Budget Options for the President
Before furloughing park rangers, maybe start with the 10% of the 75,000 Department of the Interior employees who are conserving the wilderness of Washington, D.C. Before slashing cancer research, stop funding the $130-million-a-year National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine that studies herbs and yoga. Cut after-school funding only after consolidating the 105 federal programs meant to encourage kids to take math and science classes.
Read more on President Obama’s sequester cuts in the WSJ.
The bureaucracies in Washington are infamous for making cuts that are most painful to drive home the point that their “service” is indispensible. After a round of budget tightening that took place in 1969, the National Park Service closed the Washington Monument for two days. The National Park Service director was fired, but his funding was restored.
If you go on USAJobs it’s all department of the interior stuff. It WAS tempting to be a park ranger but…
When the Govt doesnt get serious about fixing the debt crises, some things get the axe. Unfortunately, I still do not think this sequester will wake the politicians up!
It is interesting that Obama did not accept the Republican offer to let him choose where the 85 billion should come from. I also understand his point that 85 billion shouldn’t be cut in haste. BUT, if I were POTUS, I would have a tablet in my top draw with a shorthand list of at least $85 billion in cuts. It shouldn’t be that difficult to identify what needs to be cut without taking our kids out of school and laying off cops, firefighters, teachers and airport security. The attitude seems to be, well if it’s gonna happen, lets make sure it hits the constituents so we can play the blame game and posture politically. Real mature…
“And when the Republicans opened the seventh seal of the sequester, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black and the stars fell unto the Earth; and our nation’s ability to forecast severe weather, such as drought events, hurricanes and tornadoes, was seriously undermined. Lo, and the children were not vaccinated, and all the beasts starved in the zoos, and the planes were grounded.”
This is easily the funniest thing I’ve read in a while. I laughed a lot more than I probably should have.