Tag Archives: budget

Sequestration Madness

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Terry| Leave a comment

OK, I take it back.  A few weeks ago, I said “let sequestration happen”.  My logic…there’s no way D.C. politicians are EVER going to agree to cut the military by nearly 10%, and I’m willing to survive the pain of the other cuts, if we start to cut our ridiculous military spending.  My own agency, as all others funded by “discretionary” spending, would also take a big cut.  If it were all done wisely (don’t laugh), I do think there’s “fat” that can be trimmed from a lot of places in government.  Hence, my previous post that sequestration may not be such a bad thing.

I was wrong.

For one, I foolishly thought that sequestration could be done “wisely”.  Now that we are 3 days from sequestration becoming a reality, it’s becoming quite obvious how poorly prepared Federal agencies are to address the cuts.  Warnings of up to 22 days of furloughs are going out to Federal employees.  First…what does this solve?  If budgets are indeed cut by 8% or so, what does a furlough solve?  You’re cutting costs temporarily, but what happens at the start of the new fiscal year?  You still have a lowered budget, and are facing the same problem.  Are you going to furlough Federal employees one day a week for all of NEXT year as well?  If cuts are enacted, stop-gap measures such as cutting travel, cutting ALL scientific conference attendance (Ugh…gotta love cutting scientists off from contact with their colleagues or the public), and an ill-thought out furlough solve NOTHING for the long-term. 

DC politicians are continually kicking the can down the road instead of dealing with budget deficits.  It seems Federal agencies are following the same line of thinking, trying to patch together a last-minute set of short-term fixes to deal with what could end up being a permanent budget cut. 

Trying to manage a science project right now in the Federal government?  Next to impossible, given the complete uncertainty as to budgets or staffing.  Government CAN be very efficient and can provide wonderful services to the American people…if only the damn politicians would get out-of-the-way.

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Sequester? Let it happen…

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Terry| Leave a comment

I’m a Democrat. I’m a liberal. I’m also a Federal employee. However, I’m also increasingly thinking that it wouldn’t be that bad of a thing if the automatic spending cuts in the “sequester” are allowed to take effect.

It really isn’t a lot of fun trying to manage a project right now in the Federal government. Uncertainties over budgets make it incredibly difficult to make even short-term plans, much less longer-term plans. Agencies are already bracing themselves for cuts, so “frills” like travel, hiring, or needed equipment are increasingly difficult to get approved. If the sequester happens, nearly all programs and agencies funded through discretionary spending will be cut by 8.4%. That’s a big number, especially given that we’re already several months into the Federal government’s fiscal year. It will have a real, and very painful impact on agencies, including mine.

And still, I say…let it happen. Unlike the idealogues who run the Republican party, even as a very liberal Democrat, I’m quite pragmatic about the deficit. Republicans say that it has to be managed ONLY through budget cutting, a ridiculous, and frankly, quite impossible task. Democrats, on the other hand, have shown they are much more realistic on the deficit, having already agreed to very signficant budget cuts as part of the debt limit deal last year, and putting more on the table in the attempt to reach a “Grand Bargain” on the sequester and deficit. But Democrats have been balanced, realizing it’s impossible to cut deficits without also raising revenue.

It’s that “balanced” view that leads me to believe the sequester isn’t necessarily a horrible thing. There has to be a balanced and pragmatic approach to cutting the deficit. A VERY big part of that has to be a realistic view of the Defense budget. We spend more on defense than the rest of the world combined, but yet Defense cuts have been generally taboo for Republicans. In the Sequester, Defense takes an unprecedented 9.2% cut. If negotiations to avoid the sequester occur, you can bet the farm that Republicans won’t agree to anything unless it drastically decreases the amount of Defense cuts. The sequester may be the ONLY mechanism that finally gets the U.S. to cut its bloated defense department. The sequester may be the ONLY mechanism that gets the U.S. to take a more realistic view on the role of the U.S. military in the 21st century.

