (not a function of government).

1.3 B on "Agricultural Marketing Service"

I've looked at just the Agriculture department and can find many, many things that the federal government spends money on that is not a function of the government, especially the federal government.

Allen - Omaha

I live in Washington State. I can tell you that Patty Murray is as partisan as they come. She is nothing more than the dems "attack dog". She should NEVER have been the chairperson of the Super Committee. It was doomed to fail as soon as they put her in that position. Look at her record, she is a failure at negotiating anything with the oppostion party. The dems know that and they put her there just to make damn sure nothing got settled. President Obama wanted the sequester to go through to use it as a talking point to further degrade republicans. He is a failure and a pathetic leader. He better get it through his thick skull that he is not getting any more tax hikes and move on to leading this country out of the mess he seems to want to continue.

Obama claims cutting spending is just dumb. Here is what I claim is dumb, growing federal government by 1/3rd in just 5 years, triple the rate of inflation.

Growth since 2008:

• Transportation: up $36.6 billion, an increase of 37.5%.

• Education: up $30.8 billion, or 25%.

• Housing assistance: up $16.4 billion, or 31.4%.

• Community and regional development: up $11 billion, or 36.5%.

• Natural resources and environment: up $9.5 billion, or 21.3%.

• Farm income stabilization: up $6.8 billion, or 39.5%.

• General government: up $5.9 billion, up 26.6%.

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/022813-646269-sequestration-just-partial-rollback-of-spending-growth.htm

THE HORROR OF NOT GROWING BY 3x INFLATION. HORROR.

What utter idiocy.

You republicans can blame whomever you want. The fact is that the American people made their voice heard in the last election. If you remember, the whole election was about how to fix the economy. The Republicans didn't want to raise any taxes and the Democrats were for a more balanced approach. Well, President Obama won re-election. Elections matter, unless, of course you're a Republican

What does the President expect when he moves the goalposts? He got his tax increase now it's his turn to cut spending. He may not be a Dictator yet but he sure seems to be turning the US into a banana republic.

"I am not a dictator"

Mr. Obama said that ? More appropriate would be "I am a narcissistic".

Say one thing did do another. Happened during the 2008 and 2012 campaigns with all his FAILED promises, so he will not stop now.

Yep, Mr. Obama and his "Cabinet" member were responsible for the "sequester" and were responsible for "the sky is falling" talking points putting fear in Americans are TRUE. Mr. "Drama" Obama says he wants bi-partisan approach to everything, yet he is the one who is NOT budging on ANYTHING. It is "my way or the highway" and if he doesn't get HIS way, it is the Republicans fault.

Deny....deflect....blame. Expect more of this attitude on the Continuing Resolution (because of no National Budget for the past FOUR YEARS) and on the National Debt Ceiling limit.

Not a suggestion....the TRUTH.

Hint: Mr. "Drama" Obama's Progressive political agenda is geared for the 2016 Presidential campaign and not to "govern" for ALL Americans. How about those $ 500,000 per person contributions for meeting with Mr. Obama ? Watch where the money flows.....straight to Mrs. "Benghazi" Clinton's campaign chest.

It is Bush's Obama's fault.

OK......Republican apologists. WHAT would have happened if the sequester bill had NOT gone through as demanded by REPUBLICANS, with some tweaking by President Obama!!!???!!!???

WAKE UP from your koolaid overdose.

President Obama did NOT tank our current economy and is steering us towards a healthy recovery and this current situation is bringing us back to square one due to the inability of the GOP to compromise FAIRLY with this administration. If only loopholes were closed, so went the Democrat reply to GOP inaction, this would not be sufficient savings alone without the FULL reversal of the tax cuts to the already wealthy.

This is going to be bad. Rather than using this to spotlight his leadership abilities to find $85 billion in fat to cut after receiving double that in increased tax revenue in Jan, he's pre-empting "blame" for what is about to come in what he deems "unneccesary". That means he's about to cut things vital to taxpayers in order to grandstand and point fingers.

This is what happens when "my way or the highway" mentality meets finding a middle ground for elected representatives for the entire country. We all heard the agreement in January. The tax increases on the rich were to be enacted only if this round included spending cuts (not further tax increases on a struggling economy).

Think about what $180 Billion is in additional revenue. That's the equivalent of 180,000 millionaires being taxed at 100%. If you get a raise of that magnitude and then need to find 1/2 of that amount in cuts and can't do it, you're incapable of leadership at this level. Just what is the new tax revenue being used for if it isn't for the services about to be cut?

NiteOwl, "compromise fairly" indicates the Democrats would follow through with the deal made in January. If he got his tax increases on the wealthy, cuts would follow to "balance" the deal. Obama backed out on his promise.

Dennis, Columbus, Ohio

viknat,

True but as a percent of GDP (Negates inflation) the national debt decreased from 69% to 57% of GDP.

Dennis, Dennis, Dennis...

There you go again - trying to twist facts around. "as a percent of GDP"... blah blah blah!

Why can't you just say it? Under Clinton, the national debt WENT UP!

You can talk all you want about percentages of this this and that... and that analysis might be great for trying to gauge whether we are headed in the right or wrong direction...

But when push comes to shove, you have to pay back your debt in DOLLARS! (not percentages) and even thought the % of GDP may have gone down, we still had to pay back more dollars after Clinton than we did before Clinton!

Facts are such pesky things!

Everything Obama says is a lie, yet those receiving his free goodies don't care what he says, as long as those goodies keep coming.

He may say 'I'm not a dictator' yet his actions speak otherwise! He is jealous of Putin's power in Russia and wants some of that pie!

Yo Richard Head: taxes were NOT raised, the top one percent just went back to the pre-2002 rate.

Talk about fear mongering:

Mrs. Maxine Waters (Progressive-CA): "If the sequester goes through, 170,000,000 Americans will lose their jobs."

Whatever happened to her Congressional Ethics Committee hearings ?

Ed Saunders

Yes elections matter, republicans were elected by myself and millions of other Americans to control the House of Representatives and try to stop the spending in government. So as far as I am concerned you are the one who should keep in mind that elections do matter. And please help elect someone who isn't just a pathetic partisan hack next time.

A few years ago my gross income went down from $75K to $55K, more than a 25% reduction in actual income! I managed, yet little cry baby Obama says the world will end if the federal government cuts 2.5% (and these are NOTactually cuts but a reduction in the rate of increase). REALLY! What a Fuc#*%g pathetic POS! This dud of a POTUS has NO LEADERSHIP skills what-so-ever. By the way, I have 2 kids in college (who I help out from time to time), 1 in the Navy, plus the wife, we live on a single income, always have. Oh and I have a $950/MO mortgage, least you think my home is paid off.

hey amy b!!!!...the cuts are not draconian.......we need more cuts, lower taxes, and impeachment proceedings against this ass obama...

Ido

Maxine Waters has to be one of the biggest idiots in the democrat party, although there are many idiots. Can you believe she claims that we will lose 170 million workers? The problem is that her constituents believe that kind of crap. Pathetic liberals, numbers aren't their strong point.

I'm wondering why the President and the Media is making such a big deal about Obama's Sequester. 2 1/2 Percent reduction is not even close to draconian. Please! its the equivalent to a family making $100,000 having to reduce their spending by $2500. A large portion of the citizens of this nation had to adjust to much larger reduction than that due to the recession. I personally took a 30% reduction in pay in one year! That's Draconian! Funny the government never tightened their belts during this time. When they start to cut the federal budget by double digits they can start talking about hardships. 2 1/2% should be a walk in the park. heck I bet the Federal Budget could be reduced by 20% by reducing waste and redundancy alone!

This president is PATHETIC - He expects the pubs to do all the negotiating while he does none. What a sad state America has become over the last 5 years.

"Jedi mind meld"???

I think that is "Jedi mind trick" and/or "Vulcan mind meld." He mixed his Star Wars and Star Trek together.

One thing for sure, Mr. Spock would find what has been done with this sequester most illogical. If he did his Vulcan mind meld on Obama, he would know who thought it up in the first place. If Ben Kenobi tried to do the Jedi mind trick on either Obama or Boehner, there would be no result because that only works on the weak minded. These two adversaries are locked on, so not a chance.

I think this is more the maneuverings of the Sith, so look for the unseen hand behind it all.

YAWWWN big deal the country will be fine. The sky is falling The sky is falling. Its about time we started cutting spending. Nbc will try to dig up some crying mother of 2 who was somehow effected by the sequester and well have to hear the sob stories. Blame democrats and some republicans for creating these victims by ever increasing handouts and making government way bigger then it was intended. We cant keep spending money we don't have. If you want corporations to start paying their fair share start with Obama supporters like General Electric and Google. They seem adapt at avoiding taxes and moving some jobs overseas. Start making them pay their fair share of taxes. Soros and Buffett should pay more too instead of their tax avoidance schemes while claiming they should pay more. T

The issue isn't who to blame for the sequester....It simply is.......Republicons want to continue giving everything to the rich and nothing to the middle class and poor. 30 YEARS PLUS OF DOING THIS TRICKLE ON ECONOMICS.

"WHEN DOES THE REPUBLICON GREED END?"

@hardtostarboard - So if you think the Federal Government should do a 25% reduction, would you be ok if your son were let go from the Navy as a part of staff reductions to reduce spending? And if you go into that, "No, lets get rid of waste" crap, state, SPECIFICALLY, what "waste" you want to get rid of. Republicans have been spouting off S%^t about wanting to reduce waste for 30 years with no specific mention of what that is. All we get from Republican Presidents are skyrocketing deficits, unpaid for tax cuts for the ultra wealthy and wars. Who was the last Republican President to lower the deficit? And if you start pointing to Congress as the real problem (or hero during the Clinton years) then you should really target your current hated to the Speaker of the House!

Yes Sure, let's just blame the GOP for the PITFALLS all the time... Surely it's not the POS Barack's fault, who will not try to cut 'AID' to Countries which hate our guts, or do away with all the 'NEEDLESS CZARS', he has put in charge of 'DUMBASS' things, or cut 'HOMELAND SECURITY' and let the 'FBI, CIA, SS, ATF', and other agencies do their jobs... How about those and other thing's that need to be cut in Government whether he created it or not, rather then cut 'PENTAGON' spending and jepordizing 'OUR' safety as a nation... But go ahead all of you Liberals whether you are a Dem, Repub, or other party, keep putting it off on the GOP as a whole...

@ #1.124 E d Saunders, Actually Ed, what you said is simply NOT TRUE ! Through Obamacare, Obama raised taxes on the wealthy with a 3.8% tax on earnings above $250k o2 investment income and a .9% tax on "earned" income at the same levels ....$200k for single filers. Obamacare also drastically changed medical deductions which affects ALL who would have a medical deduction.

Then, through the "fiscal cliff" deal, Obama demanded and got increased rates on the wealthy in return for a promise of spending cuts. The Boehner-led House wanted to attack loopholes instead, but yeilded to avoid the blame for the fiscal cliff deal.

So now, Obama has welched on the deal, has refused to cut spending, NOW wants to go after "loopholes" which he wouldn't hear of before .... and desperately tries to shift blame to Republicans for something that was his idea !

Libtards everywhere are swallowing like a glass of Koolaid !

Could it be possible that today was inevitable, no matter what the President had offered? The whole Republican strategy (ulterior motive) could be very simple: bet everything on the claim that the sequestration was the President's idea from day one, and then let the country go to hell in a hand-basket so everyone will finally see what a screw-up he is. It would be a safer bet that there was a count-down until today. It's the day the Republican hate-machine would finally chew-up the president and spit him out for all to see. The day the Republicans would get back on top.

Thing is, that explanation makes every person whose income is negatively affected by this event a sacrificial lamb of the Republicans in Congress. If you are one of those people who are being slaughtered at the alter of hate so that a few bigots can try again to hold a man's face in the dirt, again, those of us on the left who would really just like to see the country come out of this dark age are truly sorry.

Republicon party, the party of NO to Americans with their pledge against America 4 years ago and counting.

Republicon party, the party of YES to the 1% rich, with big oil welfare and welfare to companies to take American jobs overseas so they can hide profits in offshore accounts, to avoid paying American taxes.

taxes were NOT raised, the top one percent just went back to the pre-2002 rate

Rate on 12/31/12 for >= 400K 35%

Rate on 1/2/13 for >= 400K 39.6%

39.6% is greater than 35%...looks like a tax increase to me. Use whatever talking points/rationalizations you want but 39.6 is more that 35

And when the sun comes up tomorrow, people should start to realize what a complete joke Obama is. Our liar in office's quote: "Even though most people agree that I'm being reasonable, that most people agree that I am presenting a fair deal -- the fact that [Republicans] 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,"

Umm, who are those, "most people" you're referring too? Who are those that think your "fair deal" is reasonable??? Oh, we haven't seen his fair deal. We haven't seen a balanced budget proposal, we haven't heard on word about cutting entitlement and cleaning up the waste and fraud. That alone would account for much more than this miniscule cut. And who is he to say "do what's right". I think taking his no limit credit card away is doing what's right.

F him. He's traveling the country campaigning because he didn't get HIS way. I guess now he'll make the David Liberal Letterman show and go visit with those Yenta's on the View.

Job1...

We can thank the Tea Bag Tailban for all of the grid lock.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! ...and I thought the Tea Party had ridden into the sunset...off into oblivion!?!? How could they possibly affect an entire congress? Maybe they conveniently exist to satisfy your need to blame anyone and everyone but your savior! LOL! Liberals are so funny!

