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Loose Canons
Happy Sequester Week
The federal spending monster needs to be trifled with. Is Tom Coburn the only Republican willing to do so?
You made them do it. They’re angry about it. And if it happens on Friday, they’ll punish you for it.
That’s the attitude around Washington. The “it” is the sequestration of about $85 billion in federal spending imposed by the 2011 Budget Control Act. The $85 billion in cuts will have to be made in the remaining six months of FY 2013. About half will be cut from the Defense Department, the rest spread among other federal agencies. None of the cuts will affect overseas “contingency operations” such as Afghanistan. And, of course, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are exempt from cuts.
Our ravenous government isn’t used to having its constant monetary feeding frenzy interrupted by even a single dollar in reductions. So if sequestration happens, according to several mouths of the many-headed monster Ted Nugent calls “Fedzilla,” we’ll have to wait hours and hours for TSA to spend time in our pants, kids will starve for lack of school lunches, meat shortages will happen because federal inspectors won’t be able to work, FAA air traffic controllers will be laid off, national parks will close, and 800,000 partly-furloughed Pentagon workers will be working French hours.
These are only some of the punishments Fedzilla has in store for us. A hungry monster is not to be trifled with, says the beast and its chef, Mr. Obama. He says you’ll be calling 911 and no help will come because first responders won’t be on the job. (The fact that they are paid by localities, not the feds, doesn’t deter Obama from spinning this tall tale.)
Don’t believe it for a minute. These cuts — except for those in the Pentagon, which I’ve written about many times before — are entirely justified and long overdue. In fact, they’re far too small to have any impact on federal spending and debt. This year, federal spending will amount to about $3.7 trillion, increasing our debt by about half that amount. A reduction of $85 billion amounts to less than three-tenths of one percent of what the government would otherwise spend. Fedzilla spills more than that every week.
I remain opposed to sequestration because of the impact it will have on the defense and intelligence establishments. Half of the total — about $43 billion — will come out of the Pentagon’s hide. Instead of allowing the Pentagon — and the rest of the agencies — to manage their money by moving it between accounts, the Obama-congressional sequestration mandates cuts across the board. Because of this, major weapon system contracts will be cut back or canceled, the flow of new technologies defense depends on will be interrupted, and the resulting mess will end up costing taxpayers more in the long run for what could and should be bought now. And the stuff that shouldn’t be bought at all — e.g., Navy Secretary Ray Mabus’s incredibly wasteful “green energy” program that pays hundreds of dollars for a gallon of algae-based fuel instead of regular diesel fuel that could be bought for $3.20 a gallon — will continue to be bought but at even higher prices.
Sequestration prevents money management and Congress isn’t going to fix that before Friday. Obama wants the pain to be felt so that spending can be restored. The only thing we can predict is that as soon as sequestration happens, Congress will remain in crisis mode trying to fix sequestration so that the pain is reduced.
The only way Obama will allow that to happen is if spending is restored, minuscule cuts are imposed, and taxes are increased again. The “balanced” approach he preaches is nothing of the sort. When Obama says “balanced,” he means that more spending is paid for by higher taxes. He won’t agree to spending cuts, so the only way Congress can fix the problems created by sequestration is for Republicans to surrender — again — on taxes and spending.
That, at least, is the current political wisdom. And it’s wrong. If congressional Republicans try to fix the sequestration problem now, they’ll lose the battle because they gave away their leverage in January.
Last month, congressional Republicans kicked the federal spending problem down the road until May, foregoing the debt ceiling debate they should have insisted on. That means the sequestration problem shouldn’t be dealt with until then, when they regain their leverage.
It also means that they have more than two months to revise the deeply-embedded political equation.
In the big debt ceiling “crisis” of 2011, Republicans played Obama’s game, talking only about overall budget numbers rather than focusing on the individual agencies and the wasteful programs that they administer. By not focusing on the individual agencies’ wasteful programs, and by not speaking the truth on the necessity of entitlement reform, Republicans were trapped on the wrong side of both parts of the spending question.
