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View Full Version : What will get cut if sequestration happens? Obama told us today



Little-Acorn
02-19-2013, 06:16 PM
Got out the old calculator this morning, after Obama's speech telling us the horrendous things that would happen to us if sequestration happens as planned. And I found some interesting things.

Federal spending has risen 28% from 2008 to 2011 (from $2.98T to $3.82T, according to the Statistical Abstract of the United States, published by the U.S. Govt).

It has gone up an average of more than 9% every year. And that's despite the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Now sequestration is coming (automatic cutbacks in spending), which might reduce next year's planned spending by $85 billion. That's about 2.2%.

A SPENDING CUT THAT ISN'T A CUT

And in case you were wondering, that doesn't mean we will spend 2.2% less next year, than this year.

Nope, it means that if we had an average increase planned for next year of 9%, this means we will increase spending by 7% instead of 9%.

What will this 7% increase in next year's Federal govt spending, do?

THE TERRIBLE THINGS TO COME

President Obama gave a speech this morning, where he told us what the coming 7% increase in spending as a result of sequestration, will do. He said:

* It will jepoardize our military readiness.
* It will eviscerate job-creating investments in education and energy and medical research.
* Emergency responders ability to help communities respond to and help people in disasters, will be degraded.
* Border patrol agents will have their hours reduced.
* FBI agents will be furloughed.
* Federal prosecutors will have to close cases and let criminals go.
* Air Traffic Controllers and airport security will see cutbacks, resulting in delays and problems.
* Thousands of teachers and educators will be laid off.
* Tens of thousands of parents will have to scramble to find child care for their kids.
* Hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose access to primary care and preventive care.
* The threat of these "cuts" has forced the Navy to delay the deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf.
* It will add hundreds of thousands of Americans to the unemployment rolls.
* People will lose their jobs.
*The unemployment rate will tick up again.

And that's the result of a 7% increase. It's what will happen, according to Obama, if spending goes up by 7% instead of the average of 9%.

A QUESTION OBAMA DIDN'T ANSWER

My question is:

Mr. Obama, if we were accomplishing all that stuff with just 2.2% of the Federal budget, which will now face cuts and/or elimination due to sequestration... what on earth have we been spending the other 97.8% on???