Republicon party, the party of No to 911 first responder healthcare.

Republicon party the party of YES to war profits for Cheney and Haliburton , etc.

Republicon party the party of NO to vets jobs bills while they commit suicide at a record pace.

Republicon Party the part of YES to more tax breaks for the rich like trying to end taxes on capital gains.

Again, this simply boils down to:

1. democrats don't want to cut programs. they want to raise taxes to clintons level. problem solved.

2. republicans don't want to raise taxes. they want to cut governmental services. problem solved.

so the democrats and obama said, "fine. we will cut programs we don't want to cut, and instead of raising taxes, we will just close tax loopholes." compromise achieved.

the republicans said. "screw you."

you can't run a government with a party of "no." there is a reason why the nation's approval rating of the GOP in congress is currently at 19%.

19%.

no matter what stupidity comes out of posters using the words sheeple, and Hussein, and libs, and lamestream... the FOX brainwash is destroying the party year by year. they had better wake up soon.

OMG...some democrats need to open their eyes and not just believe what they want to believe. This president is a disaster and the reason this country is in decline. He wants to raise taxes again? His whole campaign was based on not raising taxes and one of the reasons he was elected. Yet us middle class citizens along with the lower class are taking a way bigger hit than any of the top 1% or 2%. I now pay more income tax, receive less dependant credits, pay more for medical care, more for food, more for gas, more for everything. When does it end? This dictator, and yes, he is a dictator forces his policies through congress and does not ever take the good points the republicans are making, almost like it's all a big joke to him. Everything appears to be for his own agenda. I'm a democrat and I voted for him because I THOUGHT he would benefit blue colar workers. It's not the case. Please people wake up...doomsday is near. We NEED to impeach!!!

What a total douche this president is. He has no concept of how to run anything successfully - of course that is perfectly understandable because he had zero experience or training to do so. And if something doesn't go right his response is "wah, wah, wah, the Republicans are being mean..."

He makes me sick.

trynka,

The Dems already got their tax increases in Dec. They delayed the spending cuts for two months. The dems were trying to double dip on tax increases. I don't know about you, but even after my large raise I'm taking home less than I was getting in Nov of last year.

2% is little to ask given 56% borrowing to pay bills. Yes some jobs in government will be lost. They are jobs not affordable right now.

All the jobs could be saved however if the employees all take a haircut so that the funds can be spread out evenly. It is managements' choice to cut some people so that the rest of the people can continue to enjoy wages, pensions, and healthcare they embrace at an unchanged level.

Hey mindless liberals; why not yell at your President and tell him to make those cuts in other places. I guess you don't think he really wanted this to be resolved. Now he will make cuts in those places that hurt the most; even though he doesn't have too. Then he will make the talk show circuit blaming eveyone's misery on the big bad GOP. He'll blame those that want to take his sugar daddy's no limit credit card away. I'm always amazed at you people.

Republicon party, the party of voter fraud.

Republicon party, the party of voter suppression.

Republicon party, the party of gerrymandering.

Republicon party, the party of removing voter equal rights.

Jedi mind meld........

LMFAO.

Talk about out of touch. He just pissed off a minority group. The Vulcans.

dumba$$

Libs, the party of the clueless, Barry goes on TV everyday to inform the clueless that he is not responsible for any prolems that arise while he is in office. He doesn't have time to mess with this county's problems, he's to busy blaming others with the help of his neo-lib flock.

Obama is hard headed. He has not learned that he can get more of what he wants if he negotiates rather than bosses. And negotiation must be from the heart.

When he bosses, people individually revoke his authority. He may think he retains authority, but he is kidding himself.

Everyone here who is saying "cut subsidies" Consider the following:

Oil subsidies: The elasticity of demand on oil is extremely inelastic - if the price of oil goes up, you roughly use the same amount of oil. I challenge you to read about what happens when a tax or subsidy is taken away. Who pays for it? Do the companies take a loss in profit? Or do you pay more at the pump?

Furthermore, the top 1% pays some 80+% of all taxes .... So in reality, that subsidy, which lowers your price at the bump, is being payed by payed by the wealthiest Americans........

If you were to cut these subsidies it would hurt the poor, not help them.

Lets move on to the Farm acts that many people are talking about. Consider what would happen if farm subsidies were to stop .... If you cant do it, just relate the above actions to food. Do you really think food is price elastic? Well... its not - Food is also Price inelastic.

Moral of the story - The tax is borne by the player who's demand is most inelastic.

Critical Thinking -----> It's Not Just For Me.........

Come on Obama. It's a vulcan mind meld and jedi mind tricks.

His main speech writer leaves and this is what we get...

Duane said,

I'm wondering why the President and the Media is making such a big deal about Obama's Sequester. 2 1/2 Percent reduction is not even close to draconian. Please! its the equivalent to a family making $100,000 having to reduce their spending by $2500. A large portion of the citizens of this nation had to adjust to much larger reduction than that due to the recession. I personally took a 30% reduction in pay in one year! That's Draconian! Funny the government never tightened their belts during this time. When they start to cut the federal budget by double digits they can start talking about hardships. 2 1/2% should be a walk in the park. heck I bet the Federal Budget could be reduced by 20% by reducing waste and redundancy alone!

Your comparisons are off. Two and a half percent sounds like nothing to one who makes $100,000 a year. That is because at such a high income level, that percentage is minor. That percentage would be more damaging to someone who has only $10,000 per year. When you got your 30% reduction in pay, were you thrown out into the street? A person going from $100,000 to $70,000 would not likely have this happen, but a person with only $10,000 very well could have that happen. Thirty percent cut to many on what people like to call "entitlements" could face homelessness. Many old people on Social Security could fit this. Some of these programs offer bare subsistence level to many people and to cut them 30% is deadly. Those who want to shift the weight of the cuts to entitlements only are asking to kill people.

Cutting "fat" is to cut from those who can afford it. We could just end a couple of wars to save money by pulling out of some countries. We are not going to change that middle eastern rabble so why bother. We can stop giving money to countries that hate us. I do not think we need to cut military things in this country because at least there is economic benefit to military jobs here. It is trying to be the world policeman that should end. We can end subsidies for oil companies because they are already too stinkin' rich. We can close loopholes the rich use to avoid taxes, and we can be also more aggressive on tax collection of the rich. Make offshore accounts illegal. I could go on and on, but we don't have to hurt poor and needy people. To want to do that is just murder.

Gee, starsailing, sounds like somebody gave you a book of DNC talking points for your birthday. Got any original thoughts you can squeeze in there somewhere?

STUPIDITY RULES: If you don't actually KNOW what you are talking about, cannot defend your statements, YOU MAY BE STUPID.

If Mr. Obama really wanted to reach a compromise on the cuts, he should have told H Reid over in the Senate to bring the two bills the House passed, that were designed to avoid the sequester, to the floor of the Senate for debate, proposed changes etc.. then a vote. Instead, Obama failed to lead and the two bills are sitting on H Reid's desk collecting dust. In the meantime, the Senate has failed to pass any legislation of their own. The House has done their job, now it is time for me Obama to do his by leading his party to compromise. Until he does that, he only has himself to blame and he needs to stop making a mountain out of a molehill.

Republicon party , the party of YES for spider for name calling and insults when faced with facts they can't refute.

Freedom...maybe you should have watched the Big Oil welfare queens testify that they DID NOT NEED THE OIL SUBSIDIES!

How hard is it to send 13,000,000 illegals a bus ticket back to Mexico???

Come on Mr President, GROW A PAIR!!!!!

starrfailing

Try to keep up. Despite the so called Norquist "pledge" the Repubs already compromised with Obama and passed the tax increase Obama was looking for. Now it is time for Obama to agree to spending cuts. Since he is not willing to agree to cuts, he has to live with the tiny decrease in the rate of increase in federal spending. A mere drop in the bucket and spending is still increasing. And if the $6trillion Obama added to the debt by his record pace deficit spending since he came in office is not enough to stimulate the economy, how is continuing the same pattern going to do anything other that make the debt worse?

This time that Blame Game doesn't cut that mustard! Both sides of our Legislator process is AT FAULT.

Sorry Mr. President but you too are as much at fault---so take responsiblity. BE A LEADER!!!!!!!!!

THE BUCK DOES STOP WITH YOU!

Starsailing - read it again, comprehend it. You might need to read it more than once, I know when I was in college majoring in economics - I often had to re-read the text several times to truly grasp it.

After you read it - Think about it, try to apply the concepts to other items you purchase.

Consider who some of those 1%'ers are ... and what companies they own... Then consider the part about what % of the subsidy they roughly pay for ...

Think about it ... Read it a little more =)

So now, it's a no-lose for Obama. If the economy takes off, he'll get the credit. If the economy falters, he'll blame Republicans, Republicans will blame him, and in the end, everyone will get tired of the arguments and blame the Republicans (remember the re-election despite the economy).

Obama still holds the cards. Republicans want tax reform (and lower rates...haha) and they can't get it without Obama and Democrats.

Meanwhile, we'll slog along, with Republicans getting the blame for their intransigence.

13,000,000 Illegals

13,000,000 Bus tickets back to Mexico

How hard can that be, Mr President?

GO GREYHOUND..........And leave the DEPORTING to us!!!

"Jedi Mind Meld"?

Barack Obama may not be a phony American or a phony Christian, but he's definitely a phony nerd. You don't mix Star Wars and Star Trek. Unless you are J.J. Abrams, in which case you just suck.

starsailing, may the waters be calm, the winds blow gently, and the stars lead the way to your reality.

Nothing but finger-pointing and grown men in diapers claiming their s--- don't stink.

Where is the common sense here? Dems don't want to cut SS and medicare, Repubs don't want to raise taxes. Either find a third way, or meet half way with a little of both. End of story.

Does it really have to be this difficult?

StoptheCannibals-2908428 - History books always call out failures of the legislative branches, they are normally pretty quiet about Presidential performances.

/sarc

Starsailing....>looks under rocks.....looks under the republicon party........Trying to find that list of republicons that denounced the Norquist pledge........Oh...that's right...they have not done that yet...!

Starsailing....> looks under rocks.....looks under republicon party.............Trying to find that list of republicons denouncing the pledge they took to vote against and obstruct any bill that would be good for America!

Let me know when republicons denounce their pledges against REAL AMERICANS......I will stop posting then and then only!

Freedom....don't waste your time trying to defend 1% people, it is a lost cause.....middle class see right through the crap......75% of the people say it's time they pay their share....

Has Barry forgot already? He SIGNED THE BILL.... he had the opportunity to VETO the bill, but he made the decision to SIGN THE BILL..... this is BARRY'S BILL... he is 100% responsible for the sequester....

And he 100% LYING when he says it's Republicans fault..... the DEMOCRATS voted for the SAME BILL...

Too bad liberals cannot take the heat for their own mess..........

Barrack "Blame someone else" Obama, Community Organizer

Ed

You republicans can blame whomever you want. The fact is that the American people made their voice heard in the last election. If you remember, the whole election was about how to fix the economy. The Republicans didn't want to raise any taxes and the Democrats were for a more balanced approach. Well, President Obama won re-election. Elections matter, unless, of course you're a Republican

I agree, American people did vote in the last election. The problem with the rest of your statement about the voice is bogus. See the American electorate voted for Obama, and a democratic Senate. They also voted the Republicans into the House. My guess is that they didn't trust the guy on office to do the right thing so they put a check on the guy. You can fact check the election if you want because nearly 59,000,000 Americans did not vote for the President.

Republicon party, the party of Kill the Post Office for the greedy privatization for the rich.

Republicon party, kill all healthcare to keep the privatization for the greedy rich.

Republicon party, kill women's healthcare, to keep white males in charge of women's bodies.

Common....republicons still in House due to gerrymandering the elections.....party of RIG the elections.

Please...if the federal government can't live with a 2.5% cut in spending,
America has much bigger problems. All this hype is because the liberal media
makes it out to sound as if its the end of the world. Get a grip on
reality!

The late Steve Jobs had Obama pegged when he said:

"The president is very smart, but he kept explaining to us reasons why things can't get done," Jobs said. "It infuriates me."

What the hell.... I thought, once the President was elected he was suppose to be the leader of the AMERICAN PEOPLE not just the Democratic party. I am so tired of the finger pointing and passing the buck by everyone in Washington and I thought the President was the one that is suppose to bring all of us back together as a country not different parties. Sad Sad Sad to see this going on in our country. Standing together makes us a GREAT Country but dividing us into parties makes us gangs with selfish means. Come on AMERICANS lets get together and let Washington with don't like the bully tactics.

I like how the President now tries to blow it off...'the world isn't going to end, it won't be the apocolypse'.

He might want to talk with Maxine Waters who seems to think that because of sequestration, "170 million people will lose their jobs" which would be an amazing feet considering there aren't 170 million people working in the US today...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=u8-d95SO_3g#!

He might want to talk with Maxine Waters who seems to think that because of sequestration, "170 million people will lose their jobs" which would be an amazing feet considering there aren't 170 million people working in the US today...

Pretty sure there are more than 170 MILLION people working today. There may not be after Obama is through but that's another topic.

Republicons have 2 plans.

1. Give everything to the rich.

2. Take everything away from the middle class and poor.

Hey lefties...STFU

Your Empty Suit wanted the sequester from the start.....He admits it......

