The House Appropriations Committee is already taking action from the right over the budget cuts it announced. There are so many problems with these cuts, they're insufficient and indiscriminate. There are so many aid cuts they go all around states. States have to balance their budgets every year. The Republican party seems to want to state that funding sources for government programs is better decided by state and local level . However, I live in a small town in which I grew raising our own taxes when the school wanted a new building added on. More importantly, the effects of the recession have not only caused a shortfall in tax revenues, it has caused great suffering among those who are less fortunate. Cutting programs that help the poor is absurd! Especially during a recession, and when those cuts are suggested by the same party that threatened a shut down of all legislative activity unless the administration agreed to extend tax cuts for the ones who are seemingly rich.
I am all for reducing government spending, although the Obama adminstration's proposals go pretty far, reducing the share of domestic spending to its lowest levels since the Eisenhower administration. But, if we are going to do that to help get our fiscal house in order, should we not return our tax codes to the same levels as those of the Eisenhower administration too? Let's stop repeating history! History is there so we DON'T have to repeat ourselves!
Point taken, let us all learn from history not repeat it (unless its an awesome idea). Victoria Gonzalez’s' post "National Budget Cuts!!" lead me to a few questions for you. Clearly you do not approve of the budget cuts that the House Appropriations Committee announced because they are insufficient and thoughtless, but what tax codes do you suggest we return to if we are indeed reducing domestic spending to levels reminiscent to the Eisenhower era? I was also confused to as what programs were being threatened, I was hard pressed to understand what was at stake and how it is going to affect people like my family and myself. I too hope funding for programs and institutions (such as your school) continue to receive finding but why did your school not receive state help in building an additional section? This must have happened before these budget cuts were announced correct? I always though it was up to state to fund schools and other services such as homeless shelters but am not completely certain. Is the House Appropriations Committee going to cut federally funded programs such as welfare, armed forces, members of congress salaries, etc. If the budget cuts affect municipally funded services like waste and water then that is going to be pretty bad. What is great is we pay our state taxes (unless you live in the seven states that do not collect individual taxes for state) that fund our roads and hopefully schools, so as long as everything continues as is and only federal cuts are on the horizon I feel safe. Good opinion piece, you raised questions that fueled many Google searches!
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