Tag Archives: government

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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House Repubs Shoot Down Violence Against Women Act

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Terry| 1 Comment

The Violence Against Women Act has been in effect since 1994.  It provides government funding for programs to combat domestic violence, including support for domestic violence victims.  The Senate passed a reauthorization of the VAWA back in April.  The House?  They first tried watering the Senate bill down so much that Senate balked and Obama said he’d veto the House version.  Since the House version didn’t pan out the House has chosen to simply ignore it, and not address the issue again in 2012.  As a result, for the first time in 18 years, the VAWA hasn’t been reauthorized.  Government funding for domestic violence programs is now set to sharply decline.

Unbelievable.  The fiscal cliff debacle was just the tip of the iceberg for the House GOP.  Over 2 months after Hurricane Sandy, and the House GOP was still refusing to bring up disaster relief…until Chris Christie and others blasted the incompetence of the GOP today.  JUST prior to the fiscal cliff vote, the GOP brought up a bill to freeze Government salaries for another year (this would be 3 years now with a pay freeze)…an incredibly transparent play to cover their asses for their embarrassing handling of the fiscal cliff.  Agricultural interests and many responsible politicians (are there any left?) are up in arms over the handling (or lack thereof) of the farm bill by the House GOP.

So…any confidence that the House GOP will be sensible in 2 months, when it’s time to address the sequestration delay, the debt limit, and funding government for the rest of the year?  Unbelievable…

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Republican Meltdown – Politics First, Country Last

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Terry| Leave a comment

If their actions weren’t so harmful, it would be very easy to take delight in the Republican Party’s meltdown right now.  Ideology now rules the GOP, to the extent that the Tea Party wing of the GOP would rather sink the nation than give in on tax issues. 

This was it.  This was the best chance to seriously address budget deficits.  After the Simpson-Bowles recommendations, after serious efforts by Obama and Boehner to craft a “grand bargain” last year, and again earlier in the fiscal cliff debate, there was  real chance to tackle deficits through a balanced approach that cut spending and raised taxes.  Obama was even giving in on entitlements, offering concessions that many Democrats abhorred. 

But alas, the GOP has become a one-trick pony, a one-issue party.  The only issue the GOP seems capable of addressing is shrinking government.  That’s not necessarily bad, if the GOP held a pragmatic, rational view of how to shrink government.  Hell, I’m as liberal as they come, but I agree we need to cut spending (how about starting with the Defense budget???)  The GOP’s stance isn’t necessarily bad, if the GOP also accepted modest revenue increases as a way to help balance budgets.  It’s not necessarily bad, if the GOP had a rational PLAN to shrink the government in an intelligent manner, using a scalpel to trim the fat, instead of using a meat cleaver to decapitate the patient.

Instead, we have a GOP that has decided ideology is more important than deficit reduction.  A small number of simple-minded, ideologically rigid, inflexible SOBs in the GOP House have made compromise impossible.  They have made effective governance impossible.  By sticking to ideology, they have scuttled a deal that could have gone a long way to solving our budget issues.  Instead, we’re stuck with a very small deal that does very little to solve our long-term budget problems.  And even this incredibly minor deal was unpalatable to the Tea Party wing of the GOP, with House Republicans voting against it by a 2-to-1 margin, despite the devastating consequences to our economy if nothing were passed.

The GOP is in free fall.  They’ve become so irrational, so full of hate for Obama and Democrats, that all hope is lost for pragmatic compromises or rational governance.  We’re at a stage where the most powerful of GOP kingpins has become so “small”, literally (in terms of power) and figuratively (in terms of respectability), that John Boehner is walking the halls of the Capitol yelling loudly at Democratic leadership to “Go fuck off”. 

So here we sit, with a minor increase in taxes that does little to address our deficit issues.  Here we sit, with another manufactured crisis looming, as a 2-month delay in “sequestration”, the debt-limit increase, and funding for the government for the rest of the fiscal year all come into play at the same time.  Round 2 – a resounding, yet hollow “win” for Obama and the Democrats.  With the coming Round 3, we may just have  knockout blow where the victim/loser isn’t Obama/Democrats or the Republicans, but instead, it’s the American economy and political system.