October 23rd 2012, in the interview with the Des Moines Register editors, Obama said, quote, "[T]he good news is that there’s going to be a forcing mechanism to deal with what is the central ideological argument in Washington right now, and that is: How much government do we have and how do we pay for it?"

He went on to say, "So when you combine the Bush tax cuts expiring, the sequester in place ... we're going to be in a position where I believe in the first six months we are going to solve that big piece of business. It will probably be messy. It won’t be pleasant. But I am absolutely confident that we can get what is the equivalent of the grand bargain that essentially I’ve been offering to the Republicans for a very long time."

Karma's a bitch!

Republicons have 2 plans.

1. Give everything to the rich.

2. Take everything away from the middle class and poor.

Democrats also have two plans.

1. Raise taxes

2. Raise taxes

Starsailing - do you not see I am not protecting or defending the 1% ... rather through subsidies I am protecting the low income / middle income families? Did you even think about what you read?

In your next post to me I challenge you with a question: What will happen if we cut subsidies on oil companies / food producers? Your answer should focus on the following:

1. Food Prices

2. Quantity Consumed by average Americans ( middle class and lower )

3. Profitability of Producers.

Your inability to read what I have said, and comprehend it, amazes me.

In response to your previous statement:

75% of people are saying they want to dictate what other people ( not themselves ) should pay as their fair share.... Its always the individuals who are paying absolutely nothing ( on the net ) into taxes that are shouting "Pay your fair share" to the individuals who are (on the net) ... paying taxes.....

As you all go back and forth bickering over who did what, this whole thing could have been resolved by a bill introduced yesterday. It is one line, repeal the sequester bill. That's it. Congress could have stopped this by allowing the vote. By not doing this, the fault lies directly on the Congressional leadership's shoulders. This is politicking, both sides are trying to make the other look bad, then they will put a bill out there that will be retroactive and then push this problem further down the line.

Pretty sure there are more than 170 MILLION people working today. There may not be after Obama is through but that's another topic.

I stand corrected!! Sorry Shawn (Shadow) - should have checked before I commented. Crow properly consumed.

All of Prez-0's proposals have involved "rasing revenue" (dem-speak for higher taxes for all).

The Sequestration bill as passed & singed by Prez-0 is exclusively BUDGET CUTS.
Prez-0 just wants to raise taxes - which is his SOP.

...gotta pity the typical FR bottom feeders who have swallowed the DNC propaganda, "GOP just wants give everything to the rich & Take everything away from the middle class and poor."
FR lemmings - truly the example of low IQ voters.

Lamenting the idea that only a "Jedi mind meld" could prod the GOP into compromise, President Barack Obama said Friday that the "dumb" automatic across-the-board cuts going into effect today are the fault of Republican resistance to a reasonable deal to avert the sequestration's budget reductions.

Oblamer is at it again. Well first off those ""dumb" automatic across-the-board cuts" were HIS idea. Didn't Bob Woodward say something to that affect?

And why must it always be the Republicans to be the ones to compromise? If he is not a Dictator, should he not show it by making concessions?

In the last 80 years, The Democrats have held simultaneous control of both houses for 52 of those years, of course in that same period the Republicans have only had simultaneous control of both houses in only 14 of those years. Yet some how, all the nations ills are the Republicans fault? Curious.

OK, some of you might be right that I am a bit off on the actual amount of subsidies given to big oil. But the total government giveaways to major corporations are worth hundreds of billions of dollars each year. No assessment is quite accurate.

That's socialism for the rich, it's corporate welfare - undeniable fact. If you are not convinced, please check these facts by visiting http://www.fatchick.org

fatchick.org, Pigotry???

nope...not gonna do it...

what a dilemma. do i become an atheist if i don`t accept obama as my saviour?

visit fatchick.org ???? I don't have to... I've read Feisty's idiotic rantings already !!

Fatchick....damn browser autofilling again. That is hilarious. And he bolds it.

Pigotry - fatchick.org .... really? Next time I write a paper I am going to try to reference fat chick.org and see if I can get it published ....

You should go up and read some of my other post in this same thread about why subsidies to oil companies / food producers are GREAT for the poor / middle class.

fatchick.org .... did she really just say that?

That's socialism for the rich, it's corporate welfare - undeniable fact. If you are not convinced, please check these facts by visiting http://www.fatchick.org

Corporate give-aways like to Solyndra? Or Tesla Motors? Or GE? Or FaceBook? Or all the other "green companies" we subsidize? These were given by Obama.

Check them facts.

He's right. Did the best He could. He's not a dictator. America's big "dicktoter"? Of course. America's dictator? Never!

I don't care who is to blame, or which party is to blame. Personally I think Democrats are doing what I've always expected of them, none of which is wise. As a conservative I am most worried about Republicans, given Democrats' economic and constitutional illiteracy, and the desire to be liked. I never liked it when I was told to eat my veggies by my parents, but it was the right thing to do. And, today anyhow, since most voters are acting like spoiled children--a nation of Lindsey Lohan's for crying out loud--it is just as true they will not like Republicans demanding that the right thing be done. Too bad that too often they cave and do the wrong thing, knowing that they are.

So a modest proposal...Apologize to the American people for this past cynicism and pledge to no longer work with Democrats to undermine or exceed the US Constitution. And then do it. Only speak with the president or with Democrats in the House or Senate if CSPAN cameras are there to record it all. And since the President's budget submissions the past two years have had zero "aye" votes (that's right, not even a single Democrat in Congress supported the president's plan), and the US Senate cannot pass a budget because Democrats there refuse to even consider one, then go line by line in each department funded by Continuing Resolutions, and begin to defund anything that lacks Constitutional authority.

We do not need nearly 100 job training programs. And since job training isn't a duty or power under Article 1, we don't need it at all. Your state or city or county can do this if they want. Ditto for school lunches, and green energy subsidies, and trade adjustment payments, and, well, the list is nearly endless. The #3 Democrat in the US House publicly said, and he is not alone in saying this, that at least 2/3 of all spending done federally has no basis in the Constitution.

Maybe, and this is a wild thought to leftists, I know, but maybe the steady decline in American prosperity, which is closely matched to the increase in the federal government's extra-constitutional activities, will be reversed as our country adheres to its Supreme Law with greater fidelity. Sadly, this president is incapable of such leadership. So Republicans SHOULD do it alone, and if voters want to make them pay for it, well so be it. It is our country to destroy if we want to. But I think more voters than current trends indicate would find this a welcome change for the USA.

I just love NBC. Only here will you see the ignorant folks that think only the Republicans are to blame for this. This was Obama's idea for crying out loud! The Republicans already raised taxes on the wealthy for the debt ceiling debacle, did you really think they were going to do it again? Of course, if you go to Fox News, you get the ignorant folks that think only the Liberals are to blame for this, when they fully knew that the Liberals were only going to accept increase revenues.

This is why moderates despise Republicans and Democrats. You fight with each other, just for the sake of fighting. It's pathetic. Nothing ever gets done. Each side just points the finger at the other side. How about some term limits??? I'd love to see Boehner and Pelosi waiting tables at IHOP. I look forward to the day that the 2 party system dissolves.

America does have a dictator - that's the version of free market some conservatives put up there.

American dictator = free market tyranny

If you talk about perfect market, then the market is the perfect dictator. Because there is no perfect information about the market to allow consumers to make wise chcoices. For example, banking is very opaque. Bernie Madoff made off with your money because you the investors didn't know what he was doing. The mortgage business imploded to lead to the worse recession since the great depression because some borrowers did know what they got in the deal - foreclosures to come to destroy the world economy.

OK, then, do you think the bankers are willing to share info with you about how they run their banking business?

Shut up...there is your American dictator - the free market tyrant.

I believe we all knew Obama would blame others. Obama will carry the blame he is responsible and he is the reason this is happening. I certainly hope no one is surprised.

Gee Starsailing, do you have anything to offer other than mindless liberal soundbites?

The president said "we needed a balanced approach." We have had our taxes increased as he wanted, now its time to make some spending cuts.

Look it is a fact that the Sequester was put into place by the Republicans, anyone that disagrees with that need serious professional help. Stop watching what ever partisan news channel you may be watching and read a little. The facts are out there.

The tax loopholes thing, yes Republicans did say they were willing to close tax loopholes before but not increase taxes on the upper 2%. Taxes were increased on the upper 2% so now they won't budge on the loopholes the the President want's. Why? Think about it. If you close tax loopholes that the Rich and Big Business tend to use and not the middles class their taxes will go up MORE because they can't use those deductions anymore. It's not a direct tax increase percentage wise but it is still another tax increase indirectly. Also remember, the loopholes the GOP offered before ONLY effected the middle class, another fact you can easily find out if you would stop being brain washed. Opposite with Democrats, the loopholes they want to close effect big business and the upper 2%.

I actually see both party's arguing fact's that are not complete fact's in this thread. Stop just repeating what your pundits tell you, they do this INTENTIONALLY. Why? Because they know that a majority of the American People will just repeat what they have heard without any fact checking or thought of there own! A majority does this every day, just look at this thread and you will see 'opinion's' that aren't really their own, they are only repeating propaganda they have heard from pundits.

YOU ARE ALL BEING BRAINWASHED AND FALLING FOR IT!

I'm sick and tired of both parties. Both lie. (dems more than repubs)

I'm switching to the Libertarian party. F'yall.

America does have a dictator - that's the version of free market some conservatives put up there

Kind of an oxymoron - dictator = FREE market? I mean having a completely planned market would require a dictator while a free market exists in dictator free societies.

Q22 - I do not think Pigotry understands that the free market is just an aggregate of individual preferences.

It makes sense to you right? When individuals have the choice in all things they buy and consume... they are being enslaved... correct?

I am going to have to give up on NBC forums today. Logic is just absent in many of the posters =(

See you all next time when some huge gun control debate is going on =)

Sincerely, F.O.S.

It makes sense to you right? When individuals have the choice in all things they buy and consume... they are being enslaved... correct?

What are you, Orwell? When you have free choice you become enslaved? What?

Ed @ 1.24 said: Yo Richard Head: taxes were NOT raised, the top one percent just went back to the pre-2002 rate.

thanks for the laugh. had not seen this talking point in awhile. i wonder if the one percent feels better now that there was not a tax increase but rather an increase in their tax rate as it returns to 2002 levels.

i wonder how many feel better about their social security payroll tax change knowing that even though there is an increase in the amount of money being withheld from their paychecks now that it is not because of an increase of 2% but rather just a simple return to previous levels.

ed, thanks again

Toxic Chemist is a good example of what I just wrote, taxes were increased on the upper 2% buy 3% that's it. The payroll tax deduction did expire at the end of 2012 but that was not a increase, it was reduction we received for two years that Congress would not extend for increasing taxes on the upper 2%.. I didn't see any of you screaming about how great the President was for giving you that payroll deduction two years ago!!

There has been 1.5 trillion already cut from spending, another fact easily checked out. UGH, the stupidity of the American People never stops.

Reality - revealed

If Obama was so concerned about the sequester - as he ran around the country this week playing Chicken Little - lying to the people

Why did he spend all the money - to fly to Florida last week alone - for a private Golf Get-A-Way with Tiger Woods?

He is the biggest Hypocrite - In American political History - Fact - Point Blank

"It ain't nona me"

"The sky is falling...the sky is falling..."

yawn...

Americans took a larger hit to their wallets in Jan that the federal pork barrel did with the sequester.

I love Obama calling himself dumb (who originated the bill and threatened to veto it if anything changed?). Classic...

Isn't it funny how Liberals accused Bush of fear-mongering and now Obama is on the "Fear Mongering Tour 2013"?

Obama could slap a liberal baby mama, and they would blame Beohner for it.

Eff Obama! Liberals want to win all the elections, yet they want the republicans to do the work. Congress has already put 2 bills forward and the Senate has done nothing, Boehner is right, why should they put a 3rd until the Senate does. The Senate has not passed a budget since Obama has been in office, which is against the law. How can you run a country without a budget? Obama has done nothing but lied and lied to the people just to push his communist agenda through. Obama is the one who put this sequester in place and threatened to veto anything against it, and now he wants to blame the repubulicans. It is about time the republicans stand up and say enough is enough, it is the only way this country will survive. You cant keep spending and borrowing when you have no way to pay it back. He lied to congress when he said we will work on spending cuts if you agree to raise taxes on the rich-BIG LIE..he got what he wanted and now he still refuses to pass a budget and stop spending this country into bigger and bigger debt. How can people be so stupid! All you people who voted for him are getting what you deserve and you haven't hurt enough yet.

Remember the good 'ol days when the buck stopped with the leader. Certainly don't have that with this clown... Always someone else's fault... Leadership trumps campaigning any day.

Why blame Obama for the sequester? He never accepts responsibility for anything he does. He always try to deflect blame, usually upon the Republicans. Obama is pretty much a "do nothing but cause problems" President. He won't accept responsibility for his mistakes, basically because he is not to blame. The people who elected this idiot are the ones who should really be blamed.

Kanic, another example! Those two bills your speaking of were from a PREVIOUS Congress, they no longer have any weight nor can they be voted on by the Senate now. The current House has to do it before the current Senate can vote on it.

