Sequestration + 2

Big Red Car here.  What a day — bluebird, not a cloud in the sky.  Crisp, cool.

But all is not well in the Big Red Car’s world.  In one word:  SEQUESTRATION.

OK, I am willing to admit that as Big Red Car, I don’t really understand it so I had The Boss ‘splain it to me.

Hey, Boss, WTF is “sequestration”?

Here’s what The Boss had to say about it:

Hey Big Red Car listen up:  Once upon a time about 16 months ago, our President wanted an increase in the debt ceiling.  Every President has wanted to increase the debt ceiling because we are addicted to spending like crackheads.  The fact that this President wanted an increase in the debt ceiling is not something that should be held against him.

The President got his debt ceiling increase from the Congress in return for a promise to reduce spending.  The President signed this bill which included the notion of “sequestration”.  In fact, it was the President’s idea.  [pullquote]If you think any individual can screw things up, wait until you see what a committee can do.  And then, a freakin’ Super Committee?[/pullquote]

President:  “If you will just give me the debt ceiling increase that I want today, I will gladly promise to reduce spending through automatic cuts — this is the sequestration — or in the interim period we will form a Super Committee to substitute more palatable cuts for the automatic cuts.  Debt ceiling increase today, spending cuts tomorrow.  Haha.”  Paraphrasing mind you.

So the deal was struck and the President was happy and the Congress was happy and the American people were tricked yet again.  Of course, nobody with a brain thought it would actually work.

Road.  Can.  Kick.

The Super Committee

The Super Committee was formed and accomplished…………………………………..nothing.

Now, for historic perspective the President had previously formed another committee called the Simpson-Bowles [National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, an official Presidential Commission] Committee which prepared an excellent report that was a balance of spending cuts and revenue enhancements.

Former Senator Alan Simpson and former Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles are adults.

The President received the Commission’s report and enacted…………………………………..nothing.

With that background, who really thought that the Super Committee would accomplish anything.

So now there were a total of 16 months to get the job done, right?

The Election

There was an election to be held in November of 2012 and the President was running and running hard.  The last thing he wanted was to have to answer questions about the out of control spending and the debt ceiling and the issue of his own fiscal competence.

During the campaign, sayeth the President in regard to sequestration:  “Not going to happen.”  Big smile.

The President was re-elected and these issues never really figured in the campaign.

The Piper must be paid

But as it turns our, the Piper must be paid and sequestration is upon us.  So what does everyone do?

Well, the President first tries to sell the idea that sequestration is the Republican’s idea — but, alas, it was not and it is not and it was his idea.

But he tries to sell it.  Fail.

Then the President attempts to scare the crap out of everyone in order to get the “intransigent” Republicans to give him what he really wants — higher taxes.  Much higher taxes.

The Republicans gave him $600,000,000 in higher taxes on 1 January 2013.  That was not enough.  He wants more and more and more.

Even when he got the higher taxes, he did not deliver any spending cuts.

The Balanced Approach

Now, the President — who apparently has overlooked that the election campaign has ended and he won — preaches a “balanced approach” of taxes and cuts.  Sounds fair, no?

But having already received his wishes — new taxes — in the form of $600,000,000 in taxes (plus arguably $1,500,000,000,000 — $1.5 trillion in additional taxes in Obamacare) and having delivered NO spending cuts, he wants to pretend that his sequestration law requires additional revenues as part of the enaction of the law — it does not.

To recap:

1.  President preaches “balanced approach”.

2.  President gets $600,000,000,000 in new taxes.

3.  President delivers $0 in spending cuts in return for $600,000,000,000 in new taxes.

4.  President wants even more taxes but offers $0 in spending cuts.

Integrity

So, the President launches a campaign to demonize the Republicans — not that hard to do because the Republicans are still licking their wounds from the barbed wire enema that was the election — and to make sequestration all their fault.  Problem:  it was his freakin’ idea.

Then, the President and his minions attempt to scare the crap out of the American people.  The Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, says that “pink slips” are flowing.  Teachers are being fired.

When pressed for actual proof, he cites a school district in West Virginia.  Problem:  not true and even the lapdog MSM is able to smoke out this canard.

Integrity?  Ooops, seem to be out of integrity just now.  Will have to order some and get it shipped in because the Administration has none.

So where are we?

These guys in Washington — both parties — are not getting the job done.

1.  They cannot manage finances at the household level to say nothing of when it is counted in trillions.

2.  They are fiscally incompetent.

3.  They are liars of the most basic and fundamental nature.  Liars.

4.  They cannot lead and therefore they cannot govern.

We are facing the harsh reality that the most basic obligation of the Federal government — national defense — is going to be compromised as we contemplate:

1.  The smallest Army since 1940.

2.  The smallest Navy since early in the last century.

3.  The smallest Air Force ever.

At a time when the world is aflame with current and future national defense challenges we will have castrated our military power.  Castrated.  Neutered.

1.  Iran is going nuclear — a nuclear weapon in the hands of mad men.

2.  Pakistan is nuclear and is going to spin out of control when we leave Afghanistan next year.  Their nuclear arsenal is not secure.

3.  North Korea is nuclear and is testing delivery systems that can reach the US.

4.  China is at war with the US in the cypbersphere and is engaging in wholesale economic espionage and warfare.

5.  Russia is ascendant and is trying to reassert itself as an international pain in the ass.

6.  Oh, forgot, the entire freakin’ Middle East is aflame and we are ceding our influence to our adversaries including Al Qaeda.

