Did sequestration impact your town? (Boston, Newton: credit, home, unemployment rate)

[konfetka]

I am curious if you could share if there are any impacts of the sequester on your town, and what your thoughts are on the issue.

Beverly will loose air traffic control at Beverly airport, and Salem Maritime National Historic Site will have a hiring freeze and will let go of half of seasonal and maintenance staff (8 of 16) - "the backbone of frontline operations - leading tours, taking out trash and patrolling parks"

My thoughts. I thinks across the board cuts are not smart, and some things are more important then others.

Entitlements are not affected, but they are the biggest part of the budget, and are now eating into the discretionary budget, therefore even though it's not popular, they have to be dealt with.

Healthcare is the biggest part of the entire budget, and reducing it's costs should be a priority.

At some near future 50% of military budget will be retirement benefits. Defense is already 60% of the entire budget and bigger then all defense budgets of the rest of the world combined. It is not a secret that defense budget has more to do with contracts and lobbyists then actual defense. I don't think we will jeopardize our security by having a more reasonable defense budget, just the opposite - the more our defense budget, the more we engage around the world, the more we are hated around the world, the more we jeopardize our security.

Should we blame baby boomers for this? Why are people talking about baby boomers, but are silent about the generation lost due to feminism, the invention of the birth control pill and legalization of abortion which reduced the ranks of our generation, which now has to take care of the outnumbered baby boomers. If yes, then should we have more babies or at least enough to replace ourselves to avoid the downward spiral for our kids?

Population lost due to abortion is about 117 million which includes 55 million abortions since Roe vs Wade and the loss of their possible children. Economic revenue is a function of population. The federal revenue lost due to abortion mirrors federal debt:



See more at: Spending cuts hit home » Local News » SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

Abortion Has Destroyed 117 Million People in the United States | LifeNews.com

[495neighbor]

Originally Posted by konfetka

I am curious if you could share if there are any impacts of the sequester on your town, and what your thoughts are on the issue.

Beverly will loose air traffic control at Beverly airport, and Salem Maritime National Historic Site will have a hiring freeze and will let go of half of seasonal and maintenance staff (8 of 16) - "the backbone of frontline operations - leading tours, taking out trash and patrolling parks"

My thoughts. I thinks across the board cuts are not smart, and some things are more important then others.

Entitlements are not affected, but they are the biggest part of the budget, and are now eating into the discretionary budget, therefore even though it's not popular, they have to be dealt with.

Healthcare is the biggest part of the entire budget, and reducing it's costs should be a priority.

At some near future 50% of military budget will be retirement benefits. Defense is already 60% of the entire budget and bigger then all defense budgets of the rest of the world combined. It is not a secret that defense budget has more to do with contracts and lobbyists then actual defense. I don't think we will jeopardize our security by having a more reasonable defense budget, just the opposite - the more our defense budget, the more we engage around the world, the more we are hated around the world, the more we jeopardize our security.

Should we blame baby boomers for this? Why are people talking about baby boomers, but are silent about the generation lost due to feminism, the invention of the birth control pill and legalization of abortion which reduced the ranks of our generation, which now has to take care of the outnumbered baby boomers. If yes, then should we have more babies or at least enough to replace ourselves to avoid the downward spiral for our kids?

Population lost due to abortion is about 117 million which includes 55 million abortions since Roe vs Wade and the loss of their possible children. Economic revenue is a function of population. The federal revenue lost due to abortion mirrors federal debt:



See more at: Spending cuts hit home » Local News » SalemNews.com, Salem, MA

Abortion Has Destroyed 117 Million People in the United States | LifeNews.com

But then with still high unemployment in the nation and jobs continuously being outsourced overseas, what jobs would this lost generation have that would contribute taxes and social security to the government to support the entitlements?

[konfetka]

Originally Posted by 495neighbor

But then with still high unemployment in the nation and jobs continuously being outsourced overseas, what jobs would this lost generation have that would contribute taxes and social security to the government to support the entitlements?

More people have more needs for goods and services, they would have created more (non-manufacturing) companies and small businesses too.