/facepalm

If this is tl,dr. Here is what I see:

1. Two groups of people living in a false paradigm of RepubliBlood vs DemoCrip.

2. These groups arguing over who is at fault, and who isn't.

3. They think "fault" means cutting a splinter of spending when we need to slash far more spending than this to balance the budget EVEN IF we taxed 100% of the top 10%'s incomes. In other words, we can't tax our way out, and we have to slash spending by a TON more than what we just did.

4. Because these people fight over "fault" and ignore that both Parties spent us into this situation by handing money to who helped them get elected (if they are from a poor area they handed out welfare, if they are from a farm area they handed out crop subsidies, etc.). They never do the intelligent thing and blame both Parties...because they're brainwashed into this false dilemma of Dem vs Repub, like there isn't more than two sides to reality.

5. We have 700+ bases overseas...that isn't DEFENSE. We could cut a few bases, just a few, and save all the money this sequester cut. That means no domestic spending had to be touched. Yet the people who cry about domestic programs being cut never blame the President because they are under the delusion he A) didn't craft this sequester, and B) couldn't have taken money away from powerful cronies in the defense industry.

6. Some people think tiny cuts to a world Empire would hurt "defense', because they define "defense" as offense, occupation, world policing, and aggression.

7. Domestically 50% of the money we spend on policing is on the useless Drug War. We are the most imprisoned nation in history, both in total and per capita, even though our population is way smaller than some so-called tyrannical nations like China. Why are we ramping up police and prison spending when we could cut the crap out of them and it wouldn't affect at all taking violent criminals, thieves, and fraudsters off the streets?

8. The only people who predicted with striking detail and accuracy the collapse of the economy (including a detail by detail order by which it would happen) are pointing out that we are re-blowing up the housing bubble that collapses in 2008 again via the Federal Reserve's artificially low interest rates (again), and that we are facing another collapse within 5 years. Why are people still blaming everything but the Federal Reserve and its effects on malinvestment in the economy when cheap money (low interest rates) cause bubbles (which later collapse)? Keynesian theory is what we practice, and it has prolonged and deepened every recession under its watch...because they keep re-blowing up the bubbles instead of letting the market liquidate all the bas assets and find some sort of consumer based level of pricing based on supply and demand. Stop listening to Keynesians...they missed the biggest collapse of our time, and in fact suggesting blowing up that housing bubble to "lessen the pain" from the 90's collapse of the dotcom (tech) bubble (which they also caused via artificially low interest rates). Trust people with the ability to predict correctly (or at least more correctly than the mainstream idiots who keep missing huge events).

9. While you people continue to argue about which of your idiot gangs is at fault and which is completely faultless, we continue to increase spending year to year. These aren't cuts...they are decreases in the rate of increase to spending. This isn't an Orwell novel, wake up.

10. And while you argue this false dilemma about fault, you are contributing to the problem. The real problem are both gangs of habitual liars, con men, and dare I say sociopaths, in Washington, State, county, and city/town governments. They convince you to fight each other so you ignore they are at fault together. Divide and conquer...a strategy as old as time itself. Get your heads out of your partisan a**es and get together and take on the real enemy...both Parties and their political con men who are buying your votes with spending, but it when it comes time to cut because we can't afford all the spending they cut yours but not the cronies who pay for their campaigns (quid pro quo is alive and well, believe me - cronie capitalism).

11. If you defend any subsidies or special tax breaks you are not a free market advocate. Look up "free markets" to see why.

12. If you support raising taxes beyond just making taxes relatively even among people in the same financial circumstances (not to be confused with a flat tax, which even I as a libertarian find overly simplistic and economically idiotic), then you support extortion. Tax is, afterall, logically, just extortion. We really should stop taxing incomes anyways, and start using user fees to fund government services (that we can't privatize right away). Stop supporting extorting your more successful neighbors because you pay too much extortion...seek to lower your extortion level instead.

13. What I see are one group of people who are jealous of the rich and another group who are busy-bodies and want drug wars and world police empire crap. If one side could stop being jealous and thereby stop calling for more extortion (tax), and the other side could stop being so nosey and let people alone in their own bedrooms and countries, then MAYBE we could get together and have a sane country. Until then it's just a bunch of sheep fighting each other over nonsense.

Gene, why blame Obama for the sequester? You shouldn't, it wasn't his idea or bill. It was the Republicans that would only agree to pay our debts (raise the debt ceiling) if Obama agreed on the sequester.

Factcheck yourself.

This is the first sensible piece of legislation, sequester, since the President took over the White House. So I am not sure why he is pointing the finger at the republicans. He should claim the credit for it, not distance himself from it. We should have more of it not less. Well, I suppose, you can’t get everything right all the time. Well done nevertheless!

Amy B: You do realize that is a Republican you use as your Avatar while you are blasting the same said Republicans? Just asking.

Anti Trust: I love your concept of taxes there I think it could help our country Greatly, but there are a great many on here who probably hate it very much, both repubs and the Dems you hear lashing out so much against them, because then they would not be able to use deductions to get back money they did not earn and never paid in. But hey they will never admit it.

Personally I made money I did not pay in last year because the only taxes I paid was SS and Medicare since I was in a Combat Zone, but I did get a nice little check back. I will gladly give up that tax free option , but not until the day that Congress and Senate give up the ability to vote themselves a pay raise, and none of these sad sacks from either party vote against it no matter which party is in charge, so you Pathetic Party mongers shut your traps and don't point any fingers.

And just something for you party mongers from the Dems to think about, Have any of yuou seen the movie Casino? That is a pretty factual movie, though names have been changed to protect the Guilty. The Unions, mainly UAW & AFL/CIO loaned money to the Mafia to start Gambling joints in Vegas, all of this was helped along by a certain politician who got back massive millions of dollars in payoffs as did the Unions get millions on their return. I am not talking the workers the rank and file of the unions, I am talking about the low life leeches who run the unions and suck the life blood of the american worker. And the fine upstanding Politician who made all this a reality and made millions and continues to make "extra" money, but I do not see him sharing it with all you members of the unwashed masses, is none other then the Speaker of the House the distingueshed gentleman from NV!

Don't beleive me? check the facts foryourself, but I expect the party worshiping brainwashed masses will not even trust the facts. SO make of it what you will.

None of this will be better until we call into check the members of both parties including our Chief Executive, and demand they take cuts in pay and benefits, cut needless vacations on the taxpayer dollar, stop wasteful "fact finding" trips that are really just waste of taxpayers dollars so they can travel abroad, cut their exspense accounts and take away their opower to choose their own pay, let the voters choose if and when they get a raise. And we need to start holding them accountable for their actions and for those of you who do not like your states politicians, try the recall button that is built into all states constitutions, if they do not vote how the people want replace them.

That will mean though you can't come on here and whine so much, you will actually have to take some action and do something besides blame the other side for all of lifes little woes.

Ron Childers

Gene, why blame Obama for the sequester? You shouldn't, it wasn't his idea or bill. It was the Republicans that would only agree to pay our debts (raise the debt ceiling) if Obama agreed on the sequester.

Factcheck yourself.

Right back at you.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/283063-republican-rep-amash-says-pinning-sequester-on-obama-disingenuous

Both Parties voted or it. The President signed it. If you don't support it, don't vote for it. If you don't support it, don't sign it. The idea the President was helpless to do anything is nonsense. He helped draft the damn thing in conversations with Congressman who actually submitted the Bill.

If you vote for something or sign something, you own it. Anything else is sophism (the usual for politicians). Both sides own it.

SEQUESTER IS HERE, THE SKY IS FALLING, SEQUESTER IS HERE, THE SKY IS FALLING, OHHHH NOOOO!!!!

As I dodge the fireballs falling from the sky. Plague, pestilence, drought and chaos consume the land. I see teachers writhing on the streets as they clutch their pink slips. Poor children and/or disabled children (depending on who Barrack Hussein decides to cut services from) watch in horror as their immunizations expire on the shelf. Senior citizens huddle under bridges for protection from the elements as they feverishly guard the dog food they have been reduced to eating. Planes collide in midair as air traffic controllers are furloughed en masse. Policemen, firemen and first-responders all stand around powerless as their authority has been stripped from them. Millions of illegal aliens and terrorists cross our unguarded borders carrying weapons of mass destruction. Women run around frantically as their contraceptives are no longer provided for free. Parents panic as they don't have their government provided baby-sitters to watch their children. And Big-Bird is wearing a sandwich sign in front of a Kentucky Fried Chicken store!

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE HUMANITYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAVE US ALMIGHTY BARRACK HUSSEIN,,,,SAVE US ALL POWERFUL GOVERNMENT!!!!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

You Liberals/Progressives are pathetic.

Your boy-toy, Barrack Hussein, wanted this, NOW HE OWNS IT!!!!

The sequester, and any consequences of it, belongs to Barrack Hussein and no one else. He, Jack Lew and Rob Nabors created it and proposed the sequester to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). They did so at 2:30 p.m. July 27, 2011, according to interviews with two senior White House aides who were directly involved.

AND BARRACK HUSSEIN CONTINUES TO LIE!!!!

This POTUS is an abject LIAR! He has no shame to mislead and deceive the very people he is supposed to protect and lead. Now he spews this filth about all the chaos and calamity his own creation is allegedly going to create.

IT WILL DO NO SUCH THING!!!

This is simply panic as he tries to force the Republicans to back down and submit to his irrational plans that haven't worked for 4 years.

They won't and they shouldn't. It's not $85 billion that will be cut, a mere 2.4%, from our out of control budget, it will be less than $44 billion, a paltry 1.2%.

This is the equivalent of a family with an income of $50,000 cutting $11.50 a week, or 2 Little Caesars Hot-N-Ready pizzas. This is laughable.

LET THE SEQUESTER HAPPEN!

I GUARANTEE YOU OUR GREAT REPUBLIC CAN HANDLE IT, AND MUCH MORE IF NECESSARY!

ProIndividual: Your sadly tilting at windmills like Don Quioxte most of the people on here, no matter which party as you can see by their posts have no clue what it means to take responsibility for something and to not pass the buck of blame onto others shoulders. But hey I tip my hat to you in props!!

I GUARANTEE YOU OUR GREAT REPUBLIC CAN HANDLE IT, AND MUCH MORE IF NECESSARY!

I Guarantee you it's the Democrat's and Obama's worst nightmare.

‘I’m not a dictator’: Obama blames Republicans for sequester negotiation failure

Yup, Dumbummer, you are truly an idiot of major proportion! Yes, oh yes, it's always somebody elses' fault, eh> What a jerk of a president this country has. Shame on America for allowing a piss-ant like this to have control of anything.

As to the Dictator statement, well, Dumbummer, what ever gave you the idea that someone might think that of you, and why? Yes, you would be a dictator if you could be but, you are nothing.

all a bunch of buls...t hype.

Ron Childers

Those two bills your speaking of were from a PREVIOUS Congress.

So why weren't they voted on in the previous Congress?

Instead, Hairy "Pappa Smurf" Reed pulled his typical adolescent move of either "tabling it" or calling it "dead on arrival".

The Democrat controlled Senate has yet to study, debate, submit to committee or compromise ANY Bill from the House.

This is not only unconstitutional it's criminal.

And we still don't have a Constitutionally mandated budget for 1,402 days!

/facepalm

I love reading the comments from these pathetic laughable libs blaming Republicans. If your lord and savior Big Bad Barry thought sequestration was such a "dumb" idea, then why the hell did he sign it. Actions have consequences Barry. For a change, man up and accept some responsibility.

You are always in trouble when you have to remind people that, in fact, you are not a dictator. Didn't he learn anything from Richard "I am not a crook" Nixon?

Hyprocrisy1776, I said my income fell 25%, I do not expect the federal government to cut 25% in one year. That said, 10% is a nice number, followed by another 10% next year, and the year after that, or as long as needed in order to balance the budget + start paying down the national debt by say a measly 100 billion/year. At that rate we'll have it paid off in 170 years. To be clear, I'm talking about an actual cut in government services, not a 10% cut in the rate of growth. Its there, we just need leaders to make the tough choices. Nearly everyone of us who work in the private sector took a significant cut in real income, every last swinging dick who works for the government or gets a handout from the government should be expected to do the same. You know, that SHARED SACRIFICE, that dear leader Obama talks about.

Hey, FreedomOverSympathy who says in #1.207:

Q22 - I do not think Pigotry understands that the free market is just an aggregate of individual preferences.

By free market dictators, I meant those who have argued that the market is perfect. But the market is not, for lack of information for consumers - Bernie Madoff would never tell you how he ran a ponzi scheme. But when some conservatives argue the market is perfect, they are arguing for free market tyranny. They are acting like dictators. Arguably, we are still in a recession that the poor did not cause but have suffered more from. The market is not perfect.

I did not blame the market, saying free market is the dictator, dictators are those who argue the market is perfect. When the market falls in a recession, the rich can still manage, or even get richer by buying foreclosed properties and selling them later for a full/higher price. But those poor suffered with job losses and foreclosed homes, and you should not argue the market is perfect.

Republicans just cant stand it.

Every time the dow goes up another hundred points, every time the job numbers get a tiny bit better, the recent news that our TRADE deficit went down, every time housing goes up a fraction, they get the shakes and the runs. Why? you might ask. Because they can't stand the idea that a black president has done a better job then the republican one he replaced. After generations of telling their kids that Black people are less, now Obama shows he is MORE.

They want him to fail so that their own base doesn't see how bad the Bush's and Romney type people really are. Republicans would rather see America fall on it's face, then see democrats save the day. And so they will obstruct anything and everything, just to win what they cannot win. Shame on them.

