Should be: "The fact that Congress can't agree on how to cut ..."<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 2:23 PM, Joe Campbell <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:philosopher.joe@gmail.com">philosopher.joe@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">No, Paul. You're drinking the conservative cool aid. <br><br>Reagan raised the debt as a creative way to cut government programs. The story was he crushed the Soviet Union with an arms race. No one said anything because that government spending had to do with the military and for reasons that escape me conservatives refuse to think of the military as part of the government. <br>
<br>By the time Clinton took office we were in debt. To lose the debt, welfare and other programs were cut. When Bush II took over he raised the debt again, this time by waging 2 different wars. Again, no one said anything because this was military spending -- and that's safety not government. So more government programs now "must" get cut in order to get out of the terrible shape we're in. It's the only "rational" thing to do.<br>
<br>I have a hard time looking at these patterns and thinking these are anything other than Republican strategies to cut government by circumventing the democratic process -- cutting programs not by voting in folks with that kind of mind set but by creating economic crises. The fact that Congress can agree on how to cut "big" government might just be an indication that there is less government fat than the conservative myths suggest.<br>
<br>And I want to be clear that I don't think you're the anti-Christ! (I know this comment wasn't directed at me but I want to be clear.) Actually, I've always liked you. I just disagree with much of what you say. I'm a little tougher on you when it comes to the global warming debate because that is a huge issue of importance to future generations, indeed to the human race. <br>
<br>Best, Joe<div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 10:49 AM, Paul Rumelhart <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:godshatter@yahoo.com" target="_blank">godshatter@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<u></u>
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
<br>
Because the Congressional "super-committee" couldn't agree on budget
cuts and we've since defaulted to across-the-board cuts. That was
all part of the deal that was passed when we were trying to shave
the smallest amounts off a small piece of the debt during the whole
"debt ceiling" fiasco.<br>
<br>
We did this to ourselves by electing such a contentious Congress.<span><font color="#888888"><br>
<br>
Paul</font></span><div><div><br>
<br>
On 01/02/2012 10:09 AM, Joe Campbell wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>Why do we have to cut back on programs? We were fine with the
programs. It was the wars that got us in debt, right? <br>
<br>
<br>
</div>
<div><br>
On Jan 2, 2012, at 9:50 AM, Paul Rumelhart <<a href="mailto:godshatter@yahoo.com" target="_blank">godshatter@yahoo.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<br>
Well, that's the problem with across-the-board budget cuts,
isn't it? Nobody is going to be pleased.<br>
<br>
We have to cut budgets, and since nobody in Congress can agree
on which way is up, this is our only real solution.<br>
<br>
We have to cut back on how much we spend, since our spending
is out of control. It's ridiculous.<br>
<br>
Paul<br>
<br>
On 01/02/2012 09:31 AM, Tom Hansen wrote:
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>Nice, huh?</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Courtesy of the January 9, 2012 edition of the Army
Times.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>------------------------------</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:1em;font-weight:bold;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b>Budget
cuts could slash $1B from vets health care</b></span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.9em;font-weight:bold"><b> <br>
Lawmakers may reverse on promises not to cut VA</b></span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span>
<p style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">By Rick Maze</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br>
<br>
As veterans groups face the pos sible automatic,
across-the-board cuts in federal spending that could
begin in 2013, fear of the unknown is strong.<br>
<br>
The Budget Control Act of 2011</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> is “imprecise,”
says a House staff member who has been trying to advise
lawmakers on how the Vet erans Affairs Department would
fare if $1.2 trillion in automatic budget cuts are
ordered Jan. 2, 2013.<br>
<br>
Veterans disability, survivor, education and training
benefits, and low-income pensions are exempt from the
automatic cuts, a process known as sequestra tion. But
it is unclear whether veterans health care funds are
protected.<br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">A 2 percent cut in veterans health care
funding appears possi ble under some readings of the law
— and its references back to the 1985 Balanced Budget
and Emer gency Deficit Control Act, more commonly known
as the Gramm-Rudman Act.<br>
<br>
“We have not heard any specifics, only vague references
that earlier pledges not to cut VA health care or
benefits may not be honored by Congress,” said David
Autry of Disabled American Veter ans. “That is
worrisome.” With a health care budget of about $51
billion to serve 6.2 million patients, a sequester
could </span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:15px">result in a $1 billion cut at a time
when the population of Iraq and Afghanistan combat
veterans seeking treatment for the physical and mental
wounds of war is on the rise. </span></p>
<span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Some patients,
particularly veterans who do not have serviceconnected
disabilities, could be turned away, say representatives
of veterans groups who have studied the potential
impact. </span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Fear of
devastating cuts from sequestration is partly why
leaders of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs
committees were willing in October to propose cuts in
veterans benefits. </span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">A joint letter
signed by Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Richard Burr,
R-N.C., and Reps. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Bob Filner,
D-Calif., the leaders of the committees, acknowledged
that a “plausible legal interpretation” of the budget
law puts veterans medical funds at risk for cuts. </span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">“We would rather
make the difficult decisions now so that we may never
reach that possibility down the road,” the four
lawmakers said in a letter to the Joint Select Committee
on Deficit Reduction that tried but failed to come up
with an overall $1.2 trillion deficit reduction package
that would have avoided sequestration. </span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">The four were so
concerned about harm to the VA health care budget that
they were willing to take some controversial actions,
including capping annual increases in GI Bill benefits
at a level below increases in tuition. </span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Miller, the
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, said any
automatic cuts “would have a negative impact on VA’s
health care system and its ability to properly care for
our veterans.” He expressed frustration that the White
House and VA have not clarified the situation. “I have
raised this concern numerous times in the past few
months, but I am still waiting to hear,” he said. “It is
now incumbent on the administration to clarify this
issue immediately for veterans once and for all.” Ryan
Gallucci of Veterans of Foreign Wars said there is still
time to fight to protect veterans programs. “Since no
one seems to know for sure, we have a year to make our
case to preserve our earned veterans benefits,” said
Gallucci, VFW’s deputy national legislative director. </span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">“It’s important
for our members to call and write Congress to explain
why these programs are important and why our veterans
need them to remain intact.” In a Nov. 22 statement to
its members, the VFW warns that sequestration could lead
to increases in co-payments for medical visits and
prescription drugs for veterans, and an increase in the
enrollment fee for veterans who sign up for VA treatment
but do not have service-connected health issues. </span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Signed by Robert
Wallace, executive director of VFW’s Washington office,
the statement encourages members to contact lawmakers to
press for a full VA exemption to sequestration. </span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">“Over the next
year, many in Congress as well as thousands of
registered lobbyists will be working hard to protect
their special interests and programs,” the VFW statement
says. </span></span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><br>
</span><span style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:0.8em;color:rgb(0,0,0)">“We must all
work hard to protect the Department of Veterans Affairs
health, benefits and cemetery administrations, as well
as all military quality of life programs for the troops,
their families and military retirees.” </span></span>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>------------------------------<br>
<br>
<div>Seeya later, Moscow.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Tom Hansen</div>
<div>Spokane, Washington</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>"If not us, who?</div>
<div>If not now, when?"</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>- Unknown</div>
</div>
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