Federal Employees? DoD? Navy?

[rodney482]

Politicians and special interest groups have ruined an awesome country.

Pretty damn sad!

 

[Eagle]

I understand this will hit home, even with some on this forum. To those against the cuts what are the options? I say cuts tongue in cheek as when you get through all the bullshit there really aren't any cuts, spending goes up even with these cuts in place, so the whole thing is a lie. There are no true cuts, just less increase.

Does anyone here honestly think this country can continue down the spending path we are currently on? The problem is everyone wants the problem fixed as long as it doesn't impact them personally. Feds wast money everywhere but on me. Cut somewhere else that is a waste, well those affected by the cuts would likely see it differently. This is a no win situation. If we are going to fix the problem it is going to hit EVERYONE hard. Problem is, it would seem anywhere we try to trim spending becomes and immediate exception.

Get rid of the entitlement BS, that would be #1.

#2 would be to decrease the gubment size.

#3 would be to estabilish a fair tax and simplify the tax code, quit giving breaks to those that send money/jobs overseas.

All of that would help greatly. I'll be the first to admit that about 90% of the workforce in my area could get cut, and productivity might actually increase. Entirely too many employees to do the work we do, and entirely too many have the mindset that "It's a government job, I'm set for life whether I pull my share of the load or not", and sadly, the way it currently stands, they are right.

 

[jmez]

When and if the government really starts cutting it all needs to be on the table, even civilian employees. This, just like the sequester is going to take people out of the workforce. People out of the workforce don't spend money on sheep hunts. People in places that make sheep hunts happen suffer just as the ones out of the workforce. It will affect everyone, period. There is no so called, easy way out. There is no way our without great suffering, unless we continue on until the entire thing collapses, which is what will really happen.

Everything and everyone is an exception when talks of cuts heat up.

 

[Daniel_M]

I'm making it happen, but if scheduling becomes an issue I may have to bag it.

 

[HellsCanyon]

With the way business is currently I'm looking at downsizing HCA for a few years and getting back into Range management... Unfortunately the largest hiring companies are with Federal agencies. USFS, BLM, NRCS...etc Sorry to hear about this thats for sure!

Mike

 

[Daniel_M]

Yep we've had a few folks put in there notice, which now creates bigger issues because their empty slots will not be filled until 2014 at a minimum.

 

[littlebuf]

only this administration could have a budget where they will spend more in 2013 than they did in 2012 and call it a cut. how many of you have read animal farm or 1984? i know its a dated and often over used referance but the similaritys are shocking. those books were written by a man who lived through what we are living through now, and there relevent.

 

[jmez]

The whole cut portion is a joke. When you remove all rhetoric and adjust for inflation, then add back in spending exempt from the sequester this so called draconion cut of a trillion dollars over ten years actually increases spending by 110 billion over the time frame. Nothing is being cut.

 

[Shrek]

I'll take a stab at it. First , all the Bush tax cuts go , and do away with capital gains taxes and treat it as ordinary income. Do away with most all corporate loop holes. Taxes done. Now for the really hard part..where to cut. Up the ssi retirement age to 72...cut obsolete defense programs like the new manned strike fighter. It is unsurvivable today and they are pouring hundreds of billions into it. Cut the DEA entirely and legalize drugs . You can't save poeple from themselves. Then start cutting the prisions that housed all the addicts and it will stop a bunch of vice fueled organized crime. Stop writing micro detailed reguation and replace it with simple broad indistinct outcome regulation. Medicare needs to stop paying for heroic end of life care and move to more hospice type care. Approximately 80% of all healthcare dollars are spent in the last year of life. 80 year old grampa doesn't need 6 months of life support before the family decides to pull the plug. Those are all Medicare tax dollars going down the drain. Medicare needs to be able to bargain for the best price on drugs and drug patents need to last the same amount of time as regular patents. Get serious about Medicare fraud like the doctor charging Medicare at doctor's rates when my mom , a nurse practitioner , see's them. The waste and fraud is epidemic in our government services. The increased taxes and the cutting of wasteful and fraudulent spending will get it done. That tax level lead to the only two balanced budgets in my lifetime and with determined cuts we can get there again. Then we need to keep spending down until the national debt is retired. Then we need to cut taxes , but not until we pay off our debts. Most of the rest of the welfare programs are chump change in the big picture so I don't worry about the welfare queens and such. Social security , medicare , and defense is where all the money is and thats where you have to cut to balance the budget.