There are also some political advantages to Democrats for allowing the sequester to happen. Republicans have only ONE party message, one platform…CUT GOVERNMENT. They don’t even have a plan for WHAT to cut, their only message in the last several years is to cut, cut, cut, and when asked about details, they hem and haw, and lately, have even had the gall to say that it’s up to DEMOCRATS to decide what to cut.  It’s a ridiculous platform to begin with, but given the hollowness of the Republican party and COMPLETE lack of any other party message, if the sequester is allowed to happen, Republicans are suddenly left without ANY party message.  Democrats would have already agree to billions of dollars of cuts last year’s debt ceiling negotiations.  Massive cuts would occur with the sequester.  Suddenly, the ONLY message that Republicans seem to have is irrelevant.

As I said, cuts would hurt, and not just for those of us in the Federal government.  It’s a horrible time to cut spending, given that the economy is finally just getting back on its feet.  Economists have stated the sequester would likely reduce GDP by a full percentage point for the next few quarters.

But the pragmatic side of me states that across-the-board spending cuts would force agencies to streamline, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The pragmatic side of me says a short-term hit to the economy is worth it, IF it gets the U.S. to take a more realistic look at our military spending.

Sequester?  Just let it happen…

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You are NOT entitled to your opinion – Shut the hell up

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Terry| 1 Comment

From Patrick Stokes, here’s a nice piece on why you are sometimes NOT “entitled to your opinion”.   The point he’s making is that you are only “entitled” to an opinion that you can make a coherent argument for.  He uses an example of anti-vaccination paranoia to make his point, where the manic anti-vaccine crowd doesn’t have a scientific leg to stand on.  Science is science, fact is fact.  If your opinion is based on conjecture, intuition, “faith”, or other factor not supported by the facts?  Then you are NOT entitled to your opinion, when trying to argue against science and against fact.

Thus, a “Shut the Hell Up” topic for this post.  As we enter the home stretch of the presidential election, it’s rather laughable to read some of the opinions of those on the right.  Do you believe any of the following?  If so, then please do everyone else a favor, and save yourself some embarrassment.  Just Shut…the…hell…up.

- Obama Muslim? Obama a non-citizen? – Do I need to even mention these? Are you a disgusting, racist, pig-of-a-human being who believes Obama is not a citizen?  Do you believe that historical newspaper reports and a birth certificate are simply part of some massive conspiracy? Are you a disgusting, racist, pig-of-a-human being who refers to Obama as “Barack Husein Obama” and believes he’s secretly a Muslim?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, PLEASE…SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- Evolution Denial – Science is based on theory.  Theories are tested, with evidence either supporting or negating hypotheses.  With evolution, the evidence is extremely clear, both in the fossil record, and in real-world, observable processes.  Do you believe in creationism?  I really don’t care if you believe some omnipotent, all-powerful entity created the earth and the universe, IF you can reconcile that in your own mind with the science.  Do you believe evolution is false?  Do you believe evolution is a “lie straight from hell”, like Paul Broun, quite possibly the most ignorant congressman in the U.S.?  Do you belive the earth is just a few thousand years old?  If so, then SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.  Save yourself the embarrassment that’s sure to come whenever you open your mouth.

