The notion that essential services must be cut along with the superfluous only reveals the complete and utter ineptitude of our politicians and bureaucrats.
Here's some ideas:
Eliminate all farm subsidies, and use that money to keep all of our "first responders" and airport security staffers.
Close all military bases in wealthy nations (Germany, Japan, South Korea, Italy, UK) who should be defending themselves, and use the savings to prevent doubling of war deployments for our troops.
Close the Dept of Ed, and Commerce.
Close our embassies in tiny, remote nations (i.e. Madagascar), and consolidate diplomatic functions in more important allied states.
Our "leaders" are full of baloney. Only a fool would believe a word of theirs.
America is fed up with GOP obstructionism. So undoubtedly, everyone is hopeful that Republicans will allow President Barack Obama's sequestration plans to proceed unhindered. It's only right.
The GOP, in fact, should quit while it's ahead. Rather than penning editorials and appearing on Sunday morning talk shows to try to pin the blame on others, leadership would be far better off simply saying: "Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for dreaming up a plan that implements some minimal spending cuts. Thanks for signing it into law. It's not much, but we sure appreciate it."
It's been a while since the GOP held the...
Our taxpayers have been paying the defense bills for a large portion of the planet for 70 years. Check the defense budgets for Germany, Japan, Italy, etc. and compare to what we spend. Then look at how much those countries spend on social welfare programs. Americans are in effect paying for socialized medicine and early retirements in wealthy countries.
We have submarines with nuclear warheads positioned all over this planet at all times. We have carriers - each with a hundred or so planes -- capable of reaching anywhere in the world in a matter of days (if not hours). We can mobilize special forces units for rapid deployment on demand.
You're the one who appears ill-nformed, Liz.
“In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East or Africa should ‘have his head examined,’ as General MacArthur so delicately put it,” Mr. Gates told an assembly of Army cadets here.
If we follow Gates' advice, we can close many bases in Europe and Asia. I don't suppose you're going to say he doesn't know what he's taking about, are you?