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    Thread: U.S. Sequestration, Global (Economic, Political, Social) Disarray

    1. #1
      Lurker Taint's Avatar
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      Post U.S. Sequestration, Global (Economic, Political, Social) Disarray

      What are your thoughts on the subjects in the title?

      Sequester
      The Sequestration (forced federal spending cuts) is going to be signed into effect today by president Barack Obama in the United States. These spending cuts are going to be indiscriminate to the efficiency or deficiency of the program being cut and are going to cut mainly the smallest portions of the federal budget. Economic growth in the US, if the cuts take effect for a year, is predicted to slow %0.6 and reduce the amount of created jobs in the year by 750,000. The total amount being cut from spending is 85 billion dollars. One of the largest programs being hit by Sequestration is unemployment. Soon enough, the average unemployment check will be almost 10% smaller. I definitely have the opinion that eventually these cuts would have been a good thing. But right now, our economy is still recovering and isn't strong enough to handle these kinds of cuts.

      Global Disarray
      There is turmoil in the United States as deadline after deadline of failing economic politics hits hard in belief in the system and national stability. There is turmoil in the mid-east constantly these days; the terrifying "civil war" in Syria, the constant rhetoric struggle between Iran and Israel, Iraq is as unstable as ever, constant violence in Afghanistan, the list goes on and on. Africa... I don't even know where to begin. The, "Kill the Gays Bill" that almost took effect in Uganda, the attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya and then the subsequent U.N order for westerners to leave Libya immediately, rioting in Egypt. And in Europe, sex scandals run deep in the Vatican and economic turbulence in Italy and Spain have caused some severe rioting. I suppose Asia's doing alright these days aside from rhetoric from North Korea about annihilating the U.S. and South Korea and things to that extent.

      I feel more and more tense about the world each day.

    2. #2
      D.V. Editor-in-Chief Original Poster's Avatar
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      These cuts are a terrible idea. We should be cutting the military budget instead. Why are we even considering making such economically detrimental cuts while we're continuing to occupy like the entire fucking middle east? Oh right, because the poor don't have a lobby.
      Last edited by Original Poster; 03-01-2013 at 07:36 PM.
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    3. #3
      Terminally Out of Phase Descensus's Avatar
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      The sequester cuts a laughably miniscule amount. It's a lot of frenzy over nothing.

      Quote Originally Posted by Original Poster View Post
      These cuts are a terrible idea. We should be cutting the military budget instead. Why are we even considering making such economically detrimental cuts while we're continuing to occupy like the entire fucking middle east? Oh right, because the poor don't have a lobby.
      Most of the cuts come from the defense budget. But like I said, it's pennies in the grand scheme of things.
      The worst thing that can happen to a good cause is, not to be skillfully attacked, but to be ineptly defended. - Frédéric Bastiat
      I try to deny myself any illusions or delusions, and I think that this perhaps entitles me to try and deny the same to others, at least as long as they refuse to keep their fantasies to themselves. - Christopher Hitchens
      Formerly known as BLUELINE976

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      All of the cuts should come from the defense budget. You may laugh at how small the cuts are but some people are pretty dependent on those funds right now. They're integral to maintaining the purchasing power of a large portion of the population. And I'm not just talking about social safety nets, either. Teachers are going to lose over 31 million in federal funding.

      Granted I'm a little torn, for one thing I believe we should focus on real jobs, but I don't like the way republicans spin the term "real jobs" to mean only private sector jobs. While I think creating more military, law enforcement and national security jobs is fucking parasitic, I think public sector jobs that are funded locally (and subsidized federally at most) are very real. I just have a bone to pick with the federal government for building a new NSA supercenter not too far my town, as well as giving the local cops federal funding for their drug taskforce. That kind of shit should end.

      So while I think cutting spending for jobs created that do not actually aid society (like the enflated defense budget) is a good idea, I don't think social safety nets should be removed, nor funding for jobs that actually help society, like education. I understand the argument that if you cut taxes, you'll increase purchasing power. But who spends the most money? The middle class. They keep the economy working. Social safety nets are required so that people have an opportunity to climb up to the middle class (or back to it if they fall from it). Expanding and protecting the middle class is absolutely vital at this time.
      Last edited by Original Poster; 03-01-2013 at 08:47 PM.

      Everything works out in the end, sometimes even badly.


    5. #5
      Consciousness Itself Universal Mind's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by Original Poster View Post
      Teachers are going to lose over 31 million in federal funding.
      Because public school teachers in the US do such a great job of educating children, amirite?

      Trust me kid, you're better off learning from wikis.
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    7. #7
      Xei
      UnitedKingdom Xei is offline
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      Quote Originally Posted by Universal Mind View Post


      > dat education/science budget compared to the military
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      Look at how much is spent paying interest on the debt. That is pure waste spending right there. We need to pay off the debt so there is no interest.

    9. #9
      Terminally Out of Phase Descensus's Avatar
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      I'd also like to point out that these cuts are just cuts in spending increases. Spending is still going up, just not as much as they would have.
      The worst thing that can happen to a good cause is, not to be skillfully attacked, but to be ineptly defended. - Frédéric Bastiat
      I try to deny myself any illusions or delusions, and I think that this perhaps entitles me to try and deny the same to others, at least as long as they refuse to keep their fantasies to themselves. - Christopher Hitchens
      Formerly known as BLUELINE976

    10. #10
      Xei
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      Aw yeah.

      Quote Originally Posted by BLUELINE976 View Post
      these cuts are just cuts in spending increases.
      Reality cracks me up.

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