- Climate Change Denial – Possibly as soon as 5 years from now, the Arctic will be ice-free in the summer for the first time in at least 13 million years.  The U.S. is about to set a record for its warmest year ever.  Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, and the scientific evidence continues to overwhelmingly point to not only a warming climate, but a warming climate caused by anthropogenic activity.  Do you believe climate change isn’t real?  Do you believe scientists and liberals are involved in some unprecedented, massive conspiracy to somehow consolidate government power by pointing to climate change?  Do you believe that climate change is occurring, but humans have nothing to do with it?  If so…SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- Polls are politically biased – Just one week ago, before the debates, conservative talking heads and blogs were expressing outrage over the liberal bias of polls that showed Obama with a healthy and growing lead over Romney.  Obama with a 6-point lead in Ohio?  A 5-point lead in Florida?  BALONEY, said those on the right!  It’s a liberal conspiracy to discourage Republicans and depress voter turnout from the right!!  One short week later, and an Obama debate flop has the poll trends strongly reversing towards Romney. Hey Rush?  Do you still think the polls are biased toward Obama?  How about you other buffoons and blowhards who scoff at polls when they show Democrats ahead?  GMAFB.  The very success and long-term continuance of polling entities depends on them being RIGHT.  If they’re wrong, they are ignored in future elections and the polling group goes out of business.  Are you one of those idiots who thinks political polls are purposely biased towards Democrats?  Do you think there’s some conspiracy in the polls to depress Republican turnout?  If so, then SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- 1997 Michigan was better than 1997 Nebraska - A bit off topic, but…do you believe the 1997 Michigan Wolverines would beat the 1997 Nebraska Cornhuskers?  Do you believe the Wolverines were “robbed” when a perfect, 13-0 Nebraska team finished first in the coaches poll, while the Wolverines finished first in the AP poll?  Puh-lease.  The Nebraska ground game easily wears down the Wolverine defense, and the Blackshirts dominate the Wolverines.  Final score if they’d have played?  Nebraska 31, Michigan 13.  Do you believe the Wolverines were the better team?  Laughable!  SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- Unemployment numbers manipulated by Obama and Liberals - Unemployment numbers out last week were good by any measure, with unemployment falling to 7.8%.  Good news, right?  Well, to nutjob conservatives, ANYTHING positive that could EVER be attributed to Obama has to be a lie!  A liberal conspiracy!  Clearly Obama has somehow influenced the unemployment statistics!  Are you one of those conservative wackos who believes last week’s unemployment numbers were altered by Obama?  Please, just SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- Romney Budget Miracle - Do you believe that you can simultaneously 1) Cut taxes 2) Maintain or raise military spending, and 3) balance the budget?  Romney/Ryan seem to believe in such a formula for long-term fiscal sanity.  Do you believe it’s possible?  GMAFB….SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- Voter ID Regulations Are About Voter Fraud – Report after report show that voter fraud in the U.S. is insignificant.  However, a number of states have pushed strict voter ID regulations, with Republican-led state legislatures and governors leading the charge to increase scrutiny of in-person voters.  If in-person voter fraud isn’t an issue, if very few instances have been documented…why the push by Republican state legislatures to push for very strict voter ID laws?  Under oath, I don’t think you’d even get most Republicans to say the laws are about curbing voter fraud.  It’s about suppressing votes by minorities and other groups who historically lean very heavily towards Democrats.  It’s a form of discrimination, it’s a form of racism, it’s about voter suppression.  If you believe it’s actually about voter fraud?  You’re an idiot…SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

Posted in Culture Wars, Deep Thoughts, Politics

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Republicans’ New Math

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Terry| Leave a comment

Mitt Romney this week came out with a pledge to achieve energy independence by 2020.  ”Independence” for Romney means only using North American sources of energy.  Given that we would still rely heavily on Canadian and/or Mexican energy imports, Romney’s pledge is hollow to begin with.  It doesn’t matter if oil flows from Canada’s tar sands or Saudi Arabia’s wells, it still means we’re importing oil from a foreign country.

With that point aside, you have to marvel at what Romney and the Republicans have accomplished in the field of mathematics during this election cycle.  They’ve completely written the basic tenets underlying mathematics with the policy proposals they’ve suggested.  Romney pledges to reach energy “independence” in just 7 years…shocking pledge in its own right, but even more shocking when he pledges  to do so without supporting any changes to fuel standards. 