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Romney – Obama won because he offered “Gifts”

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Terry| 1 Comment
Romney Snake Tongue

Forget the "soft", "human" side of Romney that some stories have tried to talk about since the election. With Romney's comments today, once again the REAL Romney is revealed, and it's not a pretty picture.

There have been a few stories lately about the “misunderstood” side of Mitt Romney, the “human” side.  Even Jason Sudeikis, the Saturday Night Live member, appeared on the Daily Show last night, and talked about the human side of Romney, how he’s somehow gotten an unfair shake from the media who have focused on the cold, hard, businessman version of Romney.  I never felt much sympathy or believed in the “caring, human” side of the man.  It was pretty damned obvious from his 47% comment what he really thought of most Americans, and it was pretty damned obvious from his business dealings how he treated people (Remember “I like to fire people”?)

After today, there will likely be VERY few people who ever talk about Romney’s “soft” side.  On Wednesday, Romney had a conference call with campaign donors, and offered his excuses for the Obama win.  According to Romney today, Obama won because he offered “extraordinary financial gifts” to Blacks, Hispanics, women, and the poor.  In other words, according to Romney, the reason Obama won is because he bribed all us poor lazy saps who just want the government to take care of them.

Bill O’Reilly was the first to go down this road, when late on election day, after Obama had been announced the winner, O’Reilly blamed the Romney loss on people who want “stuff” from the government.  God knows you see the same ridiculous statement from many of the completely deluded Republican voting base as well, where they ONLY view government as a mechanism to take THEIR money and give it to a bunch of lazy saps who don’t want to work for a living.

It’s one thing for a right-wing talking head like O’Reilly to make such a stupid statement.  Given the complete ignorance of most of the Republican base, it’s not unexpected to hear them make stupid comments like this.  But for the freakin’ PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE from the Republican party to use this as an excuse for the loss?

Disgusting. You know why you lost, Republicans?  BECAUSE YOU DON’T GIVE A DAMN about PEOPLE.  I think I’m a rather typical Democrat.  I don’t need a government handout.  I have a good job.  I don’t need government assistance.  However, I am glad to help PROVIDE assistance to those who DO need help.  LIBERALS CARE about their fellow man, we care about the future of our planet, and THOSE are the core reasons why we vote Democratic.

Repubs, you can keep focusing on the almighty dollar, about greed, about the acquisition of personal wealth. It will certainly get you a large number of votes.  But until you understand WHY people vote Democratic, you’re doomed to continue losing the big races.

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Sandy helps clarify the election

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Terry| 1 Comment
Hurricane Sandy

Who would you rather have deal with disaster relief after something as devastating as Hurricane Sandy? The Federal Government? Or for-profit private industry? Government obviously has important roles to play in society, despite what one side will have you believe in this election.

Sandy has certainly proven to be the superstorm it was labeled, with massive flooding and damage as it slammed ashore in New Jersey last night.  There’s certainly plenty of coverage on Sandy in the media, and I won’t focus on the storm or storm damage itself.  I will comment though on a peripheral effect of Sandy…helping to clarify what this election is all about.

The New York Times today has a very nice editorial on the role of government in times like this.  As they state a “bit storm requires big government”.  Response to a disaster is of course one of many important roles the government plays.  However, to Romney and Republicans, ANY Federal government task, outside of making sure we have 10 times as many weapons as the next guy, is better relegated to states, or better yet, the private sector. Romney was asked about the role of FEMA in a Republican debate late last year, and stated that it was “immoral” to provide disaster relief, given the effects on the debt.  He goes on to say that FEMA tasks should be given to states themselves, or better yet, to private industry.

