Sequester Madness
If the Republicans are supposed to be the voice of fiscal responsibility in Washington, then we are doomed. They are absolutely as bad as Obama, running around in panic that the trivial cuts required by the sequester (not 8% this year or 5% or even 2% but 1% of Federal spending). I have never seen a private organization with a large administrative staff that could not take a 5% reduction and generally be better off for it. I absolutely guarantee that I could take 5% or more off the top of every agency's budget and you would never notice it.
This includes the military. In fact, this includes the military in particular. The military is never asked to prioritize. We still have armored divisions in Germany. It is always incredible to me that Republicans, who doubt that the government can ever manage or spend wisely, suddenly cast aside all these doubts when it comes to the military. I understand the honor that folks accord to front-line soldiers vs., say, DMV workers. But they are not the ones spending the money. I am tired of such honor for the troops being used to bait and switch me from a very reasonable focus on DOD spending and waste.
When it comes to the military, Republicans use the same "closing the Washington Monument" tactics that Democrats use for social programs, essentially claiming that a 5% (or 1%) spending cut will result in the cessation of whatever activity taxpayers most want to see continue. This process of offering up the most, rather than the least, important uses of money when spending cuts are proposed as a tactic to avoid spending cuts is one of the most corrupt practices imaginable. No corporate CEO would tolerate it of his managers for a micro-second.
About two years ago at Forbes I imagined a hypothetical budget discussion at a corporation that followed Congressional budgeting practices.
