Organized by the Northern Virginia Technology Council, a
majority group of government contractors breakfasting in Reston were told by
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner that the sequester will be “worse than you can imagine”[1]
if it goes into effect.
At the gathering in Reston, both U.S. Senators from
Virginia, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner (both of whom are on the Senate Budget
Committee), spoke about the short-term and long-term consequences of the
looming sequestration, a budget grinding stone that would cut $1.2 trillion out
of the federal budget on March 1 if the U.S. Congress fails to reach a deal.
For the defense industry, the cuts across the country would
be severe. According to one estimate, the sequestration could cause the loss of
over 207,000 jobs in Virginia alone.[2]
The sequestration talks before the defense contractors in
Reston on Friday was only the latest effort by Sens. Warner and Kaine to
discuss how Virginia’s business community can ‘prepare’ for the budget cuts.
Said the financial sage Mark Warner, “Thinking about
managing the largest enterprise in the world – the federal government – and the
Defense Department budget on two- and three-month intervals is absolutely
stupid.” The American people agree.[3]
Sen. Warner’s words were on the mark but they mean little if
he and his fellow senators and legislators in the U.S. Congress are unable to
avoid these “stupid” cuts. Disturbingly, both sides of the political aisle
appear resigned to allow the sequestration to take effect[4],
at least for a time, while each side reverts to blaming the other for the
irrevocable economic damage that has been and is being wrought.
For many Americans, it’s difficult to imagine what is going
through the minds of our country’s legislators as our economy, and with it the
world economy, teeters on economic default. Why don’t they put it together for
the good of the country?!!
Both political parties seem to believe that compromise is no
longer electorally sexy. That is, compromise will leave elected officials
vulnerable in the next round of elections.
But if the sequestration occurs, both sides will be to blame
(albeit, one side more than the other). This madness has gone on for far too
long. It’s time for both sides to hash out a deal before the sequestration
takes effect unless these legislators would like America’s memorial to read:
“Here lies the greatest country in world history, a victim to its own
narrow-mindedness and arrogance.”
[1] http://arlington-va.patch.com/articles/warner-sequestration-would-be-worse-than-you-can-imagine
[2] http://secondtonone.org/resource_center
[3] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/08/poll-republicans-congress_n_2649067.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003
[4] http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/sequester-cuts-ticking-time-bomb-87363.html?hp=l2
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