Editorial: Politics as usual?
All politics are local they say and in the case of military cuts it’s true.
Looming Sequestration would cut 500 billion over the next 10 years from the military and result in a possible loss of 31,000 jobs in San Diego.
According to San Diego 6, Councilmember Sherri Lightner said that these cuts would be “devastating to our local economy.”
My problem here is that our elected officials are acting surprised. From Jimmy Carter to Bill Clinton, and now Barack Obama, military cuts have been part and parcel to the plans of Democrat presidents. Whether President Obama cut the military through direct legislation or through this budget agreement is neither here nor there.
Councilmember Lightner and the four other councilmembers are Democrats, and I’m assuming they voted for Barack Obama. They looked the other way when then Democrat presidential candidate Obama promised to cut billions of dollars from the military during his 2008 campaign.
So I ask why the surprise? Why the fear? The Federal Government under Obama is poised to do exactly what was promised. Democrats will be getting what they voted for, less military in exchange for more taxes and possibly expanded Government services.
The fear and the consternation are all about the unfortunately common “not in my backyard” syndrome. Vote for someone and when he is poised to do exactly what he said that he was going to do, be happy, unless it affects you.
Well, I have some good news; I doubt that the Republicans are going to allow the cuts to happen. With passage of The Budget Control Act the Republicans left them only one choice, capitulation.
According to the Huffington Post, Sen. Marco Rubio said, “’If you want to save national security, you have to agree to raise taxes that will hurt our economy.’ Well, that’s a false choice and quite frankly it’s a destructive one.”
But it’s one that he is going to have to make. It’s the classic and all too common dilemma that Republicans find themselves in; give the Democrats what they want, or compromise their core beliefs.
In an attempt to work their way free of having to make the choice, Fox News is reporting that on Sept. 14, the House Republicans voted to change the terms of The Budget Control Act. The bill would save by cutting domestic programs, leaving the military alone. Unfortunately for the House, it’s not going to pass the Democrat controlled Senate. It does something very important though; it gives Republican lawmakers cover to cave in.
The House of Representatives also passed a six-month budget stopgap measure on Sept. 14 to push off the painful decisions. Of course the election in November can change everything. Either way when it comes down to a final vote, these cuts aren’t going to happen. So, everyone can rest easy.
–– David Myhra – 4S Ranch