[BedfordResident1]

The sequestration cuts amount to 2% of the federal budget. Even after the 2% "cut", the federal budget this year is higher than last year. Government officials are deliberately choosing to cut some of the most visible public services in order to protest the cuts.

[konfetka]

If that's the strategy, then it's working.

But what about the notion that austerity policy in a fragile economy would only hamper an already slow recovery? What about the idea that we should focus on the economy and jobs, which would in turn reduce the deficit, since the deficit is not yet at a critical point, as some like to think.

(I am not an expert, I only minored in economics.)

[miu]

Originally Posted by konfetka

Population lost due to abortion is about 117 million which includes 55 million abortions since Roe vs Wade and the loss of their possible children.

Seriously?

You want to blame legalized abortion for our current economic woes? And what about having an additional 117 million adults vying for jobs now when the unemployment rate is so high? Jobs can't be constructed out of thin air. And just a company having more money on hand doesn't translate to more jobs because there has to be a productive reason for having each employee. You don't hire more full time employees just to sit at desks all day twiddling their thumbs. There needs to be products and services to make and customers who need them and want to buy them.

It is an unrealistic economic model to think that the US and the world can only function based on continual and unlimited growth. The world has 7 billion people now, and we will never have enough decent jobs, food and clean water, and proper housing for all of them.

And if the US really needs another 117 million bodies in order to have a healthy economy and government coffer, then bring them in from third world countries AND also restrict their access to social help programs until they have earned enough citizen credits for eligibility into the "system". Only allow productive people into our country to be citizens just like other foreign countries do. Enough with letting in the refugees and lost souls of the world.

[miu]

As to the topic title, I haven't heard any specifics on how the sequester will affect Newton. So far, I guess that it means I won't be able to take a tour of the White House.

Otherwise, my boyfriend and I still intend to vote NO NO NO on in the upcoming election for the proposed tax override bill for Newton. It's way past due to start living withing our means. And Boston needs to start reimbursing Newton for the costs of THEIR METCO students. Why should I have to pay for a Boston student's schooling at OUR schools?

[Hemlock140]

The effect on every city will be felt when the schools start laying off teachers and aids, with class sizes increasing. Due to union rules for advance notice it's not likely to be until the fall, but anyone with kids in school and cares about their education will notice. For people like me with all the kids grown, it's hard to find anything that would be a direct effect. We don't have any direct federal benefits.

[TAM88]

How about we stop sending Billions every year to other countries?

Tanzania: $531 Million
Ethiopia: $580 Million
Nigeria: $625 Million
Kenya: $625 Million
Jordan: $676 Million
Egypt: $1.557 Billion
Pakistan: $2.012 Billion
Israel: $3.075 Billion

Those are some numbers among other countries.

If these Politicians were really serious about where our money goes, they could easily trim some fat off of their pet projects and complete useless projects to protect these so call essential services. Doesn't matter if they're a Democrat, or a Republican, they're all the same.

I do have to laugh at the blatant slanted articles coming out about these cuts.

[konfetka]

Originally Posted by TAM88

How about we stop sending Billions every year to other countries?

Tanzania: $531 Million
Ethiopia: $580 Million
Nigeria: $625 Million
Kenya: $625 Million
Jordan: $676 Million
Egypt: $1.557 Billion
Pakistan: $2.012 Billion
Israel: $3.075 Billion

Those are some numbers among other countries.

If these Politicians were really serious about where our money goes, they could easily trim some fat off of their pet projects and complete useless projects to protect these so call essential services. Doesn't matter if they're a Democrat, or a Republican, they're all the same.

I do have to laugh at the blatant slanted articles coming out about these cuts.

I agree, but it's pennies compared to defense budget @ $700 billion. Defense budget is 19% of the entire budget, which is bigger then 18% of the entire discretionary budget, and almost as much as SS (20%). Like John Steward, put it: "it's like a lady on Gerry Springer who can't stop getting more breast implants"

It is also higher then the rest of the world's defense budget combined. That should be an outrage, but instead it is a primary goal of many congressmen and senators to protect, at the expense of education and infrastructure. The priorities in this country are very discouraging.