Republicans certainly don’t have a good grasp of the basic concept of supply and demand.  Romney’s energy promise doesn’t address reducing energy USE…it’s all about trying to increase supply.  After all, as Romney states,  he wouldn’t want to TELL people what kind of car they should drive.  This is AMERICA, after all!  Dadgumit, if you want to drive a massive SUV that gets 12 MPG, that’s your god-given right as an AMERICAN!

Sounds good…if you’re a right-wing, wacko Republican who thinks the entire world is just there for your own personal short-term enjoyment.  But in reality, it’s simply impossible to expect energy “independence” without also cutting energy use…even when you use Romney’s definition of “independence” that includes importing Canadian and Mexican energy sources.

Romney and Republicans aren’t exactly breaking new ground with this policy announcement though.  After all, this is the same party that insists we can balance budgets by simply shrinking government, without any additional taxes or revenues coming in.  This despite every serious economist on the planet pronouncing the impossibility of doing so, unless the Federal government should somehow come under Ron Paul’s control and consist solely of the military and very little else. 

It’s the Republicans’ “New Math”.  Republicans have already abandoned science.  They might as well abandon basic mathematics or any other form of reason as well.

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Romney’s “Perfect” VP pick

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Terry| 2 Comments
Mitt Romney

It's amazing how often you watch Romney and see just how damned uncomfortable, how unhappy, he looks. I would be too, if I had sold my soul. The man is a caricature of his former self.

With today’s announcement of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s running mate, Romney has again reminded us what today’s Republican Party stands for.  Following in the footsteps of John McCain, the last, failed Republican candidate, the once moderate, pragmatic Romney has completed his conversion to right-wing wacko.  The pick proves that it is the Rush Limbaugh’s of the world and corporate America who really runs the Republican party, not the everyday American voter.

I respected McCain before the last election.  He was indeed a “maverick”, someone who fought for what he thought was right, regardless of his party’s view on a particular issue.  That all went out the window once he ran for president, and it’s carried over into his bitter, post-election loss political life.  Now, McCain is a shell of of his former self, having been “assimilated” (Borg-style!) into the rest of the conservative, right-wing, wacko component of the Republican party.

It’s amazing how Romney has followed the same path.  Romney has somehow transformed from a moderate governor of a liberal state, from a champion of health care reform, into a sniveling wimp who kowtows to the most radical in the Republican Party.  The Ryan announcement is just verification of the transformation.  The architect of a budget plan so extreme, so completely unrealistic that even huge numbers of Republicans distanced themselves from it as much as they could, was strongly backed by the most radical and conservative people and institutions in th U.S.

And, as usual nowadays for the Republican Party…the radical wing of the party “won”, and got their man as the VP candidate.  I really wonder how men like McCain and Romney can look in the mirror in the morning, knowing how they’ve completely sold their souls for the sake of winning an election.  There’s really no word to describe it other than….pathetic.

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Perspective – Both Humanity’s, and Mine

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Terry| 4 Comments
USS Zumwalt Destroyer

The U.S. Zumwalt class destroyer, the latest in high-tech destruction. All for the bargain price of $7 billion APIECE. ONE ship, cost billions more than we spend on cancer research, or diabetes research or cardiovascular research.

This will be my last post for…awhile.  This post is on perspective, both from my own personal standpoint, and from the standpoint of humanity as a whole.  We’ll start with humanity as a whole.

The U.S. Navy is building a new class of destroyers.  The highly advanced ships are specifically designed to deal with the “Asia/Pacific” strategy of competing with and containing China.  They are “stealth” ships, with one-of-a-kind weapons systems that can hit targets from over 100 miles away.  They’re massive…the length of 2 football fields.  And the cost?  The cost to build each is just a “mere” $3.8 billion.  With R&D that’s gone into it, they will have spent $7 billion per ship.

$7 billion for one ship.  The Navy had wanted 24.  Now they may “only” get 3.  $21 billion, for 3 ships.  Obviously this is just the tip of the iceberg for our military.  The new F-35 fighter jet program is up to $400 billion, and rising.  The lifetime cost to run the F-35 program?  $1 trillion. 