 

[jmez]

Regardless of what they say, republicans are never going to allow large scale cuts in defense spending. The democrats are never going to allow large scale cuts or changes to SS or Medicare. Both sides guilt of over spending. The only difference is what they spend on.

As for your tax changes too complicated. Flat tax, does not even have to be progressive. All income, be it $5 per year or $5 billion per year gets taxed at a flat rate. No deductions, no credits, no exemptions. That would fix the revenue problem immediately.

Nothing will change however. The train will have to derail. Cutting benefits is political suicide. Every cut becomes and exception when those affected are asked about the cut. Politicians are not willing to place the good of the country above their own good. Neither are the citizens of this country. All good things come to an end, we are on the downhill side.

 

[Shrek]

I'm more optimistic about our country. I do think there needs to a reality based reform of ssi and defense and I think the progressive tax code has worked fine until we started to carve exemptions and special types of separate incomes. This countries wealthy elite need to be a meritocracy not an aristocracy. The 6 walmart heirs own more wealth than the bottom 140 million americans and pay a lower effective tax rate and all they did to earn their status is be born to the right father. I believe in a progressive tax structure.

 

[sk1]

im part of the dod system as well, i havent had a raise in what is it, 2-3 years now the freeze has been on? that's ok i can live with that, most dod employees make enough as it is. then the recent tax increase just cut my salary by $400 a month. ok, i can take that also. now if the furlough goes through, it will cut my monthly salary by another $1000? it's a lot at once i think. i can see the government taking action on federal salaries but there has to be a better way to go about it. i will now be out $1400 a month, and we are well below minimum manning, cant take vacation in addition to everything else.

sucks, lets hope they make a deal

 

[Schleppy]

I dont think these problems will be solved by any down sizing of the gov. We need to bring the production jobs back to the US so that people have jobs. It isnt hard to figure out that when you sell the cow you will have a temporary surplus of money and then one day the money is gone and you're thirsty for milk. That's exactly what we've done here. There is no money left in the private sector because if you tax them they'll move overseas, or they already have because of EPA type regs or high dollar union wages. So, we're left with everyone fighting for service jobs and the government workers are easy prey for cuts because they're one step closer to the knife. Think about how many people you know that work a service job compared to how many you know in a production job. Unless we bring the jobs back into this country nothing will change, if you dont see that you're blind.

 

[Shrek]

I dont think these problems will be solved by any down sizing of the gov. We need to bring the production jobs back to the US so that people have jobs. It isnt hard to figure out that when you sell the cow you will have a temporary surplus of money and then one day the money is gone and you're thirsty for milk. That's exactly what we've done here. There is no money left in the private sector because if you tax them they'll move overseas, or they already have because of EPA type regs or high dollar union wages. So, we're left with everyone fighting for service jobs and the government workers are easy prey for cuts because they're one step closer to the knife. Think about how many people you know that work a service job compared to how many you know in a production job. Unless we bring the jobs back into this country nothing will change, if you dont see that you're blind.

Agree 100%.

 

[tstowater]

Not quite as easy as it may seem. No one is willing to give up what they have, either "benefits" or whatever they may be or low tax rates/exemptions/deductions. Always easier to gore someone else's ox than your own. Until everyone wakes up and sees where we are going and are willing to do something about it, things won't change. Term limits, higher rates, lower deductions/exemptions, cuts to this or that program are all bandaids unless real "change" goes along with the actions. Every action taken will have positive and negative reactions. Might consider starting with the media and the 24 hour a day "news".

 

[Daniel_M]

Anywho, best of luck to those of you that may be affected. 4 day weekends; that's my silver lining in the shit sandwich. Hopefully this all blows over and the budget conflicts see resolution.

 

[realunlucky]

I hope so too. Sure different looking from the outside in than from the inside out thanks for the reminder

 

[Daniel_M]

If anyone plans on coming up this summer let me know. I'll be on the Kenai quite a bit rafting with a cold beer stuffed in my top wader pocket.

 

[O'Really]

.....

 

[Daniel_M]

Yeh man just drop me a line. I do do skullz.