I imagine it takes a big set to have your own white house write this, then turn around and call it dumb. Hahaha!!! and then blame somebody else. LOL If he thinks it was dumb, why the hell did he vote for it? He should have vetoed it if he thought it was dumb. HELLO!

If Reid didn't like the 2 Bills the Republicans passed to fix this last year, he should have passed one of his own to go to committee with. Why didn't he? Anyone?

Freedom thinks he is a Fox news anchor...ahhhhhhahahahahahahahahahahaha

4 Pinocchios from liberal media Washington Post for Arne Duncan’s Obama Secretary of Education in his sequestration fear mongering false claim of ‘pink slips’ for teachers.

The first thing that was striking about this figure of 100 teachers is that it was higher than the estimate in the state-by-state impact of the sequester released by the White House over the weekend. For the entire state of West Virginia, the White House said, “around 80 teacher and aide jobs [were] at risk.” And yet here, according to Duncan, was a single county with 100 potential layoffs. (Update: the fact sheet also mentioned a reduction in funds for another 40 “teachers, aides and staff” who help children with disabilities.)

But as we dug into it, the story got even odder. There were no news reports of pending layoffs. The school board was facing a $4.5 million shortfall, but just last week had landed a big victory worth as much as $3 million when the state Supreme Court ruled it no longer had to help fund the county’s library. The big issue at the moment was a push by the schools superintendent to crack down on teacher absenteeism — not the pending layoffs that the education secretary had announced on national television.

In fact, no one in the county seemed to know what Duncan was talking about, including the education reporters who cover the school district for the Charleston, W.V., newspapers. “There’s very little sequestration-related panic, at least on the education side of things,” one reporter said.

Obama is losing credibility having liars as spokesman. THE SKY IS FALLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

saved the day George? Really?

Unemployment higher than when he took office over 4 years ago

Lowest employee participation rate in 40 years.

Constant 350,000 plus new unemployment apps

Job growths of 150k average that only keep up with population.

Since you want to talk race, black unemployment 2% higher than when he took office. black teens 57%

6 trillion in new debt

pathetic 1.4% GDP growth

his budget proposal last year projected a deficit of 700 Billion in 10 years (CBO)

IRS estimate of the lowest cost bronze health plan from govt, family of 5 ... $20k

Exactly what part of this do you conceive to be saving us?????????????

These democraps and their non-workable ideas, creating the obstructions between themselves and the gop who rationally cannot agree with them!!

FIVE STARS to Jim Spence at #1.223 .... truthful and humorous at the same time ! Congratulations, that is absolutely the best post of the day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hilarious!

Folks, the stock market is going up because profits are up. Why? Massive layoffs and stagnant wages have kept cost down. Liberals crowing over this are crediting Obama for massive job loss.

oskar i got a better one for you. Obama put out his list of "scare-quester" programs. He said the National drug intelligence center is going to lose 2 million of its 20 million budget. Only problem with that is the agency shut down last June. It doesn't exist. LOL

Anyone want to a shot at why the annointed one would be telling us the NDIC would be cut 10% when it doesn't even exist?

Sequester spin: Obama’s incorrect claim of Capitol janitors receiving ‘a pay cut’ Factcheck Washington Post ( not Fox)

STOP THE LIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sequester spin: The threat to free meals for seniors

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Feb. 28, 2013

“Federally assisted programs like Meals on Wheels would be able to serve 4 million fewer meals to seniors.”

The Facts

Federal dollars are an important part of free meals for seniors, but it is just part of the overall funding picture. The Meals on Wheels Association of America says that for 2010, the most recent year available, $1.4 billion was spent on such meals. About 37 percent came from Older Americans Act funds — the primary vehicle for such aid from the federal government — and the rest came from other public and private sources.

DEMOCRATS STOP THE LIES LOSERS!!!!!!!

James,

you really do not understand how the sequester ended up in the legislation in the first place, do you. Then again, if you got your information from Fox you would not know the details of how negotiation works because they always fail to explain the finer points in favor of sensationalism to get the Righties whipped up.

Obama may have been the first to publicly suggest that a sequester be used as part of a trigger mechanism however Boehner has been in favor of using such a tool for a while now, even before the budget ceiling fight. He had a presentation from earlier in that year, 2011, where he had stated that the only means by which to cut Government spending was through sequester.

But putting that aside let's talk logical process. Obama is in fact not a dictator. He did not force Boehner or Republicans to place the sequester into the legislation. It was something that Congress itself voted their approval on. Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate that voted for the legislation that included the sequester trigger are to blame for the sequester; not Obama.

Congress is further at fault for this because they are the ones refusing to meet with each other and work out a deal; Obama also has nothing to do with that. It is not Obama's job to handhold Congress members. It is his job to advise and he did that. When Republicans would not listen he took to the bully pulpit to try and get Americans to lay on immense pressure on the GOP to get them to come to the table; even that failed.

Congress shall forever be broken while we have officials that have extremist principles and these kinds of situations will just keep happening. The Tea Party method of no compromise, just stall everything out till they give in, is going to do so much more harm than good and in fact it already has done much harm to our country.

AP also found his teacher claim a bit suspicious. Even David Gregory questioned LaHood on the FAA stuff. A few liberal folk are starting to call him out on some of these things which surprises me. Wonder if they too are starting to get tired of his act?

Geowil, how do you give the prez a pass? The House, Senate and the president ALL agreed on the Bill. If BO didn't like it he could have vetoed it. He owns it just as much as Boehner and Reid. BO, Lew and Ellsworth basically wrote most of the darn thing. If someone wishes to place blame all 3 branches get 1/3 of the blame.

The GOP already came to the table with 2 bills to fix it. The senate didn't open either nor did it pass one of its own to go to conference committee. What where they supposed to do, go pass a 3rd bill while the Senate just gathers dust? To compromise there actually has to be a bill from the senate to compromise with.

TRH86

WOW!!!! You liberals and Democrats are like middle school children!!! Nothing is ever you fault, nothing can ever be blamed on your great leader Obama or democrats, it is always someone else's fault!!! You idiots continue to blame Bush for this mess? Are you serious? How about doing the responsible thing and research the issues, and see where it came from. You all hold Clinton to your hearts, saying he left with a balanced budget? Guess who had control of congress and the house you idiots. Republicans!!! Oh no that can't be, that would mean they actually did a good job!

First of all, Clinton balanced the budget with a COMBINATION of tax increases, spending cuts, and economic growth. It was not one or the other; it was all three. Secondly, Obama is not our "Great Leader," at least not like your "Dear Reagan." I have plenty of things to criticize Obama with; the concessions on healthcare reform, his favor of charter schools, his extension of 82% of the Bush tax cuts, etc; but just because I have things to criticize him about does not mean I don't admire and support the guy. He's doing the best he can; live with it. Third, anyone who says it was Bush who single-handedly destroyed the economy is an idiot, although he didn't help at all. Bush didn't cause the Great Recession; supply-side economics (or as history calls it, the horse and sparrow theory) did. Bush didn't cause 9/11: stupid foreign policy mistakes and terrorists did. Bush DID cause the deficit, however, with his stupid tax cuts (which should be repealed for everyone) and his ridiculous defense buildup and foreign military adventures.

You do know it was clinton that wanted to place a higher tax on Social Security checks going out, it would have destroyed homes that depended on that check but wait.... the Republicans said Hell No! Your clinton wanted to place a tax on heating oil and gas so that it would cost the average person $2,400 a year in taxes! Wait for it.... the Repubicans put their foot down and again said Hell No!

I wouldn't actually mind a tax on oil and gas (as it would help fight climate change and lower the current deficit), and could learn to live with a tax on SS earnings (although it would have to be pretty low for my taste). Just because the Republicans said no to new taxes doesn't mean I automatically agree with them; unlike some people in America, I don't automatically cheer for the guy who gives me a large tax refund.

Sorry the president doesn't do the budget, only obama is the one trying to give congress a budget he wants and even his own Democrats called him crazy it wouldn't work!!! That can't be your fearless leader does no wrong, he is the greatest ever!!! So if the Republicans are the one that did the budget during clinton, wouldn't that mean it would carry over to Bush?

Obama isn't the greatest leader ever; I'll let history decide who is. And if what you are saying is correct, the Republicans lost their deficit-hawk mentality when a Republican went into office and chose to waste that surplus (and a few borrowed checks from creditors 'round the world) on stupid tax cuts and wars. Apparently Republicans only care about deficits when Democrats are in office; if not than Paul Ryan and John Boehner should have been against all the tax cuts and spending hikes enacted under Bush.

Q22

Hilarious!

Folks, the stock market is going up because profits are up. Why? Massive layoffs and stagnant wages have kept cost down. Liberals crowing over this are crediting Obama for massive job loss.

Well, I'm glad that you righties are finally taking the stagnation of middle income wages and the erosion of the manufacturing sector seriously. Unfortunately, you fail to realize that that is due to Reaganesque economic policies, and you also assume that Liberals are crowing over that when we are actually arguing for policies to REVERSE this trend. We are merely pointing out that if Obama is, how you say, a Marxist socialist dictator, either he's doing a pretty shoddy socialist job or that the markets actually support his overall policies and their results.

I see a lot of idiots making posts decrying "liberal socialists" and "a pox on both their houses," when in actuality the fault, dear Brutus, lies in the GOP. The whole sequester issue started when the Republican Party refused to negotiate a pragmatic deficit deal with the president, instead sticking fast to the ridiculous notion that the deficit can be solved by spending cuts alone and refusing to consider any new revenues, even if the tax increases were relatively small and coupled with massive cuts to entitlements. Obama, flustered at the lack of a deal and desperate to avoid defaulting on the national debt (which would sink the economy and nullify America's once-secure domestic bank deposits), decided to use the old (and previously successful) idea of the sequester to force Republicans to come to the table. The sequester was designed to be harsh in order to force the hands of both parties, yet it's design was fundamentally flawed in that Democrats faced cuts to social (but not entitlement) programs, but Republicans faced no severe obstacles in return. Yes, they face cuts to the Pentagon, but the powerful Tea Party caucus didn't (and still doesn't) feel any qualms about cutting defense, and so they got (as Boehner colorfully put it) 98% of what they wanted. If Obama really wanted to force Republicans' hands, he would have put the Bush tax cuts (all of them) on the sequester and forced Republicans to either raise taxes or come to a deal that would raise taxes by a lesser amount. He technically had that during the cliff. But (A) he would have gotten blitzed had we gone over the cliff and (B) the GOP would never have agreed to a sequester that included tax hikes. In short, Obama took the sequester because it was preferable to default and Republicans took it because it had no tax hikes and if it did, they would have just defaulted. The current GOP makes me sick, and it should make the American people sick as well.

TO: Lil Michelle who wrote:

"... I'm glad the Libertarians and Green party don't own this..."

Eager to place blame and yet incapable of accepting responsibility.

What do Republicans "own"? Anything?

AUTOMATIC SEQUESTER IS OBAMA'S IDEA:

"Obama personally approved of the plan for Lew and (Rob)Nabors to propose the sequester to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid," Woodward said.

"They did so at 2:30 p.m. July 27, 2011, according to interviews with two senior White House aides who were directly involved." Nabors was then the White House's chief liaison to Congress and is now deputy chief of staff.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50988772

Amy B. Portland, ME - Let's make cutting Republicans from Congress, permanent.

DICTIONARY (Bing): Definition: fascism - dictatorial movement: any movement, ideology, or attitude that favors dictatorial government, centralized control of private enterprise, repression of all opposition, and extreme nationalism

"President Obama, this is your Army. We are ready to march. Let's take these son of b!tches out and give America back to an America where we belong," US Labor Union Leader Jimmy Hoffa Junior during President Obama's Reelection Campaign. US Democrats demanding the elimination of the Republican Party.

President Obama addressed the crowd shortly after US Labor Union Leader Jimmy Hoffa Junior. US Labor Union Leader Jimmy Hoffa Junior not arrested for "Terroristic Threatening of US Citizens", "Conspiracy To Commit the Murder of US Citizens", "Homegrown Domestic Terrorism Against US Citizens", etc..

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/09/05/jimmy_hoffa_at_obama_event_on_gop_lets_take_these_son_of_bitches_out.html

"Chancellor Hitler, we are your Army. We are ready to march. All Loyal German's Must take back Germany from the Jews". Chancellor Hitler's Brown Shirts, Sturmabteilung, Armed Paramilitary; and his Political Labor Union, National Socialist German Workers' Party, Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei aka NAZI.

Chancellor Hitler Ordering the elimination of other Political Parties (and did by Armed Force of his armed private Army, 1933), US Democrats demanding the elimination of the Republican Party.

Typical Obama. He proposes sequester in the first place. He denies that. His surrgogates attempt to destroy people who know and say that is not true. Then he makes up ridiculous lies about its effect. Then he acts like an innocent bystander to the process of its implementation. He constantly pisses on the Republicans and then he wonders why they can't stand him. This guy needs a shrink and the country needs a real leader.

Obama ...."alright guys, we thought this up at the white house, wrote a lot of it, i signed it into law ......but it's dumb and not my fault"

The Republicans are spending a lot of money right now trying to convince people that they are not responsible for the sequester.

The Republicans wrote the legislation and voted for it, then said no no no to any reasonable solution that would have averted it. The responsibility for this lies squarely upon Republican shoulders.