No one who has any knowledge of the federal debt crisis can dispute that the main drivers of our fiscal crisis are Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Between now and May, there’s no possibility of repositioning the electorate in favor of entitlement reform.
As Ronald Reagan said, a rising economic tide lifts us all. But our economy is shrinking again. GDP shrank by 0.1 percent in the last quarter of 2012. If we have another quarter of shrinkage, economists will proclaim that we’re back in a recession. The current wisdom says that the only way to prevent that is for government spending to increase. That is false: growth comes from the private sector, not the government. The more government taxes, regulates, and spends, the less growth there will be.
There’s a huge amount of non-entitlement spending that could and should be cut in May. It’s on these programs that Republicans should focus in the next two months.
About the Author
Jed Babbin served as a Deputy Undersecretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush. He is the author of several bestselling books including Inside the Asylum and In the Words of Our Enemies. You can follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (47) | Leave a comment
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Jack in Wi| 2.25.13 @ 6:50AM
You forgot to mention Rand Paul and Mike Lee among others. The military needs to be brought home and downsized 50% and foreign aid eliminated. The rest of the non entitlement budget needs to be cut by at least a 3rd. Whole depts. need to be scrapped, starting with Education, Homeland Secutity, Energy, Labor, Commerce, and Transportation. To get rid of Transportation, just eliminate the gas tax and let the states decide how much tax to collect and how to spend the money. They all have their own transportation depts. Homeland Security is the job of the Defense Dept. As for the rest of the world, let it take care of itself. The world would be a far better place if we had never left these shores in 1917. There would have been no Hitler, USSR, Israel, radical Islam, a 50 year cold war, or the UN, if the Kaiser had won or it had ended in a stalemate. The stalemate was the most likely scenario.
Ryan| 2.25.13 @ 8:46AM
Ummm...there would have been a USSR - that began in spite of WWI; Islamist militants would have been around in some form (that was when Wahhabiism was starting to take hold, and may not have needed a Jewish state to get going).
Crassus| 2.25.13 @ 4:01PM
Thank you, Dr. Hindsight.
The Avenger| 2.25.13 @ 7:03AM
Sadly, moat Republicans are the biggest bunch of ball-less wonders the world has ever beheld. Most of them lack the courage of convictions and therein lies the dysfunctionality of the party. It is way past time for them to grow a pair and stand up to the democrats. I refuse to support a party that is the functional equivalent of democrat-lite.
Pecos Pete| 2.25.13 @ 7:04AM
On your TV this week: republicans roll over as democrats, led by King O/da mouth Reid/rich nanny Nancy, create a Crises that Must Not Be Wasted. The MSM will be awash with tales of looming disaster.
It is a Good Thing that I don't watch TV. Otherwise I might have to lay off my kitchen stove, refrigerator, 9 light bulbs, 2 chickens, 1 pig, 3 cows, 1 horse and my tractor. I'd still have enough remaining to survive at a subsistence level, but without any medical care.
Oh woe is me.
Joellen| 2.25.13 @ 7:21AM
Pecos Pete - and lets remind the Republicans the media will NEVER give them an inch - NEVER.
I am praying that the Republicans will have the courage and the integrity to call obama out on this, call me naive, but I am.
So just do the right thing Republicans - call the evil one out - how appropriate to do it during Lent - when JESUS smoked (pun intended) satan on his lies and arrogence.
TLP| 2.25.13 @ 8:05AM
In keeping with Joellen (and trying to work my way around Peyote Pete) let me just ask our "Ball-less Wonders" (I just made that up) in Congress a simple, straightforward question: If you don't hold the line on this one? If you go all Linguini Spine on us? If you Bail on us, like some of you are already doing (JOHN McCAIN - what a Fluckeing Surprise) because you think it's the only way you keep your Seat? Who's Votes are you planning on getting?
