In Case You Didn't Know

Middle Class families are in for a big shock if the "Sequester" goes through March 1st. The impact of the Sequester will be felt by hundreds of thousands of middle class families in job cuts, cuts to vital services for children and seniors and most of all our military troops around the world.

Yes it's true, we need to cut the deficit, but it needs to be done in a responsible fashion and a balanced way that protects investments that the middle class relies on. Congress, in it's infamous dereliction of their elected duties, are playing a dangerous political maneuvering game that could result in a crippling economy and hundreds of thousands of job losses. 

Here are just a few of the consequences of the sequester:

Cuts to education by eliminating funds for the Head Start program that would cause 70,000 young children to lose access to Head Start and 10,000 teacher jobs would be cut. 

Small business would lose out as automatic cuts to loans guarantees would be reduced by approximately $900 million.

If sequestration takes effect, up to 2,100 fewer food inspectors could occur putting families at risk of outbreaks of foodborne illnesses creating a serious threat to public health.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies would lose up 1,000 Federal agents which would greatly impact violent crimes, financial crimes and security of our borders and the protection of national security.

Veterans services would be cut by the reduction of staff, leaving 150,000 veterans a year without transitioning services as they move from active to private life. It would also reduce the capacity to serve tens of thousands of veterans assistance to find civilian work.

Many of the 398 National parks would either be closed or have shortened operating hours. There would be reduce maintenance and visitor services would be cut. As a result, surrounding small businesses and regional economies would suffer greatly.

Title I education funds would be eliminated for more than 2,700 schools and 1.2 million disadvantaged students. 10,000 teachers and aides would also feel the impact as they would be at risk of losing their jobs.

Federally assisted "Meals On Wheels" programs would be affected as there would be a reduction of 4 million fewer meals to seniors unable to get out on their own and prepare their own meals.

Approximately 600,000 women and children would be dropped form the Department of Agriculture's Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program from March through September. And again, job losses could amount to at least 1,600.

More than 100,000 formerly homeless people, including veterans, would lose their current housing and emergency shelter programs.

Emergency unemployment compensation would be cut by nearly 11% causing a reduction of nearly $450 in benefits that families count on while they search for employment and smaller unemployment checks will also have a negative impact on the local economies. 

These are certainly just a handful of sober impacts the sequester will have across the country and in many cases world wide if we include the cuts to military spending. Allowing the sequester to happen on March 1st. is a self-inflicted would the United States may not recover from. The sad thing is the Congress has known about the deadline since it's inception and once again it comes down to the last minute, but will anything really get done this time or is the US simply going to limp along with a severe affect in the economy.

Is John Boehner In Trouble?

The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives is normally a coveted and honored seat at the proverbial head of the table. But, as things in Washington, D.C. keep unfolding in disarray as it has for the past year, John Boehner may very well have a target on his back.

Several instances of flip-flopping have been apparent in 2011 and one wonders when will Eric Cantor, House Majority leader, make his move to attain the position he most covets. Boehner has not really shown the kind of leadership the junior members, mostly Tea Party members, want. When challenged by the freshmen representatives Boehner seems to re-position himself to satisfy the younger members of Congress.

If the House Republicans are responsible for raising taxes on the middle class and not close the loopholes for the most wealthy Americans, the message would be clear and resounding. Support for the millionaires and billionaires is, in their opinion, the way America should be led. And, if that is in fact the case, the "Super Pac's" will ultimately run this country while middle and lower class citizens could only run and hide and bury their heads in the sand.

America's businessmen and women understand, the best remedy for growth, hiring and most of all greater profits, is a healthy middle class that will purchase and use their products, not a over-taxed middle class that is scrounging to survive.

Boehner understands that raising taxes to the middle class while maintaining the huge loop-holes for the nation's wealthiest, will simply not fly. It becomes political suicide. Hiding behind a conference committee or talking about a one-year extension is simply crap piled upon crap. The Tea Party simply wants to kill it and claim victory as the "new" ideals for the american people.

Boehner is in real trouble and Cantor is all set to push him out of the way so he can ascend to the throne of power and crush all the dissenting members of the House. Boehner's political posturing has backfired and unfortunately he needs his democratic counterparts, he needs to strike a deal with them, and he needs to cut ties with the Tea Party members and take back control of the House. 

House Republicans push for new payroll tax cut talks

A reprint:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-led House of Representatives will set the stage on Tuesday for a showdown with Senate Democrats over a payroll tax cut extension that is becoming a proxy for 2012 election year battles.

The tax legislation has become the latest in a string of battles in Congress this year, all of which have contributed to widespread public discontent with Washington politicians.

When the House votes on Tuesday it will in effect be rejecting a bill that passed the Senate overwhelmingly on Saturday and calling for formal negotiations with the Democratic-led Senate.

The Senate bill would set a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut with the aim of crafting a full-year tax cut extension early next year.

The House move will cast doubt on the future of the popular payroll tax cut, which is caught up in a high-stakes game of brinkmanship between the two political parties that some say could backfire.

Washington gridlock is fueling an anti-incumbent mood among voters heading into next year's elections.

"Our members do not want to just punt and do a two-month short-term fix where we have to come back and do this again," House Speaker John Boehner said late on Monday after a closed meeting with fellow Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shot back that the House should allow an up-or-down vote on the two-month stop-gap plan. "I am happy to continue negotiations on a yearlong deal as soon as the House of Representatives passes the Senate's bipartisan compromise, and prevents a tax hike from hitting middle-class families," Reid said.

Several Republican lawmakers publicly agreed with Reid.

The bipartisan two-month deal crafted by the Senate came after efforts at a full-year tax cut failed.

At stake is much more than politicians' reputations and their 2012 re-election chances. If Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on extending the tax cut that expires on December 31, 160 million Americans will begin 2012 with less money - about $1,000 a year for the average worker - in their paychecks.

That, economists fear, could dampen, or even end what little economic growth there is as the United States struggles to right itself after the deepest recession in decades and severe debt problems in Europe that could infect America.

Not only would workers' taxes go up in a couple weeks if the two sides cannot find a quick compromise. About 2.2 million people who have suffered long-term unemployment will see benefit checks cut off by the middle of February. And doctors treating elderly Medicare patients also will see their reimbursements cut.

Once the House on Tuesday requests a new round of negotiations, as expected, the next steps are unclear.

"We are not coming back, we are not appointing negotiators until they pass the Senate compromise," Reid's spokesman Adam Jentleson insisted.

President Barack Obama already has delayed a Hawaii vacation. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney on Monday said, "The president has made clear that he wants Congress to get this done, that he is here now and will be here as Congress tries to sort this out." But Carney did not make clear how Obama might bring the two sides together, or whether he will even try.

(Editing by Christopher Wilson)