If I hand you a noose and you decide to put it around your neck, tighten it up, stand on a table, tie it off tightly and jump, whose responsibility is the result?

@ Rich-281385,

In retrospect, I can understand why the sequestration of cuts happened. What strikes me is the many partisan comments on this blog choosing to ignore facts. I see many Conservatives like yourself, who speak, as though Republicans have a fidelity to an ambiguous argument of supreme law publicly unspeakable to a mainstream majority excluding a sub culture of the Coporate minority. The funny thing is.....Republicans have lost in a recent SCOTUS decision over the constitutionality of ACA. Republicans have over spent exploding the highest federal deficits on record within their own Presidential administrations contradicting the very term of conservatism......spending too much.

The Obama administration spending has decreased in comparison to his predecessor, Bush. FY 2009 Federal deficits were at $1.4 trillion and FY 2013 was projected to be $901 billion before the sequestration. Now, it will be even lower. This confirms even more Obama has spent less by future projections. I don't care how we present the argument over this. It boils down to three simple options not worth trying to spin or lie about with three options. Option one was to pay down our deficits completely by spending cuts. Although the GOP initially proposed this. The sole austerity proposal approach lost them the 2012 election and proved mathematically impossible to accomplish any deficit pay off. Option number two would pay down our deficits strictly by raising taxes on the rich. Obama never proposed this. I repeat, Obama never prosed this. Although, the GOP tried to accuse him of such in a publicity war which they lost. Obama proposed option three. Option three was a balanced approach of paying down our deficit with tax raising revenue on the rich and spending cuts on all, simultaneously. One example compares to the $716 billion cut from Medicare Advantage along with further Obama proposed cuts available when a GOP compromised with closing of some loop holes for Coporations. Today we found out.....the GOP sold themselves to that supreme rule of law from which they have always ascribed. The destruction of any middle class economy if a Coporate economy domination free of little or any taxation is not possible. The GOP are selfish Pigs.

When is everyone going to learn that all politicians are to blame?????? They try to get the budget "under control" by doing everything except cutting their own pay and benefits. Out of all the things that I read that are going to be cut in the sequestration not once did I read about how THE PRESIDENT, CONGRESSMEN, ANYONE FROM THE HOUSE OF REP., SENATORS, JUDGES, OR ANY OTHER POLITICAL FIGURE, who all get paid with OUR tax money, are cutting their sh*t back. Every private citizen in America has had to make sacrifices to get through the rough economy, but all the politicians seem to be doing just fine and doing everything they can to keep THEIR pockets full while turning around and looking for any scapegoat they can find to turn the attention away from them lining thier pockets with taxpayer money that should be going to NATIONAL NEEDS NOT their bank accounts.

Either the Media will burn the Whitehouse down or they will be sequestered" either way then, they want War, very sad.

As painful as it will be, this is the first step in stopping an out of control, spending president and putting America back on a sound footing financially.

Notice that Obama is not cutting the trillions sent overseas to other countries, nor is he cutting trillions spent on his wars; he cuts programs in America and spending on Americans! Says a lot!!

Mr. Obama, and his administration, was responsible for the "sequester", then he was against the "sequester", and then he highlighted "The sky is falling" from his office and the offices of his Progressive Cabinet Members.

Now, he SIGNED IT INTO LAW.

Heya, Mr. Obama.....did you FORGET TO VETO THE DAD GUM THING ?

Nah, you wanted it anyway to decimate the military, fire teachers/police folks/fire fighters, delay airline travel, reduce border security, and let Illegal Aliens (Immigrants) out of jail.

So....it is Bush's Mr. Obama's fault.

Big,

almost all of Congress as a whole voted for the legislation. 3/4ths of Congress means that a Presidential veto is a fangless act of self-expressionism. There is also the fact that the whole debate caused the credit agencies to downgrade our credit rating. Obama would have to be a moron to veto it because the ensuing political bickering that would have followed would have probably triggered further cuts.

Obama had a very good plan on the table and Congress, Democrats and Republicans, pissed on it; 4 trillion in savings over a decade. In the end we got something that was four times less expansive and had this piece of cancer in it should congress refuse to do their jobs.

Hey Obama....How does it feel when Congress takes YOUR money away?

Obama's taxes just got raised. How ya' like them apples?

ha hah hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah now pass a budget or you wont get paid bitches.

Romney was and is five times the man that Obama has turned out to be.

Boomtown Washington DC getting rich off you lazy bloggers asses.........

ELIMINATE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION!!!

Since it was established as a huge government bureaucracy, our education standards have eroded and we are way down compared to the rest of the world.

So what would you suggest instead? Home schooling? Where they indoctrinate children with stupid religious doctrine? Or charter schools, where they indoctrinate children with stupid religious doctrine?

Yeppirs! You are entirely right! Our children must not be taught! They must be indoctrinated!

Why? To make them good little Republican voters, eh? Anything, anything, ANYTHING but let them think for themselves, eh?

Take a good long look through these posts.

No really, take a good, long look through all of these posts.

Now imagine for just a second if this is what happens behind closed doors by the children of the both Houses.

Wonder why anything doesn't happen? Out of a few hundred posts, only about 5% had ideas. 90% of those with ideas still had hate and blame attached.

I'm a young guy and active duty. I have family in a few different job sectors and spread fairly evenly through the US. I like to think I have the interests of people at heart. I'm also pretty confident that most people don't want to fight, they want to work. They want to provide for a family, buy a second car, own their home, and take a small vacation once a year.

Can we please, pretty please, can we just stop with the blame and move forward holding hands? It's not unacceptable for conservatives to go to lunch with liberals. Repubs and Dems can see eye to eye. We can have fruitful discussions going forward.

"How?" you may ask. Quit discussing money in politics. Discuss instead the welfare of people. No, cooperation's are not people. I mean the two legged, ten fingered, living, breathing beings we call humans. Talk about what's best for my children and you'll get reelected.

As long as I get my government benefits I don't care who pays for them

Nathan-1680585

"Jedi Mind Meld"?

Barack Obama may not be a phony American or a phony Christian, but he's definitely a phony nerd. You don't mix Star Wars and Star Trek. Unless you are J.J. Abrams, in which case you just suck.

I knew there would be at least one person that would notice it too....haha funny. Vulcan's do mind melds, not Jedi.

This is a sad day for America.

With President Obama on the economy, jobs, unemployment...you name it...the list is endless, in good faith the Republicans have refused to negotiate. The GOP's allegiance is to Grover Norquist. Yes, Norquist is the right-wing's Commander-In-Chief. The people that voted for these slimy treasonous Republicans cannot now deny the lack of loyalty that these "protectors of the 1%"have to the citizenry! At the voting booths in 2014 and 2016, remind the GOP of the repeated economic turmoil that they have dumped on America - VOTE THE GOP OUT!

25Walker - The people that voted for these slimy treasonous Republicans cannot now deny the lack of loyalty that these "protectors of the 1%"have to the citizenry!

Pffffsssssttttt, Smelly Egg Fart Opinion.

Fact: President Obama's Back Room Closed Door Deals with the Big Corporations so that he could get Billions to keep his 2008 Presidential Campaign Offices open until 2012 Reelection, in 2013 these were renamed the President Obama "Political Action Committee" Offices to push the President Obama "Agenda" (never mentioned during the Reelection Campaign) part of this spending was US Taxpayer money like:

CBS News This Morning, Obama spent $2.2 Billion on A Free Cellphone program (Obamaphones) 2013, hired a Public Relations Firm for $50 Million to push Obamacare. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57571266/gop-take-aim-at-obama-for-nonstop-campaigning-on-sequester/

Then there is President Obama's Buddy "Mr. Corporate America", and all the back room closed door deals that he made for Candidate Obama/President Obama.

At least the Repugnants come right out in the open and state that they are supported or supporting the Businesses that keep the US functioning.

The Demoncraps hide in closets, back rooms, behind closed doors making deals selling out the US Citizens; making them more prone to being blackmailed, coercion, extortion, etc. or being exposed as what they are corrupt (at the very least pathological liars, "we support the people" nonsense while actually selling the US Citizens out for Campaign Contributions (Giving the Corporations more US Citizen's Money than they get as Campaign Contributions)).

How many of you know how much the Insurance Corporations, Medical Device Corporations, Pharmasecuticals Corporations got of US Citizen's Money from President Obama, Democratic Party Controlled US Senate, Democratic Party Controlled US House of Representatives, ACA. THAT'S CORRECT MOST OF YOU STILL DID NOT READ THAT (Read the ACA, See sh!t for yourselves, instead of believing the President Obama and Demoncraptic Party Propaganda).

And since most of you are uneducated or the no information voters, and do not know how to do a Causative Timeline, this is were the "Fiscal Cliff" and the "Across the Board Budget Cuts" (aka "Automatic Sequestration") came from to pay for the previously not budgeted for $2.1 Trillion (Update $2.5 Trillion) President Obama demanded Spending.

Jive Talkin Obama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7oWK5ewpH8

Observations: When the Demoncraps are caught with their pants around their ankles; blame game, deflection of blame, illogical this equals that, Repugnants did it before so Demoncraps (even if against the Demoncrap Party Platform) can do what the Repugnants did before, name-calling, Propaganda, personal attacks (failure to discredit the facts), non factual illogical emotive opinions, etc..

President Obama - "I'm not a dictator," he said. "I'm the president.

Chancellor Hitler - "I'm not a dictator,", "I am your Chancellor and the Fuhrer der Nation".

President Saddam Hussein - "I am not a dictator".

President Mubarak - "I am not a dictator oppressing my people".

President Gaddaffi - "I am not a dictator, see my Green Book I give my people everything".

Uh, huh, President Obama - "I'm not a dictator," he said. "I'm the president.:

Tell Me Sweet Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czR2bHg_4c8

AcWorth - I'm a young guy and active duty.

You need to listen to us "Old Guys" that previously survived the post Vietnam Reduction In Forces (RIFs) of the US Military, the President Clinton Cut to the Bone Reduction In Forces of the "Cold War Era" US Military, President Obama as Commander In Chief Ordered since April 2009 US Military Budget Cuts, President Obama as Commander In Chief Ordered Reduction In Forces (RIFs) of 90,000 US Military Personnel and Unemployment of 108,000 US DOD Civilians.

You might want to read the Military Times (Professional Journal for the Army Times, Air Force Times, Marine Corps Times, Navy Times, Federal Times) article, "Obama stop wrecking the US Military";

This Article points out all of the actions (Facts), dates since 2009, and the Results of what President Obama has done/is doing to wreck the US Military (1% of US Citizens currently Serving in the US Military while 92% of US Citizens NEVER Served - First Lady Michelle Obama).

Including the failed recent attempts (2011-2013) to screw over the "new" US Military Personnel by changing the current US Military Retirement to Civilian 401Ks so that those Civilian Financial Advisers that stole from the Civilian 401Ks can then steal more from the "New" US Military Retirement Program (these "Financial Managers" Lobbied President Obama (Bribed with Campaign Contributions)). Hint: This is nothing new, they (Banksters, Wall Streeters, etc.) tried this before, to get their hands on US Military (Retirement) money after they emptied (stole from) the US Civilian's (Retirement) accounts.

Since you are young, once upon a time ago (since WWII), the US Military Health Care was managed by the US Military Medical Service Corps, all medical (including Dental and Vision) was provided free to US Military Personnel and their Dependents by US Military Medical Professionals at US Military Hospitals, US Military Clinics, etc.; if you were not close to a US Military Facility, either Transportation was provided (including "Angel Flights", fully staffed and equipped USAF Medical Aircraft) or the nearest Civilian Medical Facility was paid for your Medical Treatments. This was all part of a previous WWII program to create more US Health Care Professionals for the entire US (as after their US Military Commitments, many became US Military Reservists as US Civilian Medical Professionals), this surplus of US Medical Professionals had the unintended consequence of driving Health Care Costs down, after the Vietnam War this continued as the US Military "Bootstrap" Program and ended during President Clinton's Chopping of the Cold War Era US Defense Budget, Gutting of the US Intelligence Agencies, and his Cut to the Bone Reduction In Forces of the US Military.

Then the US Insurance Corporations Lobbied (Bribed) the US Politicians to get into the US Military Health Care, the US Military Medical Care was no longer "Free", as deducted as TriCare Insurance.

Good luck, AcWorth, if you are planning to make the US Military your Professional Career (President Obama's 50% RIFs). I will give you another word of advise, if you want to remain on Active Duty (20 years or more) become part of the 18% (Civilian Education Level (CEL) 5/6 as Civilian Masters Degrees (more than one) or a PhD), if you do this the US Military Personnel Management people will get embarrassed and send you to more US Military Schools to increase your MEL (Military Education Level) to 5/6 to match your CEL 5/6. Also if you make yourself too irreplaceable or too invaluable, you will get screwed after you Retire with Recalls to Active Duty in the Special Category, whether you want to be recalled to Active Duty or not (by the way just because you submit your Retirement Packet again, Letter of Resignation; that does not mean they have to accept those, and do not even think about going AWOL or Desertion).