30 Million people sat out last Elections, because they thought that Romney was not a Conservative. What do ya think the turnout will be FOR YOU, this time next year, after you've sold your soul to the Devil?
I have an idea: How about you do what WE sent you there to do?
"When you do the right things. Everything else has a way of falling into place."
When you get to "Looking out for #1?" And to Hell with everybody else? Everything starts turning to #2 (for YOU) in a hurry.
Savvy?
Al Adab| 2.25.13 @ 8:33AM
Those in charge of spending will make the sequester as harmful and noticable as possible. Just as with the govt shutdown under Clinton, they will use the opportunity to fool the voters into thinking that somehow slower future spending means an end to the amenities, national parks, etc, which citizens enjoy. Rather than ridding us of studies of the life of lizards, or birds or the funding of small but costly projects in congressional districts, the cutbacks will be visible and painful for citizens. We are being manipulated for the benefit of the pet projects of the governing class. Time to end this charade.
GobBluthe| 2.25.13 @ 9:15AM
You're correct. When LaHood warns of 90 min ATC delays that isn't a prediction, it is a promise.
TLP| 2.25.13 @ 9:43AM
That's fine. Six of this. A half dozen of that.
The Republicans are gonna be Falsely Accused of the Blame, no matter what. If they roll over, this time, and the Michelle still hits the Fan? Then they'll be accused of not rolling over fast enough.
You do the Right Things, and let the Chips fall where they may. You keep your Promises. You hold on to your Principles.
When you do all those things, you can hold your head up and never have to Apologize to anyone, for anything.
It's easier to do, than you think.
Pecos Pete| 2.25.13 @ 9:56AM
Tim: You misspelled fecal matter.
TLP| 2.25.13 @ 10:40AM
Whatta ya mean?
I spelled her name right.
Pecos Pete| 2.25.13 @ 9:42AM
Tim: Thank you for reminding me that I won't have any more Peyote due to sequestration. Along with everything else I won't have. Damn, without my Peyote how will I ever ... ever ... ever get along in this world?
Pity goes also to the poor marijuana users who won't have their support payments.
Gary B| 2.25.13 @ 7:57AM
Sequester blah, blah, blah... The entire matter is identical to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The ruling elite in DC will never voluntarily give up any money or power. They must be tarred and feathered and driven out of town.
chuck| 2.25.13 @ 8:06AM
They want to raise taxes? Fine! Then cut all Federal Agencies 10%, cut Federal employees pay 15%, cut Congressional pay 20%, and cut Executive Branch pay 30%. Obama wants us all to sacrifice, he can lead from the front. Cut his pay 30%, and cut out all the golf and vacations.
And get rid of those Obama-phones! My damned phone bill is high enough without having to pay for some damned welfare-queen brood mare's phone.
Al Adab| 2.25.13 @ 8:34AM
It's on your cell phone bill Chuck. Usually noted as the universal access charge.
Nancy in NC| 2.25.13 @ 8:47AM
What a joke the District of Corruption is and all those morons who vote to send THEIR guy or gal back there every election season. Who are the morons who keep electing the Charlie Rangels, Harry Reids, and Maxine Waters? These people are so vile I wouldn't allow them in my laundry room, well along my living room.
The word "sequestration" doesn't do justice to what is the truth. They progs want to grow government until it owns each and every one of us, body and soul. Thanks to a corrupt media, the fools in Hollywood and an uninformed electorate, they're almost there.
I'm infuriated that the rest of us have to share in the misery the left is bringing down on us like acid rain.
Gary B| 2.25.13 @ 10:44AM
Right. Did you get it yet? The whole thing is a joke. In fact the uproar over sequestration is fake. It's part of the rolling PR campaign to lull us into thinking there are actually two political parties.
Bob K| 2.25.13 @ 9:00AM
Let it happen! Bring on the layoffs of the bureaucrats. See what happens.
They will get 4 day workweeks and 3 day weekends and after this all is settled, somewhere down the line, they will get back pay for the days they did not work.
Count on it!