Perspective. The ENTIRE National Institutes of Health Budget for the most wealthy country in the world?  $31 billion this year…or the price of 4 new Navy destroyers.  Breaking it down to funding devoted to some of the biggest diseases affecting our citizens:

  • National Cancer Institute – $5.2 billion
  • National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases – $3.1 billion
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease – $4.9 billion
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders – $1.7 billion

It was estimated that 572,000 people died from cancer in the U.S. last year.   There are at LEAST 30 million Americans with diabetes…and likely many more.  The best estimate is that at least 300,000 Americans suffer from Multiple Sclerosis.   And the list goes on…and on…and on…

But yet as the richest nation in the world, we decided to spend $700 billion on our defense budget…and only $31 for the NIH.  We decided to spend $7 billion for ONE destroyer…just in CASE we might ever go to war with China in the Pacific Ocean someday.  We spend more for ONE Navy destroyer than we spend on cancer research, diabetes research, or cardiovascular research.

Perspective.  What does this say about America?  What does it say when millions of Americans are suffering and dying from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases, but we spend more on a handful of ships than we do to combat disease? 

Which leads me to my own perspective.  I do find it cathartic (see blog title) to bring issues like this to the attention of folks.  But…it’s time I take a bit of time to help wrap my own mind around “perspective”.  My little family has hit the jackpot, it looks like we’re going to be a perfect 3-for-3 in terms of each having some wonderful health challenge to face. 

Perspective.  I’m finding it hard to care too much about the upcoming election or other political and environmental issues at the moment, knowing that in the big picture…humanity will continue to have a completely skewed perspective, with small men (mostly!) fighting their small battles over power, money, and notoriety, while ignoring what’s really important in life.  And in the “little” picture…I need to take time to put things in perspective myself. 

Signing out for a while…

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Mixed Bag for Science in Obama Budget

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Terry| Leave a comment
Landsat 7

A Bush-proposed $1 trillion program to send men to Mars? Or ensuring the continuity of a vital earth-surface monitoring system at a tiny fraction of that cost? With available discretionary spending $$$ becoming increasing limited, priorities for government science spending need to be re-evaluated.

Obama came out with his budget vision for 2013 (and beyond) yesterday, and it’s not a bad one from a science perspective.  As this article from MSNBC notes, science spending in the U.S. is typically much less partisan than, well, nearly every other issue that Washington debates.  Unfortunately, science funding fits into the dreaded discretionary spending category, and with no end in sight to future budget deficits, there’s little doubt discretionary spending overall is likely to take a significant hit over the next several years.  There’s thus little question that science funding priorities need to be focused on what provides the greatest return for the investment.

When the U.S. public thinks about what is provided by “government science”, they tend to focus on the splashy, high-visibility things.  NASA in particular is wildly popular in Americans’ eyes, and funding for the National Institutes of Health also typically enjoys a strong backing.   With what are likely to be shrinking R&D dollars in the coming years, however, there’s a need to prioritize government science programs.  As “cool” as interplanetary NASA missions are, as much as I relish the thought of exploring our own solar system, such missions are frightfully expensive.   My biases are about to be revealed, but the U.S. has a nearly 40-year remote-sensing record of Earth surface conditions from the Landsat series of satellites, a continuous data record that is invaluable for analyzing earth surface change.   With technical issues that have limited the utility of the latest platform, Landsat 7, earth science that relies on the Landsat satellite series has been living on borrowed time, with the 28-year old Landsat 5 providing a wealth of data FAR past it’s expected life span.  Landsat 5 is (finally) near death and operations are currently suspended.  The launch of Landsat 8 is still a year off, and funding for future Landsat missions continues to be in doubt. 