Mr. Romney, do you think the victims of Katrina thought it was “immoral” for the government to provide assistance in the face of a horrible disaster?  They probably thought Bush’s handling of the disaster was “immoral”, especially given how the Bush administration weakened FEMA during his administration.  But I guarantee you that victims of a national disaster such as Katrina or Sandy would NOT feel more comfortable having states handle such situations.  As much of a Obama basher as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is, ask him if he thinks his state can handle this situation on their own.

An even WORSE idea is Romney’s suggestion that such disaster relief be placed in the hands of private industry.  JUST what is needed in times of natural disaster…a capitalistic approach, and an opportunity to make a buck off of other people’s misery.

I’m not even surprised any more at how incredibly short people’s memories are, or how they understand basic political, economic, and social events in this country.  The Bush administration did everything they could to lessen government regulation, to let capitalism run unfettered by government restraint…and helped to lead us straight into the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression.  Four short years later, when a recovery has taken hold, when housing prices are rising, when unemployment is falling…and there’s a significant chance that Americans will be voting in another Republican administration who wants to cut government regulation, and privatize a government function as critical as FEMA and disaster response.

I wish those in the Northeast all the best as they try to recover from this storm.  It certainly is going to make life a lot harder for a lot of folks over the next several weeks and months.  But as an underfunded FEMA attempts to handle one of the largest natural disasters to hit the U.S., I hope that one tiny silver lining to the event is that it clarifies for many just what is on the line in this election.

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Federal Workers Underpaid?

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Terry| 2 Comments
Federal vs. Private Pay

Another data source, from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, showing pay and total compensation is higher for less educated federal government employees compared to their private sector counterparts, but private sector employees have the advantage at the higher end.

A study by the Federal Salary Council, a group tasked to inform negotiations for setting federal salaries, have determined that on average, white-collar Federal employees are paid 35% less than their private-sector counterparts.  Federal employees have had their pay frozen for the last 2 years, and the pay freeze is likely to be extended until at least mid-2013.  Government salaries have certainly been a source of political controversy, and the perception among many is that government workers are overpaid.  Mitt Romney, in discussions about cutting government expenditures, has repeatedly argued that government employees are overpaid by 30-40%, a completely ridiculous notion, but one that plays well with a Republican party that has increasingly shown a hatred for all things related to government.

It’s not like something as simple as “fact” has ever gotten in the way of the Romney/Ryan ticket for making outrageous lies claims like this.  Instead of using actual data and studies from non-partisan groups, Republicans instead prefer to use the lies numbers from the very conservative Heritage Foundation.  There are other numbers from groups that claim it’s not salaries that are out of whack so much as total compensation, with the value of benefits added in.

The Government Accountability Office states that those most likely to be underpaid are those with advanced degrees.  There’s little doubt that professionals with advanced degrees get paid less than their private sector counterparts, but those on the lower end of the pay scale are generally paid MORE than their private sector counterparts.  And, that’s alright in my book!  Professionals in government may be underpaid, but there are advantages, such as job security that far surpasses job security in the private sector.  As for pay for non-professionals, personally, I think its wonderful that government can offer an actual, decent living wage for those hard-working folks who would be struggling if they held the same position in the private sector.

In an America where the gap between rich and poor continues to widen, having reduced pay at the top of the scale and increased pay at the bottom is something that should be viewed as a big POSITIVE about government compensation.  Perhaps Republicans, and Mitt Romney, should take a look at the actual data before reflexively complaining about government pay.

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Romney sticks foot in mouth — Again

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Terry| 1 Comment
Romney speech

Shades of 2008, when McCain campaign staff cringed every time Palin opened her mouth. In 2012? It's the Romney campaign cringing every time their presidential candidate opens his mouth.

Obama’s best campaign strategy may be to just stay quiet, and let Romney do the talking.  Whenever Romney does talk, you’ve got a good chance that he’ll say something that is either 1) misinformed, 2) a lie, or 3) downright offensive.  Once again today, the media is lit up with another dumb Romney statement, this one about the “47%” of Americans who are “dependent upon government”, with Romney saying it’s  not his “job to worry about those people”.   It’s probably not a good thing for a presidential candidate to write off half of Americans as useless to him.