Real Deal| 2.25.13 @ 10:50AM
Except the contractors who are the ones doing the work. They will get no back pay and have to use their PTO.
Al Adab| 2.25.13 @ 12:27PM
Bob:
Frankly we would all be better off to simply furlough the employees with full pay to retirement age, close the agencies, sell off the buildings and save the O&M money. They would no longer be thinking of self justifying regulations every day and the cost savings would be huge. Salaries would not grow and attrition would take care of the numbers.
Von Mises Jr| 2.25.13 @ 9:10AM
You are correct Nancy that we do not have a Sequester problem, or a CR problem or a debt ceiling problem. We have a Chicken Little Nursery School problem with a Democrat Party shouting that "the sky is falling."
We have not had a Budget in four years so that the socialist can create crisis after crisis and Dear Leader can tell us we will have no cops, firemen, and food inspectors, belly dancers for the GSA or prostitutes for the CIA.
Stockton CA and other socialist cities are declaring bankruptcy. Stockton had to lay off 1/4 of their cops and 1/3 of the fire fighters. This and other cities across the nation ARE discontinuing services since they are broke.
So I say let it happen. We can cut in other places but Obama will close the Washington Monument, Yellowstone and anything visible to the public. Let Chicken Little have his way. Then dumb ass liberals can perhaps learn a lesson.
If the criminals show up in Red States or Red Counties, they will get a taste of lead. But NYC, DC and Chicago will be left to defend them with scissors. I can give up going on the Jellystone Sleigh Ride if liberals can finally get a taste of their own medicine.
Al Adab| 2.25.13 @ 10:34AM
Right Jr.
Al the dire predictions of disaster are simply promises of how the powers that be will react in order to disrupt as much as possible. It is completely self serving and designed to frighten the public as much as possible. It was done during the Clinton years but perhaps the public won't buy it this time.
Bill8472| 2.25.13 @ 9:24AM
Since sequestration is going to occur under the aegis of a do-nothing Congress that lacks the will, on a bipartisan basis, to do anything to cut spending except let the sequestration occur so that it's nobody's fault that it happened, then let's begin the cutting with the money we pay to Congresspersons as their compensation.
Since they're not doing their job, let's stop paying them. It would be a really good idea on top of that to just relieve them of their jobs and send them home.
After that, we could turn our attention to the executive branch of government.
CrackerHound| 2.25.13 @ 11:27AM
Perhaps we can relieve them of their homes as well once they cannot pay their mortgages.
The more they can suffer in ways the general public does...the better!
Bill8472| 2.25.13 @ 12:10PM
Stalin was pretty worthless, but he said one thing that's worth considering these days: "Expropriate the expropriators!"
Anthony| 2.25.13 @ 9:41AM
I'm not great at math, but asking the government to take an $85B, actually something in the $40B range cut, is like asking a guy who grosses $100,000 a year to take a 15 cent cut in pay.
The Rs will cave on sequestration, as they will with Hagel. They are worthless, gutless and cowardly SOBs that need to be flushed along with the Ds in Washington.
gazinya | 2.25.13 @ 10:39AM
My retirement pay was sequestered last year and will be again this year. I WANTED a 20% raise and only got 3%. The remaining 17% was sequestered. I know how the Fedzilla feels and it is a sin against stupidity.
TLP| 2.25.13 @ 10:41AM
You keep spelling "Gonzaga" wrong.
Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 2.25.13 @ 10:41AM
There is actually a 15 billion increase in spending. This is simply another extractor cłass pretend disaster.
Gary B| 2.25.13 @ 10:48AM
Have you stopped watching the news yet? It has about the same credibility as "professional" wrestling. All the trumped-up drama is 100% fake.
TLP| 2.25.13 @ 3:03PM
I have.
John Navratil| 2.25.13 @ 10:45AM
This sequestration is the worst economic policy possible, except for all the rest.
