Sequester Strategy 101

 
by Brian Ward 

The Republican party took a beating in the last election as a result of mixed messages and mixed candidates.  Part of the problem with the GOP is the lack of a strategy based on unwavering convictions of good government policies.
Many in the party, especially the leadership, point to shameful spending habits, high deficits, unconstitutional actions by the President and a reckless abandonment of judicial integrity by the Democratic party.  However, the mixed message of passing high tax rates, increasing the debt and deficit and an unwillingness to reign in the authority of various government agencies lead GOP supporters to a sense of disillusionment and confusion.  This confusion led to apathy on election day by the voting base as a sense of uselessness settled into their hearts.  Speaker Boehner campaigned on stopping President Obama’s economic policies, but shortly after the election, voted against 181 of his teammates to pass a sweeping tax hike.  These schizophrenic activities by the Speaker and others who support him have led many to ask the question, “what is the point in voting?”
The GOP must come to grips with an unsettling conclusion: part of their leadership lacks the courage to hold back a liberal avalanche from taking over the country.  Unless the 181 representatives who voted against Speaker Boehner realize the need to form an alliance to save the country and their party from dissolution, then confusion and apathy will reign in the ranks.

Therefore, let it not be said that I am a critic who isn’t willing to get into the fight.  Honestly speaking, I have been in the fight for years, but am becoming more vocal and active in my desire to see the GOP and our country stand up with moral integrity to win the battle of ideals in the hearts of our fellow citizens.
I have decided to step onto the freedom bus by offering some political strategies to those who champion the cause of freedom as described to us by our founding fathers.  The GOP belongs to those of us who believe in personal responsibility and the right to pursue our own happiness so long as that pursuit doesn’t require congress to steal from our neighbors to pay for it.
So here we go!  Sequester Strategy 101.
The sequester problem started when Speaker Boehner decided that he and Congress should pass on any constitutional duties of creating a budget.  Instead, he allowed the idea of sequester, from President Obama, to come into reality where he gave authority to the President to determine what would be cut from our nation’s budget.  You are probably asking yourself the same question as many of us have; “why would a conservative allow the most liberal President in our nation’s history determine budget cuts?”  The answer is simple: a complete lack of conviction and strategic thinking capacity by the Speaker and his team.

Now that we are in this budget debacle how do we fix it?  It’s about as simple as it gets, if Congress is willing to stand firm, that is.
Harry Reid just announced that he wanted to take “war savings” to pay for those cuts in sequester.  This is an accounting gimmick as no such savings exist.  However, the GOP was given a gift by a non-partisan government agency just a few short weeks ago.
That gift came from a GAO released report showing how government agencies are wasting close to $95 billion a year in duplicate, overlap and fragmented programs.  This report was not produced by the Democrats nor the Republicans, meaning that partisanship in the report is absent. Therefore, it’s a wonderful tool to be used by the GOP in the budget sequester battle.
The sequester cuts total about $85 billion till the end of this fiscal year.  Unfortunately, documents were revealed showing how the Democrats are determined to make these cuts as painful as possible to you and I.  By now, you have seen the delayed airlines, slow movements in customs and even cancer patients being denied services.  This, of course, hasn’t stopped the President from giving away untold millions to countries and organizations dedicated to the destruction of freedom throughout the world.
The answer to Speaker Boehner’s budget mishap is for the GOP to take the advice of the GAO report and reduce the $95 billion in wasteful spending to pay for the cuts in sequester.  This would net a true savings of $10 billion annually and more importantly, stop the Democrats from continuing their abusive political tantrums.  It also makes congress responsible for the budget instead of the President, as our constitution requires.

If you, like myself, are tired of the GOP not having a solid strategy based on unwavering convictions of good government policy, then I encourage you to contact your congressperson and submit the ideas of this article to them for action.  I’ve included a sample starter bill that is easy to comprehend and easy to sell to the American public.  Who likes waste or long lines at the airport?  This solution answers them both!

The American Worker Financial Protection Act

Preamble: Whereas congress gave the President authority to make $85 billion in cuts to programs in the nation, and since those cuts are reducing worker payrolls, and since those cuts are increasing the difficulties of the American Worker to perform his or her duties to earn a living wage, and since The Government Accountability Office disclosed $95 billion in wasteful spending, and since states can’t afford more budget cuts through its citizens paying more federal taxes,
Section 2: This act may be cited as, “Freedom to Work and Live Bill.”
Section 3: Congress moves to adopt the GAO recommendations of reducing programs that are duplicated, overlapping and fragmented in order to save taxpayers $95 billion in wasteful spending.
Section 4: Congress moves to replace sequester spending cuts with the savings from the waste reductions found in the GAO report.
Section 5: Congress moves to immediately restore all spending on programs where payrolls were reduced because of sequester.
Section 6: Congress moves to restore our nation’s heritage by mandating all tours of our nation’s buildings resume immediately.
Section 7: Congress moves to request The GAO to form a committee to identify means and ways to reduce each government agency by 10% for the 2014 fiscal year.
Section 8: This Act goes into effect immediately upon passage.