When I see that George Bush called for a manned mission to Mars, a project that would likely cost a minimum of $1 trillion, or when I see Newt Gingrich call for a manned lunar colony, not only do my biases towards EARTH science show, but my pragmatic side also comes out.  There are real scientific benefits to space exploration.  The “cool” factor is off the charts!  But when science $$$$ are limited, what’s a more valuable expenditure of government tax dollars?  A $650 million project to send a spacecraft to Pluto?   Or using that money to fund earth science?  The money spent on the Pluto “New Horizons” missions is in the same ballpark as the funding for the new Landsat 8 imaging platform.   From the perspective of “bang for your buck”, there’s little doubt there are more societal benefits from focusing government tax dollars on earth science, medical research, or other scientific issues that directly inform and affect human welfare.

In many ways, Obama’s budget IS a pragmatic science budget.  There are cries of outrage over proposed cuts to NASA programs, and experimental physics facilities such as the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider.  But Obama’s budget increases funding for biofuels research and other clean energy technologies, climate change research, and issues such as the studying the environmental effects of fracking….all issues with very significant potential impacts on human welfare over the next century.  It’s a pragmatic, responsible science vision at a time when budgets are tight.

Posted in Politics, Scientific Awareness

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Supercommittee Deadline…or Lack Thereof

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Terry| 1 Comment
Kick The Can

Deadlines? We don't care about stinkin' deadlines!! After all, John McCain said Congress makes the rules...they can break 'em too. And once again, Congress kicks the can down the road.

The “super committee” charged with finding $1.2 trillion in budget savings over the next decade still doesn’t seem close to a deal.  Congress’s automatic “trigger” is supposed to automatically cut a certain percentage across all government agencies in January 2013, if the committee doesn’t reach a deal.  The trigger was put in place to supposedly pressure Congress to actually reach a deal.  It’s been assumed that Republicans would balk at the automatic cuts to the Defense Department that would take place without a deal, and thus force them to negotiate.

Nope.  “The Congress is not bound by this,” said Sen. John McCain. “It’s something we passed. We can reverse it.”  Let’s see…earlier in the year, Congress brought us to the brink of default on our debt, all because of a lack of ability to agree on budget issues.  They installed this trigger to force them reach a deal…but the deadline is 5 days away, and no deal is in sight.  So, according to McCain, it’s no big deal!  THEY made the law, THEY made the trigger, so they can simply undo it!! After all, they’ve been SO successful in reaching budget agreements lately, they can just get rid of the deadline, get rid of the automatic trigger, and once again, kick the can down the road while we continue to head towards economic ruin.  They’re SURE to reach a deal NEXT year, right, Sen. McCain?

Pathetic.  Given the market’s reactions to debt issues in Greece, and now Italy, you’d think Congress would be paying attention to the grave implications of refusing to tackle the issue in the U.S.   But no, Republicans are too driven by dogma, and the next election, to worry about actually governing.  They continue to continue to fight EVERY effort to raise new revenue.  Their latest “concession” included a lowering of the highest tax bracket, and making the Bush tax cuts permanent.   They continue to act like puppets for corporate CEOs, doing everything they can to keep the status quo, to continue to perpetuate the gap between rich and poor, no matter the consequences for the country. 

It would be a complete shock at this stage if the super committee came up with a deal next week.  The deadline means nothing to Congress, as McCain noted.  The new deadline when the clock strikes midnight at the end of 2012, when the Bush tax cuts expire if Congress doesn’t do anything.  If Congress doesn’t do anything, the automatic $1.2 trillion in cuts also kick in that January. 

In other words…probably the BEST case scenario to reduce the deficit is for Congress to do nothing…which seems to be their specialty.  Maybe there’s hope after all.

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Senators (yaaaaawwwwnnn…) pass bill to avert shutdown

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Terry| Leave a comment
Fred Flintstone Yawn

It seems like we've had threats of looming government shutdowns since cavemen walked the earth.