CrackerHound| 2.25.13 @ 10:51AM
Jed Babbin:"I remain opposed to sequestration because of the impact it will have on the defense and intelligence establishments"
Sorry Jed, we don't have any choices in the matter. The debt and deficit are a bigger national security threat than Iran, Russia or any foreign enemy, and this coming from me, a foriegn policy hawk.
There are a lot of things we could slash in the defense budget that those of us on the right have advocated for years....namely stop giving money and protection to those that hate us. There is no reason to have troops, equipment and permanant bases in Europe and Asia. Even if you can make a case for why we need those bases, you would then need to only look again at the existential mess our national finances are in.
Oldefarte| 2.25.13 @ 11:11AM
If the sequester results in people starving [which it won't], then so be it! And if that was possibly the case [again which it's not], the question becomes WHY????? Okay the answer is that they are encouraged to get to that point of starvation by the crooks [ie Democrats] of government by their constant providing of more and more welfare benefits to their indigent constituents. This encourages them to have more and more children that they cannot financially afford to support to adulthood, so that then it becomes the government's [ie taxpayers'] responsibility to do so. Sure, go out and create those 'BABY BUMPS' just like all of those Hollywood starlets [ie high class prostitutes] do that you see on Hollywood Entertainment TV shows. Only problem with that is that they/starlets make $billions for batting their eyelashes [along with other body parts] in front of cameras, whereas your typical indigent Democrat constituents is completely povery stricken due to lack of an education [and available cameras]. So the prostitute-Democrat politicians call on taxpayers to pay A LITTLE BIT MORE of their income in taxes and then that whole problem is solved, right? Wrong, AND THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON too!!!!
sickofit5| 2.25.13 @ 11:25AM
Here's the killer, if 800k civilian military personnel are furloughed two things will happen. 1. DOD will find out that they can still function. 2. When they come back to work and sequester is dealt with, the furloughed workers will get their back pay. If you know anyone that works for a federal agency ask them what happens when they get furloughed. The truth is, anyone that works for a public agency will tell you that there is a lot of dead weight goin on out dere.
Drunken Sailor| 2.25.13 @ 12:43PM
Let it happen.
If I understand this newest manufactured crisis, this sequester isn't even really addressing the money we are spending currently. Just the rate at which we will increase spending. Freeze it for all I care. We are going to suffer one way or the other. The sooner the low information voters feel the pain the better.
The left has overplayed the crisis card. Even liberal news is showing people of "Cliff Fatigue".
"A poll out late last week found that barely one in four Americans said they’d heard much about the automatic spending cuts — known unhelpfully for public-comprehension purposes as “sequestration” — and four in 10 said they were comfortable with the cuts going into effect."
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/po.....get-fight/
Maybe, just maybe people are starting to see through the bullshit screen.
Paul Murphy | 2.25.13 @ 1:19PM
Dear Mr. Babbin:
I couldn't agree more.
The problem, of course, is leadership - so here's a question for you; when will McCain resign and Brewer appoint Sarah Palin to the senate?
I know, - so, how can you help make it happen anyway?
Who Knows?| 2.25.13 @ 1:46PM
Sequester---“Biological processes in which an organism accumulates a compound or tissue”.
Leviathan is ALIVE, and has been growing, absolutely, and as a percentage of total GNP, for at least the last 100 years.
So, let’s just be real, from now on---the federal government is a “biological process”, and there’s been a whole lot of SEQUESTERING going on, already.
The pitiful attempt to cut the growth of this sequestering, represented by the crisis du jour known as the sequester that’s supposed to bring the USA to a stop on Friday, is merely the latest joke coming out of DC. A trend in motion tends to stay in motion. A trend is your friend.
Mr. Babbin’s stance on the harm the sequester will supposedly wreak on defense programs makes sense---from a conventional point of view.
However, what’s the obvious condition of the USA, today?
Complacent stupidity!
One way or the other, it will take a major disaster to wake enough people up to stop the madness that is all things Obama. So, I say, yes---screw the defense department. It is past time to TALK about coming problems, and for them to COME---and BE THERE, for all to see.