Once again I find it ironic that President Obama is chopping the US Military Personnel that are NOT paid a "Fair and Living Wage" instead of the almost hundred Million overpaid too expensive "Fair and Living Wage" US Civilians employed directly or indirectly by the US Defense as the majority of the expense as the US Defense Budget. This too is something that happened before, as previously many of the almost hundred Million overpaid too expensive "Fair and Living Wage" US Civilian Jobs used to be done by the cheaper US Military Personnel that are also 24/7/365 available and also Combatants; and not the 9-5, 40 hours per week, overpaid too expensive "Fair and Living Wage" US Civilians that also get "overtime" as Non Combatants. Anyone with balls as Commander In Chief would first Order the US Military train again for the jobs that the US Military did before that are currently occupied by the overpaid too expensive "Fair and Living Wage" US Civilians, then close all those Jobs to only US Military; there is the 50% or more US Defense Budget Cut.

example: What happens if you empty out the US Pentagon of all US Civilians; as by US Law the only US Civilians that belong there are the Secretary of Defense, the Secretaries of each Branch of Service; all those US Civilian Political Appointees* and Paid Interns* without any US Military Experience nor Intelligence Agency Experience do NOT belong there, the US Military Bureaucrats are much cheaper (and if they f**k up they can be deployed to Combat). Since you are Active Duty US Military, AcWorth, make some time to go on the Pentagon Tour, observe for yourself (if you can peek in the Offices) the ratio of US Military versus US Civilians (when I was there it was 1 US Military to 4 US Civilians, when my younger sister was there it was 1 US Military to 10 US Civilians, after the closure of Joint Forces Command, the Unemployment of 5,000 US Civilians, I think that number (ratio) became 1 US Military to 9.5 US Civilians).

*You work on a Campaign to get the President Elected or Reelected you get a Job (even though you have no US Military nor US Intelligence Agency Training nor Experience). This is why after President Obama got elected, many of the Political Appointees and Paid Interns in an attempt to embarrass the Previous Administration and President Bush (43) as well as President Obama's "Transparency" started to Rubber Stamp everything "Declassified", our names were not even redacted or marked out. Which Resulted (Not an Opinion) in: All the previous US Military "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" of President Clinton (42) becoming Declassified, US Military Overthrow of President Hussein, as the start of the War with Iraq since President Clinton's US Law, H.R.4655, Section 3 US Policy Overthrow of President Hussein, Section 2 Findings (Justifications) Weapons of Mass Destruction, with US Congressional Appropriations; that became 2003 Operation Iraqis Freedom; the Mission of us attached to the CIA's SAD/SOG going into Iraq hiring hundreds of thousands of Shia Iraqis (mostly as Illegal Aliens at Iraq from Iran) as assassins and insurgents to Overthrow Sunnis President Hussein (former US Ally during the Iran Iraq Wars). The stating as Policy of the Overthrow of a Sovereign Nation's Established Government is a Declaration of war; just as if the Chinese and Russian Federation stated as their Policies to Overthrow President Obama. After that we had many of the News Media, Investigative Journalists, Hollywood Script Writers, Writers (Books), etc. hounding us for information, and most had President Obama and White House Letters requiring our full cooperation and full disclosures (same thing with the SR Mission to determine if OBL was there, turned into a DA Mission (Raid) at Pakistan, full cooperation with Hollywood per White House; as to why Kathrine Bigelow's Movie Zero Dark Thirty (especially "Little Ms. 100%) is more accurate than the President Obama Reelection Propaganda Video SEAL Team SixRaid on Osama Bin Laden; as to why President Obama and the White House threatened everyone pertaining to Zero Dark Thirty for Disclosure of Classified Information; as well as Mark Owen's Book verifying some things of Zero Dark Thirty contrary to President Obama's claims also resulting in threats of prosecution by President Obama regardless of the previous required Full Cooperation of the Obama Administration.):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arxKhJIjIiY

Of course we did not discuss that it was not only the US Army Special Forces in the link above, nor did we discuss in detail the fierce urban warfare at the Afghan Cities, or significant crippling losses that made us non mission capable. And what we (few survivors) did leading up to 2001 Operation Viking Hammer* and 2002 Operation Hotel California*. And why we almost failed (the previous President Clinton Chops to the US Defense Budget, Gutting of US Intelligence Agencies, Cut to the Bone Reduction In Forces of the US Military, etc.); as Rubber Stamped Declassified by the Obama Administration's Political Appointees. By Declassifying all of the above many that survived Finally got the Awards, Decorations, Medals, Recognition, etc. that they Earned with retroactive Promotions (many being Posthumous). I want to see them make a movie of this, Horse Soldiers; completely negating President Obama's Reelection Low Information Voters and No Education Voters, "Less Bayonets and Horses", (using bayonets during the fierce urban warfare in the Afghan Cities after running out of ammunition to kill the Taliban, Al Quada, Islamic Jihadists for their weapons and ammunition, and how we got stuck in that situation, President Clinton's Gutting of the US Intelligence Agencies no reliable information from within Afghanistan, us facing a well armed Taliban Army backed by the Fundamentalist Islamic Shia Republic of Iran) including later showing us currently using more Horses, Pack Horses, Pack Mules today conducting US Military Asymmetric Mountain Warfare Afghanistan (2/3rds mountains where the vehicles cannot go, limited roads), than the Korean War (so many horses, mules, that we had to have some of our people trained as "Mule Skinners" and specific to Horses and Mules Veterinary care).

* Some information in fragments posted on the Internet, after President Obama realized that Declassifying everything was not embarrassing the previous President Bush (43) Administration, as Documented Historical proof of absolution of any blame; but a black eye to the Democratic Party and the President Clinton (42) Administration. In 2010 President Obama contrary to his Presidential Campaign Promise of "Transparency" orders everything throw back into the Classified Documents Vaults (too late, what is posted on the Internet will always be on the Internet.).

To all of you adolescents out there, this post is for AcWorth, do not interrupt the Adult Discussion like typical adolescents especially with your adolescent name-calling or no firsthand experience (Definition of Fact: Experience or Observation) emotive non factual opinions (Definition: a personal view, attitude, or appraisal; a feeling formed without knowledge, thought, or reason.) or adolescent personal attacks (proof of a failure to attempt to attack the credibility of Facts, further lending credibility to the stated Facts that you do not "like" (your prejudiced non factual opinions). Also reflecting on yourselves, as very easily Researched Facts proving just how Uneducated, Low Information Too Lazy to Do the Research, Brainwashed by Propaganda, etc. you really are.):

From President Obama's 2013 Inaugural Speech:

We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate.

http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/21/16626094-obamas-inaugural-speech-the-full-text?threadId=3650897&commentId=73569137#c73569137

AcWorth, if you want more advise on how to remain in the US Military as a Career, you can do a "Contact this Author", to send your questions by email; however all of our email accounts are monitored, so I will respond via a posting on Newsvine, not via an email.

As meeting yields no breakthrough, Obama blames 'dumb' cuts on GOP, signs order

LIAR!

I hear the liberals, Clinton left a balanced budget, Bush managed to put us 10 trillion dollars in debt, Obama would have eliminated the nations debt if the republicans only let him raise taxes and borrow and spend more money. Bush didn't raise the national debt by $ 10 trillion. Clinton left a national debt of $ 5.7 trillion and Bush added $ 4.5 trillion. Obama has already added over $ 6 trillion dollars to the debt. You people are not worried about deficit spending. You should be worried about it, because you can not reduce the national debt if you keep borrowing money and spend it on programs that create more and more dependency on the government. A lot of people seem to think that the republicans only want to cut taxes and reduce spending to hurt the country. You people are idiots. Borrowing money and overspending is what hurts the country.

If Obama can not find 85 billion in spending cuts what is going to do with the rest of the 1215 billion deficit?

Raise your taxes is Obama's answer.

To all those who can't live with budget cuts...deal with it. 85 billion is merely a drop in the financial bucket. All the fancy talk boils down to "if you spend more than you make", you lose.

THE BLAME GAME - 101 - Obama Style

Can you say - "Backfired"

The President - agreed to and designed these cuts - and signed it

So glad they called his bluff - and power grab attempt to - RAISE Taxes - Again

Stop the spending

It's like we got to ride the bus - cause we can't afford the plane - that's not fair!

Obama flew to Florida last weekend for a Golf Get A Way with Tiger Woods - he was so concerned

Obama-Lie-A-Lot

Pigotry "Why we can afford $100 billion subsidies to Big Oil....annually"

More silliness.

Perhaps you should consider checking the actual facts instead of listening to Obama's rhetoric. Here's a link to an article by MSN Money (yes, that left-wing source) that shows that the top 3 oil companies paid an amazing 43% in taxes on their income (compared with the top regular corporate rate of about 35%) - So where are the so-called 'subsidies'? Their average after-tax income was $27 Billion on $330 Billion in sales, for a profit margin of only 8.1%.

Then compare that with Obama's buddy at Microsoft/Gates, who's company only paid a tax rate of 15.9% and had an after-tax income of $24 Billion on only $72 Billion of sales, for a profit margin of about 33% - 4 times as high as the oil companies.

So who's REALLY not paying 'their fair share', and who's taking advantage of 'subsidy loopholes'?

Here's the link;

http://money.msn.com/investment-advice/the-12-highest-corporate-tax-bills

Those pesky facts certainly get in the way of a nice 'spin' don't they?

@ROY WILSON-336103 Nice facts to wake up to Roy :-)

No one seems to understand if you cut ANY subsidies to "BIG OIL".

Where do you think.......that money will be made up in????

OUR GAS TANK!!! Think please before speaking and raising my cost of living.

As usuall Pigatory is spouting off in the wrong direction. While your idea to invest in teachers and high tech sounds good and would work IF government would stop wasting tax dollars, you can't explain why we just sent $60M to Syria ( a country that hates us with a passion) instead of "investing" that money here at home on our teachers.

Helloooo! Hey!!!!!!! Obama who signed this bill but you, if you thought it was a bad bill you shouldn't of put your john handcock on it. Come Obama why don't you be a real man, leader and start looking at your self at fault instead of you always playing this blame game garbage. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course it's the Republicans' fault. You don't think Obama would stop spending other peoples' money voluntarily do you ? Look at his face in the pics. He looks like he wants to suck his thumb and throw a temper tantrum. He'll no doubt need another multi-million $$$ vacay after this.

Um, right.

So, he CREATES the crisis, HYPES the crisis, BLAMES Republicans for the crisis, THREATENS Bob Woodward for TELLING THE TRUTH, then tries to come off as Community-Comforter-In-Chief, then BLAMES the media for sounding “Apocalyptic.” This guy is BEA-YOU-TI-FULL!!!!!

Roy Wilson, wake up man. If you take away the credits for big oil they are going to raise the price at the pump. Don't be so naive. The SEQUESTRATION is Obummers plan. Yet he can't bring himself to accept it. This is the true Obama. Take responsibility for nothing. Slithering snake.

What a disingenuous J.O. this guy is. Obama knows that he and his party have been given multiple opportunities to make the cuts less "dumb" and "arbitrary" and they flatly refused them when those opportunities have been handed to them on a silver platter.

In September, before the election, the Republicans in the House passed a measure that would grant Obama and his cabinet members a good deal of latitude to make much more targeted cuts -- less "dumb" and "arbitrary". In lock step fashion and taking a cue from the White House, the Dems in the Senate blocked that potential legislation from even getting to the Senate floor for debate much less passage.

Only a few month later, after the new Congress convened in January, the Republicans again floated the idea of passing similar legislation. Instead of gladly accepting this power and flexibility to be able to target the cuts based on his own "good conscience", Obama instead immediately proclaimed that he would veto any such legislation. Then when the Senate Republicans finally got to present a bill to the Senate floor last week, Obama again immediately proclaimed he would veto it if passed. The Senate Dems, as before, went on to block the bill, again in lock-step fashion with no Democrats voting in favor of letting Obama replace the cuts with less painful ones.

So if you feel pain, you can thank Obama and the Dems who have been given opportunity after opportunity to lessen it. THEY were the ones who in just November and December said "Give us tax hikes now and we'll give you the spending cuts later." Unfortunately -- as expected -- THEY GOT their tax hikes and then wanted to play politics with everybody's lives by reneging on their end of the deal.

Understand this, President Obama and the Dems are acting like petulant toddlers. If they can't inflict pain on their enemies, then they damn sure are going to make EVERYONE suffer.

President Obama bluffed and was called on it. Can't wait to see how this thing plays out!

I know all you brain damaged liberal retards don't have the intelligence and logic to follow this but here goes anyway:

The sequester bill was Obama's idea.

The sequester bill was signed into law by Obama.

Obama thought he could black mail the republicans with the sequester...he was wrong.

The sequester is absolutely Obama's responsibility.

wow, lots of baaaaaamapeople here. Only these sheeple would believe the GOP wanted to cut military spending. The fact of the matter is Obama politicized the event after suggesting it in the first place. Obama missed the turn to get on the "leadership" ramp years ago. He took the "community organizing"
ramp causing him to blame and accuse including a touch of fear mongering rather than leading.

Here is the comment I made at 1.2 above. Anyone see why it may have been deleted except that it made sense and I probably angered a few lefties by being sensible?

C'mon Amy. Lighten up just a wee bit will you on the "it's all the Republicans fault" stuff. I don't see anyone on the other side of the aisle trying to cross over and talk sense into them. They just want to sit back and blame. I don't like the whole thing either but neither side at this point are acting like an adult in the room.

