http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013/02/24/sen-tom-coburn-i-didnt-support-the-sequester-because-its-a-stupid-way-to-cut-spending/
I found this interesting article and video on the sequester. “The crisis is made up, it’s been created” he said. “I didn’t support the sequester because
that’s a stupid way to cut spending. And I didn’t support increasing
the debt limit because there is no such thing as a debt limit in this
country because we always raise it.”
Found it pretty interesting and since we didn't get to share our powerpoints in class I wanted you guys to have the change to watch it and respond to his claim...
I found both the article and video to be very interesting. I may be beating a dead horse here, but I couldn't stop thinking about how politically charged the issue is. It seemed as though the two parties (Sen. Tom Coburn and Sen. Claire McCaskill in this video) are more focused on defaming the opposition than they are on really hammering out the issue at hand. I may have missed the point a bit here, but I found it hard to focus on the actual sequester with the two Senators focusing so much on the "failures" of the opposing parties.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joe (and others that pointed this out in class) that much of the sequester is heavily influenced by the politics of it all. The divide between republicans and democrats is really starting to hurt our country. I remember reading that either Thomas Jefferson or George Washington warned that a bipartisan congress would have negative effects on the country as a whole. The whole sequester is another example that this prediction is correct.
ReplyDeleteAdding to the dynamics in Congress as a reason this sequester is political (when many would argue it shouldn't be), I think one of the reasons this sequester is so politically charged is because the average American isn't educated on the reality of the situation and the media knows this. For the average American it is Democrats vs. Republicans instead of simply an "problem" in the economy. People are always quick to support a side when they hear that people at picking sides and it seems like this is the point of view a lot of the media is taking. I think media perpetuates politics and that is a main reason why this is a political issue. This just points out a fundamental issue with the way our politics and our society works.
ReplyDeleteFox News called the sequester stupid! Geez! If they think it is a stupid way to cut spending, I would like to see Gretchen Carlson present something better. I understand people are upset about the sequester cuts, but whatever the outcome is Americans need to know how to handle it and be properly informed. Claiming the cuts are stupid is not giving anyone useful information.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the video, I believe it was useful to have Sen. Coburn and McCaskill to discuss the issue, but it looks like they are waiting pretty last minute to make decisions. I am a little disappointed to see our government procrastinate as if they are turning a college paper. Make some decision Congress! According to Sen, Coburn, there are ways to make cuts that the people will not feel. According to the multiplier effect I am not sure how likely this actually is. Remains to be seen!
I like Keaton's point about our founding fathers warning about a bipartisan congress. I feel like if we listened to those geniuses more we would have far less governmental issues. I am getting a little tired of politics getting in the way of getting anything done. I think the time has come to stop arguing and start compromising, like in the good ol days.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joe in that i had a hard time focusing on the real issue because it just seemed like the two parties were putting down the other ones ideas. Seemed to me that they just cared about proving there point and demeaning the other side of the argument instead of trying to solve the issue at hand.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Joe and Jory on this as well. I think this problem of Dem vs. Repub is a struggle in other things as well not just the sequester. Each party has to prove why their way is right and the other party's plan is wrong. It almost seems as if the future of our economy is put on the back-burner because politics have taken such a huge role.
ReplyDelete