7.  Al Qaeda is as powerful and as aggressive as it has ever been.

8.  We cannot even protect our Ambassadors.

IT IS TIME TO CONSIDER THE PREVIOUSLY UNTHINKABLE:

It may be time to give serious consideration to overthrowing this government and installing one that can deliver the basic compact of our Federal government.  If you cannot defend the Nation, you cannot run the Nation.

Now, the Big Red Car is not advocating tanks in the streets or armed insurrection — yet — but it is time to consider prying the steering wheel out of the hands of these incompetent, lying clowns.  Both parties.  Peacefully.

But, hey, what the Hell do I know anyway?  Hell, I’m just a Big Red Car. 

13 thoughts on “Sequestration + 2

  1. I’ve been asking that question for decades. Our founding fathers revolted against a government that might have been the free-est in the world – but it wasn’t free enough. The issue I have with a revolution now is what we would replace it with. It seems that we already have a system in place, and we’ve learned what the problems with it are, so we can fix it. In other words, it’s a great system, if people really had a say in what happened in government.

    I’m not sure if I’m making any sense ( and I’m not sure why I’m talking to a car, anyway ), but it just seems like we could fix our system by making a few adjustments instead of replacing our system. I feel like scrapping it all and starting over is just a way to replace the people in power, and it might lead to even graver mistakes.

    • .
      Well I suspect that you are absolutely correct — replace the people and just tweak the system.
      I do think that the underlying premise — a federation of “united” states has been swallowed by the Federal government itself.

      The States empower the Federal government not the other way around.

      You are talking to not any car, you are talking to a Big Red Car which is about 200 years old in people years.

      Look into my headlights, look into my headlights, you are getting sleepy………..

      BRC
      .

      • re: united *states*
        absolutely! Look, your boss and I probably disagree on quite a bit re: politics, but we agree on that. I’m frustrated by all the talk about the electoral college, more than two senators for some states, etc. If we would run the system the way it was intended to be run, AND get money out of the equation ( somehow ), AND do something to regulate the other large massive organizations that oppress people ( giant multi-national corporations, the church, etc. – government is not the only source of oppression), we could make some progress.

        • .

          The Boss is totally against the obscene amounts of money in politics. It makes him want to puke. And he is a guy who will write a check from time to time.

          As to other organizations, he is also opposed to entities which do not ultimately get down to real people from even participating. While he may understand the legal determination of the recent United Services case, he thinks it is a bad bit of policy.

          That is not to say that he does not want them involved in political discourse but rather the ballot box and the electoral process should be off limits to them.

          He is keen on term limits and other means to draw more folks into the process. He is absolutely revolted by the impact of lobbyists on the process of drafting legislation.

          BRC
          .

    • .
      Oh, you’re selling them short. They have lots of courage — at least half a thimble full collectively.

      With room to not quite fill it with integrity.

      BRC
      .

  2. Castrated Navy? If you look at the numbers, our Navy is absurdly over powerful.

    Just 20 of our 62 destroyers probably have enough firepower to obliterate our enemies. Cut our 71 subs down to a reasonable number (like maybe 25) and we can still obliterate the entire globe. And the remaining 100 or so “other” ships, that could probably obliterate the globe once again, could be cut back hard. How many times to we need to obliterate the globe?

    Oh, and we keep the 10 aircraft carriers. Just in case.

    Let’s just turn one destroyer on DC and start over again.

    To be clear: I don’t know anything!

    Thanks BRC!

    • .
      One of our carrier attack groups was “grounded” because of our economy. Our economy has become the limitation on our ability to protect ourselves. We are held hostage by the ineptitude of our leaders who cannot manage a checkbook. And thus cannot fuel the fleet.

      When a carrier attack group is at the quay, it is not operational and is as awesome as a lapstrake rowing dory.

      In the Straits of Hormuz, where there is very little water surrounding the fleet, bit less water under its keel than they would want and its ability to maneuver is constrained — the price of a fighting ship of the line is one Exocet missile.

      Quite the going out of business sale, eh?

      We have abandoned the time honored strategy of being able to fight two wars simultaneously. We are getting close to abandoning the ability to fight at all.

      BRC

    • .
      Here’s a recent photo of 5 aircraft carriers at the dock in Virginia.

      Awesome, no?

      You cannot project power when tied alongside the dock.

      BRC
      .

      • Thanks BRC. It’s always a blessing to have The Boss share his thoughts with us all.

        Now that’s some docked equipment!

        • .
          Each of those flattops carries about 300 planes and can start launching death and destruction on our enemies when within about 500 miles of their targets.

          We have the most awesome carrier fleets in the world — nobody else can hold their jocks — but we are held hostage to being able to balance the national checkbook. Ridunkulous!

          Who is the only force on the planet who can contain our awesome Naval might?

          The current administration and their financial ineptitude. Financial incompetence.

          BRC
          .

  3. Depressing. Term limits would be good for starters. Sad state of affairs. I fear for the welfare of my young children and their children. Whatever happened to honesty and integrity?

    • .
      Yes, term limits with a side order of the ability of the electorate to “recall” an elected official. But I would certainly settle for term limits as a first step.

      Honesty — was KIA in the 1960s with the Viet Nam War, its inception, its conduct and its conclusion. Presidents were reduced to bad second story men who authorized the burglary of political opponents.

      Integrity — wasted away until its death became not even worthy of formal notice. If you were to read its obituary, you would snort and say: “Ha, I thought integrity had died long ago. No news there.”

      What passes for politicians and leaders in America today would not have been trusted as horse holders of the Founding Fathers.

      BRC
      .

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