If the tax cuts are hurting a little and you don't like it, quit voting for officials that spend more than the government collects in tax revenues or get prepared for more and more pain. It's not going to matter what side of the fence you prefer to run on. That's just life in a bankrupt society.

Pig,

I just read your post on 2.0 below. The deficit is not declining it will increase by another $1.1 trillion dollars. Deficit spending did decline (that's the rate of spending in the "red"). "The deficit" and "deficit spending" are two different things and Obama is still increasing the deficit but at a "little" low rate . You rant like they're the same thing and they're not. If you don't understand what they are, Get Educated, try studying some accounting and business management because right now you just make yourself look stupid.

The stock market isn't quite as simple as you'd like to think either. Most peoples 401Ks aren't back to even. Again, GET EDUCATED about the stock market before ranting about things you don't understand.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-M0) "Washington has a spending problem."

Money from the Farm Bill

to Hartzler Farms

Total USDA - Subsidies $820,768

Wow and I collected my $174,000 salary in 2011.

THANKS taxpayers.

There is nothing more enjoyable than watching gop/teabags heads exploding. You clowns might as well throw in the towel, our fine President owns your party. First he raised taxes on the welfare loop hole entitlement wealthy and now after previously giving boehnor 98% of what he negotiated(and who backed out because of the teabags) he is cutting government spending - all on his terms while the republicans take the full blame as they should!!

Our fine President is an absolute genius and is playing the repubs/teabags like a Stradivarius. I am thoroughly enjoying the show! This is exactly what Americans elected him to do - twice!! Keep up the good work Mr. President!!!!!!!!

Democrats and OBAMA ==== BLAME someone else for their mistakes.

Republicans = = = = Accept BLAME

Both parties will never work together... We need the cuts which OBAMA would not sign unless sequestration was in the bill so who is the person trying to defeat his own bill???? OBAMA!!!! So with that in mind all this is a political move for both parties. OBAMA be a man and take blame for this and also Democrats and Republicans should both take blame for how this country is. Remove all the stupid laws that are against law abiding citizens such as proposed gun laws, insurance laws, obamacare, and get rid of pork, and other non essential burdening budgets so that US Citizens can recover and return to not have to worry about these stupid laws and be able to live like we are suppose to here in this country. Stop pushing us US Citizens or the people will push government out!!!!

Obama continues to blame the GOP for all of his failures. Given his 4+ years of failure, he can now relax these next 4 as the blame game will go on and on now that the sequester can be used for his poor performance. It's good to see that a lot of folks are waking up to what this president is doing which is bringing financial disaster to the nation. This also includes what the Fed (Ben Bernanke) has done to exacerbate the situation by continuing to print money that is devaluing the dollar.

It wasn't the fault of the GOP at all on the sequester, it was Obama wanting more taxes which will allow him to add to the 16+ trillion debt. This is exactly what the GOP was determined to stop which they did and hopefully save the government from financial disaster.

Obama, to this day, has no intentions of cutting spending. In fact, it's just the opposite and shows no concern for the debt problem which along with many Democrats who also want to tax more and spend more.

This will not create more jobs as we have been led to believe. It's time for MORE folks to get behind what the GOP is doing if we care about our future and the future of generations to come.

"Tax and spend" transfers wealth. It does not necessarily create job growth. If it meant job growth, we would have an abundance of high paying jobs with all the government has spent in the last 4 years. Our yearly tax revenues have stayed pretty stable over 4 years while our spending has increased significantly. I don't understand why people can't do the simple fiscal math with this, since it's their money and futures at risk.

That's the stupidity of allowing the liberal media to control your research and thought process.

1st rule of business: Never allow anyone to have free reign of your checking and savings accounts. (That's what we have allowed Washington politicans to do for 50 years.)

This is as far as I could get today! Have to go to a Family Dinner, now! (Chicken in a bag???)

anti-trust proponent, 1.18- EXCELLENT!!! Gilboagirl, #1.20- EXCELLENT!!! campdog, #1.38- EXCELLENT!!!

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Bloodthirsty Savage, # 1.140- EXCELLENT!!!, Pigotry, #1.201- EXCELLENT!!!

Ron Childers, #1.204 (and others)- EXCELLENT...ditto...EXCELLENT...ditto...EXCELLENT!!!

I have a plan stop wasting my money.

and stop taxing me and giving to your union friends your green friends and your Mexican cell phone buddy that alone is 400 million a month

DZ1900 " Roy Wilson, wake up man. If you take away the credits for big oil they are going to raise the price at the pump. Don't be so naive."

I think you misread my Post.

My point was that if the oil companies REALLY got big 'subsidies', then why did they pay a much HIGHER income tax rate than other corporations? Subsidies normally end up LOWERING the effective tax rate (ala GE earning $16 Billion and paying NO income taxes because of tax credit subsidies).

If Obama wanted to REALLY criticize corporations for 'not paying their fair share in taxes', he should have criticized GE and Microsoft, but of course you won't see that happen because their CEOs are Obama's buddies.

Well, @!$%# Obama and the horse he rode in on. The sequester was his idea. Now he calls his idea dumb and blames it on republicans. Unbelievable. You'll also notice the democrats didn't compromise either. Republicans gave him his precious tax increase last time but no, that wasn't good enough and following the democratic line, ignores it ever happened. But instead they scream it's the republicans fault for not compromising. Bull@!$%#. I'm sick of this lying crybaby we have for a president. He's a joke. He's an embarrassment. He's the great divider.

Apparently there is no reason for republicans to compromise with Obama, he won't acknowledge it when it happens. He lies and lies about it and his precious media won't call him on it. (Except Woodward who got threatened for pointing out how much Obama is to blame here.)

If it's just a matter of compromise, than democrats as just as to blame as republicans. If it's doing what's responsible then it's more the fault of the democrats than republicans.

If Obama wants to be an ass then he can shove it up his ass.

Sorry to all you whining, moronic, Bozobama-supporting, braindead HACKS out there, but the sequester was your Bozobama's idea, remember? HE is the one to blame FOR IT ALL, as he got his sacred tax increases on the EEEEEEEEEVIL rich, but REFUSES to cut ANYTHING. The Bozoboy is going down in history as the most failed and damaging president in history.

Wait, I thought you crazy connies wanted to cut spending and smaller government. If you weren't here just blowing smoke you would want the sequestration.....no??????

david-475776

Pffffsssssttttt, Smelly Egg Fart Opinion.

Fact: President Obama's Back Room Closed Door Deals with the Big Corporations so that he could get Billions to keep his 2008 Presidential Campaign Offices open until 2012 Reelection,

David,

As with other right-wing "ducks" you have decided to be selective in your observations.

You have blindfolded yourself to the GOP's destructive agenda.

From the super wealthy, how many billions of dollars did Romney receive?

If it takes big money to oppose big money, so be it. Obama was able to raise a substantial amount of campaign money from grassroots folks...the poor and the middle class people.

CBS News This Morning, Obama spent $2.2 Billion on A Free Cellphone program

"The Free Cellphone program?"

The above program is for low-income people?

The free cell phone program allows low-income parents the ability to stay in contact with their children.

This program helps parents ensure that their children are safe.

http://www.phoneservices.us/low-income-families-and-free-phones/

Then there is President Obama's Buddy "Mr. Corporate America", and all the back room closed door deals...At least the Repugnants come right out in the open and state that they are supported or supporting the Businesses that keep the US functioning.

Your comments are senseless.

Romney was so transparent that he flooded America with a staggering number of his previous tax returns. With his tax returns, Mitt was so "open" that all of our 300 million citizens were able to review: when he actually retired from Bain, his oversees CASH accounts, his stealth money deals.

The best tax write off was for his wife's, Ann, horse to receive dancing lessons.

The GOP's embrace of Crossroads America and Citizens United are two additional examples of the Republican's embrace of "majority inclusiveness."

"Backroom deals?"

Are you referring to the back room deal, in January 2009, that Republicans made to defeat every economic, political and social initiative put forth by President Obama? This GOP stunt was so "open," by ABC, CBS and NBC it was televised.

The Demoncraps hide in closets, back rooms, behind closed doors making deals selling out the US Citizens;

David, your statements are indicative of insanity.

The Republicans' affection for Americans is quite poignant.

For the past 32 years, the right has ensured that the wealth has not only "trickle down" to the middle class, but that it has deluged the overwhelming majority. The right-wing cares so much about human beings that it wants to eliminate Social Security and Medicare, and destroy Medicaid.

they are corrupt

Please tell this forum where the WMD were found.

How many of you know how much the Insurance Corporations, Medical Device Corporations, Pharmasecuticals

The GOP's main goal of Medicare's Drug Program was to create a cash giveaway and windfall for the pharmaceutical industry.

Read the ACA

Americans are better off having health insurance than not having any medical insurance.

The Affordable Care Act is a vast improvement over the GOP's response for sick and indigent: "let 'em die."

most of you are uneducated or the no information voters

Unless you are in the 1%, you are a towering example of incomprehensible ignorance.

Forward!

It was BI PARTISAN people. You need to face it: BOTH "sides" (there really is NOT a side, just an illusion to appease you sheeple) are trying to accomplish the same thing: power and privilege and the fall of the US. They just use different techniques. How many of those people in politics are TRULY in there because they want to HELP this nation: 1%, maybe 2%? The rest are just power hungry morons that are good at deceiving YOU into believing them. That includes the president all the way down to those on city councils.

It's all fake. Look at your 401K now, and then look at it in a year. They'll take half of it away and you'll sit there thinking Oh Darn. My bad luck.

I know you are an ignorant Pig, sweetie, but the market is not going up, the dollar is going down. Stocks are down, relative to commodities that are worth anything (think oil). I know your elementary brain can only grasp one number, without considering counter-party risk, but then again, you're whole party is one dimensional.

America's patience is wearing thin, you would think the Republicans would be getting tired of looking Stupid !!!

"you're whole party"

"You are whole party"?

Our deficit has actually been going down. The deficit isn't the problem. We do, however, have a looming debt problem in the future, due mainly to retiring baby boomers and the increase in social security and medicare payments. It's not President Obama's fault, nor the Republicans. We do, however, need to utilize both some spending cuts AND revenue increases to deal with it. How about taxing religious institutions? Cutting defense that just keeps defense contractors rich instead of America safer? How about ending oil subsidies to the most profitable companies in the history of human civilization?

Some people in Congress don't understand the difference between smart cuts and stupid cuts (i.e. the sequester).

urban is another retardilican, the republicans created this sequester not the democrats. get your facts straight there lil fella before posting crap.

If only every retiree was fully invested in the DOW(which is not the case), and only if you do not factor in inflation, and only if the retiree did not need to touch these funds for the past 5 years.

Since not one of these is true...Dow at 14k is meaningless to retirees. And "booming economy" clearly you and I have much different opinions as to what this phrase means as I still see high unemployment, huge deficits, an unskilled workforce, and recent graduates with high debt and little prospects. Booming to you is what....low end manufacturing jobs that Obama is trying to take back from overseas...BFD. Those are hardly the jobs anyone wants, or anyone can afford to take.

Taintted,

So Obama didn't propose the sequester last year? So you are saying all of the news outlets including NBC are wrong?

Taintted - the WH has finally admitted that it was Obama and his administration that put sequestration plan forward. It was approved by a Republican held House, a Democrat controlled Senate and a Poser President.

Pig said,

"The deficit is declining...with booming economy and higher stock.

The DOW is rising to hover around 14,000, only about 100 points away from its pre-recession high of 14,164. Most of our retirees' 401Ks have made up all the losses.

It's truly Morning in America...again."

Pig, you do realize that the stock market is being propped up by the fed, right?...

like 85 billion a month!! which btw goes on the china credit card... but everythings rosy... Dude

stick to rolling around in slop because you know nothing about the "real" world!!

Taintted's brain is a little tainted. Golly Gee, you missed the tiny little fact that Obama and the Dems came up with this sequester and its terms?

so..when the President, an adult, proposed a solution, a plan for a bunch of spoiled kids - members of congress; but these spoiled republicans have decided to throw a tantrum, then you all just blame the President as a result of unruly kids refusing to make things happen? When congress refuses to act, and then the president once a while issues an executive order, you all cry the president doesn't work with Congress. But when the nation's businesses are left unattended due to do-nothing-congress, you spoiled kilds just blame the president? What?

Happy Pig Day, spoiled pigs!

Pig,

What has Obama proposed? What are the specifics?

That is what I thought. Next question please.

Obama being dragged kicking and screaming into a semblance of trying to takcle the out of control spending he has brought to DC. What a joke of a leader.....LOLOLOLOL.

Very true Truth, but the Porker will never admit to truth.

Even Harry Reid voted to defeat the Dem proposal to fix the Obama plan.

Hey Pig-

You have the Pres. You have the majority in Congress. You have the Dems in the Senate that refuse to vote on a single jobs bill that is passed by the House. You have a Congress who can't get a budget passed for 4 years now (including one proposed by His Holiness that got ZERO votes).

Yeah, lazily blame the Republicans................

Because Bernanke is printing money is why the market is so high. Wall Street loves money When that slows or stops the market will fall!!!

so..when the President, an adult, proposed a solution, a plan for a bunch of spoiled kids - members of congress; but these spoiled republicans have decided to throw a tantrum, then you all just blame the President as a result of unruly kids refusing to make things happen?

Do you have kids? Are you the ultimate voice in the decisions made? I suggest the President acts like an adult and LEAD the spoiled kids. But he can't.