David Brooks from the NY Times has an on-the-mark perspective on Romney in his column today.  As Brooks notes, one of Romney’s biggest problems is that he’s pretending he’s something he’s not.  He was a relatively moderate Governor in New England.  The campaign has pushed him to become, as Brooks calls it, a “cartoon” of himself, someone who supposedly is very conservative, someone who is anti-government.  I think Brooks is a very fair political commentator, but he is a conservative.  It says something about the campaign Romney is running when someone like Brooks comes out with a rather scathing critique of his campaign.

6 months ago, the line of thinking was that the Republican candidate would have an edge in voter enthusiasm, that Repubs and the independents they could attract would be very enthusiastic about booting Obama from office. That’s no doubt still the case for the hard-core, rabid conservatives on the right, but even they are increasingly disenchanted with the Romney campaign.  After the conventions, it’s Obama who seems to have gained the edge in enthusiasm among his base.

With each ignorant comment that comes out of Romney’s mouth, the polls edge towards Obama.  InTrade today…up to almost 68% chance of an Obama victory, up 12% from where it stood before the conventions, and before Romney’s series of verbal gaffes.  This election is starting to feel like the last one.  McCain, desperate to regain an edge, made a critical error in taking Palin to be his running mate, and his campaign began to rapidly lose credibility.

In this case, it’s Romney’s own tongue that is betraying the campaign, but the net effect is the same.  It’s becoming damn hard for most Americans to see Romney as their president, given his penchant for verbal gaffes, and the laughable and amateurish errors he’s making in the campaign.  What’s most revealing about Romney himself though is that you get glimpses of the true man behind the mask when he makes comments such as this.   He’s about as out-of-touch with the 99% as any candidate has ever been.

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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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Perusin’ and Musin’

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Terry| 4 Comments

Some random thoughts from perusin’ the web…

Jobs Report Doesn’t Bode Well for Obama – Not a good jobs report today.  Unemployment inched down, but only because so many people have left the work force.  It’s a damned tough environment for a sitting president to win re-election.  Frankly though, there’s just not much Obama can do to get things going on the economic front.  This is a global downturn, and U.S. government economic policy isn’t the key to our economy.   Romney says he’ll create 500,000 jobs a months and drop unemployment to 4%.  That’s about as likely as Gingrich’s promises to lower gas prices to below $2.00 a gallon.   However, it’s pretty obvious Republicans SHOULD have the edge given 1) the down economy, and 2) an American public who is stupid enough to actually BELIEVE some of the crap Republicans shovel down their throats.   The only thing working against them is 1) their OWN ineptitude and 2) a complete lack of any strong candidates.

Redneck Massachusetts Man Attacks Hawk - No South Dakota, we do NOT have a monopoly on redneck losers.  In Massachusetts, a man was arrested when he attacked a Red-tailed Hawk who had captured a pigeon…presumably to “protect” the pigeons in the park?  The story also notes other memorable Massachusetts losers, such as a fish hatchery operator who shot herons, Osprey, and even Eagles that hung around his hatchery. Never underestimate just how incredibly cruel, selfish, and evil people can be.

Sioux Falls Man found Guilty of Raping 7-year Old – See the story above, multiply the horror and disgust by a factor of, oh, around 1,000, and you have this story of a Sioux Falls man raping a 7-year old.  About 99% of the time, I’m against capital punishment….but BOY do stories like this make me at least pause and consider it for a second. 

First Hummingbird of the Year - Like clockwork since we’ve moved into our current house, the first Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the year arrives sometime during the first week of May.  Today was the day for 2012, when I saw a beautiful male hummingbird flitting around the yard much of the day.  The link at the top of the paragraph shows the migratory progress of the Hummingbirds for this spring.  I will GREATLY enjoy having them around my yard for the next 4 1/2 months, until they depart by mid- to late-September.

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