In short, pray for a huge event, or two, or more, that captures the public attention for years.
Closing the national parks? Expose Obama for the pitiful fool he is! Who’s been jilting his supporters, and a voter scorned….here comes hell’s fury!
sweatyfederalist | 2.25.13 @ 1:59PM
On the bright side (always look on the bright side), for those lucky enough to survive the up to 28% unemployment during the 1930s, real wages actually increased 3% per year thanks to overall price declines. So if you can manage to stay employed through another Hoover-FDR dose of high taxes, extreme borrowing and Keynesian-spending, you'll likely be able to afford more stuff (just be sure to lock it up).
JP| 2.25.13 @ 2:58PM
"Republicans don’t need more “summit” meetings with Obama. They don’t need more debates on taxes. What they need is the courage to stop the gravy train."
But, Boehner loves the summits to nowhere; he loves being humiliated by the Anointed One. And he loves Big, Progressive Government.
cicero| 2.25.13 @ 3:57PM
The great thing about letting the sequestor take place is that nobody will notice. The dump will be across the board, and in the DOD. Each manager (who is getting paid a lot of money to manage departments and departmental spending) will just have to find a way to survive on about .010% less than they had before. Wow! That will take some real expertise. Once the folks findd out that the sky doesn't really fall, they won't lose any sleep over the next sequestion - only maybe next time it will be for real money.
Defense only needs to go back to diesel fuels, rather than algae (as Mr. Babbin rightly says), or maybe charge Egypt for the F-16s and Abrams tanks they are going to send over. All of the other departments can make everybody use their pencils one more day before throwing them away. We are not talking real money here.
If the govertment and the news media shut down on the same day, nobody would know.
Biff| 2.25.13 @ 4:04PM
Sorry, Jed, but I ain't buying the fact that every single dollar spent by the Pentagon is immune to the waste or fraud rampant in any other of Fedzilla's tentacles. We can and should cut 2% across the board, this year, and every year, no matter where the ax falls.
Bob Grant| 2.25.13 @ 4:12PM
Prediction:
The republicans will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, yet again!
This is a no brainer. Rand Paul and others have bills that will cut spending by up to 85 billion dollars and will not cost very few government jobs, and certainly not teachers, policemen, and firefighters. Many of the cuts will be made by not replacing people who are scheduled to retire. Other savings are found cutting waste and redundancy. And these cuts are across the board, in every agency! Some are CBO scored.
Obama has already stepped in it with his scare tactics and the republicans should call his bluff. DARE him to go through with his threats while legitimate/reasonable bills are out there that would go a long way in solving this debt crisis.
Force HIM to use the meat cleaver while republicans have the scalpel in their hands. Remember the '08 debates, where obama lectured McCain to use a scalpel and not a hatchet? Rub his nose in it!
Perhaps if the republicans could finally prove, with a reasonable doubt, that scare tactics and brinksmanship are his modus operandi in every thing he does, a few of the low information voters might finally see the light.
Bob Grant| 2.25.13 @ 4:13PM
...beyond a reasonable doubt...
Gartenmayer| 2.26.13 @ 1:43AM
No one who has any knowledge of the federal debt crisis can dispute that the main drivers of our fiscal crisis are Social http://www.chaussuresfreefr.co.....-c-32.html Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Between now and May, there’s no possibility of repositioning the electorate in favor of entitlement reform.
As Ronald Reagan said, a rising economic tide lifts us all. But our economy is shrinking again. GDP shrank by 0.1 percent in the last quarter of 2012. If we have another quarter of shrinkage, economists will proclaim that we’re back in a recession. The current wisdom says that the only way to prevent that is for government spending to increase. That is false: growth comes from the private sector, not the government. The more government taxes, regulates, and spends, the less growth there will be.
homme nike air max BW | 2.26.13 @ 2:58AM
You made them do it. They’re angry about it. And if it happens on Friday, they’ll punish you for it