Whew!  Thank GOD!!  Tonight, in an incredible tense moment for America, the Senate passed a bill that seems like it will avert a partial government shutdown.  The government’s fiscal year starts October 1st, and without spending bills in place, a continuing resolution is needed to continue funding government operations.    America, you can rest easy tonight, a deal appears to have been reached.  Assuming, that is, that House Republicans play nice and approve the deal worked out between Senate Democrats and Republicans.

You know, as one who works in government, there was a time that this kind of thing really bothered me.   In 1995, we had just bought our first house, closing on the house and moving in on November 1st.  Less than 2 weeks later, thanks to a Newt Gingrich hissyfit, I had an unplanned, 1-week vacation at home thanks to a government shutdown.   Even MORE fun was Christmas, 1995, which fell right in the middle of THREE straight weeks of staying home from work while the kids in Washington played their little games.  For a young couple who had just bought our first house, we were living paycheck to paycheck, and that shutdown practically had my hair falling out, I was worrying  so much.

This latest, um, “crises”???  Well, not so much.  Can’t say as I’ve lost any sleep over the matter.  How many times this year has the threat of a shutdown popped up?  I’m losing count.  I’ve DEFINITELY lost count how many times they’ve told us over the years to beware a potential shutdown.  One thing that is definite…I can’t even REMEMBER the last time my agency, the Department of the Interior, actually had funding at the start of a fiscal year on October 1st.   Maybe it’s happened since I started in 1993, but especially since the 1995-1996 shutdowns, I certainly can’t remember CONGRESS EVER DOING THEIR JOB and passing spending bills by the start of the fiscal year, like they’re supposed to.  No, every single year, we inevitably start with a Continuing Resolution, which basically makes it nearly impossible to do any planning for the year. 

So pardon me for yawning at the silliness in Washington and the latest budget “crisis”.   I have no doubt that there will again be a government shutdown someday.  There are too many egos, too many dollars flowing into campaign coffers, and too many freakin’ idiots in Washington to make me believe such a shutdown won’t happen again.   But instead of worrying about such things any more, instead of worrying about whether I’ll be going to work the next day or not, I now choose to instead focus on the entertainment value of the ineptitude in Washington.  It really IS laughable, if you look at the politics of it all. 

So the next time you see a news headline talking about some pending government shutdown, just chuckle to yourself, and think about the silly little boys in Washington playing their silly little games.  And try not to worry about it.  You simply can’t take these things seriously any more.

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Why bother negotiating with the GOP?

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Terry| Leave a comment
Crying Baby Boehner

John Boehner, crying when he and his GOP colleagues don't get their way.

As part of the agreement negotiated between the GOP and Democrats to raise the debt ceiling was an agreement on overall funding for the fiscal 2012 budget…$1.043 trillion.   So what does John Boehner and the GOP try to do as the House and Senate work on FY 2012 spending bills for the U.S.?  Ignore the agreed upon budget amount, and instead try to cut yet more.    So much for the negotiated level of funding for 2012!  It’s yet more of the “our way or the highway” approach that the GOP has adopted.  They are simply INCAPABLE of bipartisanship.  They are simply INCAPABLE of good-faith negotiation.  They are simply INCAPABLE of governing a nation.

I’m glad to see the Democrats are FINALLY starting to play hardball in return.  First we had Obama with his fiery speech on his jobs bill, where he practically dared the GOP to vote against it.   And today, in response to Boehner’s BS in the House, Harry Reid forced the GOP to vote AGAINST funding for disaster relief, something the GOP said they would oppose unless cuts were made elsewhere, but embarrassing for the GOP nonetheless to vote against disaster relief when so many are struggling to cope with the recent disasters on the East Coast and elsewhere.

After the embarrassing positions taken by Boehner today, there did appear to be some backtracking, with Boehner eventually saying that they will likely end up funding at the $1.043 trillion level for 2012.   HOPEFULLY, this is the start of the Democrats SHOWING SOME FREAKIN’ BACKBONE, and stop giving in to GOP attempts at legislative or political blackmail.

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