We knew this was coming... but....

[Bigmack]

It sure is a kick in the balls when you read about it.... We are screwed. There is no way out of our economic mess unless we get out of the Empire business. And Congress is going the other way. Shit!
- - - - - -
Congress works to defuse threat of defense cuts

Weeks after agreeing to impose mandatory spending cuts on the federal government in exchange for increasing the debt ceiling, lawmakers are hard at work to overturn a key element of the deal — the threat of automatic, steep cuts in the defense budget.

By Lisa Mascaro
Tribune Washington bureau
WASHINGTON — Weeks after agreeing to impose mandatory spending cuts on the federal government in exchange for increasing the debt ceiling, lawmakers are hard at work to overturn a key element of the deal — the threat of automatic, steep cuts in the defense budget.

The possibility of defense cuts — what budget insiders call a trigger mechanism — was intended to spur Republicans and Democrats to agree on a plan to reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Instead, Congress increasingly seems likely to scuttle the cuts even without a deficit deal

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2016606563_debtpanel26.html

[Scuba]

1. Our sad and shameful legacy: $$ for weapons but we can't afford SS or Medicare. n/t

[WingDinger]

2. People are starting to think it is cheaper to just put a cape on Obama.

[EFerrari]

3. I'm afraid there is no way out of this except through.

We do have to get out of the empire business. It's perverting just about every aspect of the country in addition to eating resources.

[DirkGently]

4. The "trigger" is a potential good -- provided they don't manage to dismantle it quietly.

Deficit / austerity hawks don't want to talk about the fact they consider ludicrous military spending a given, no matter how "broke" we are, no matter how many public benefits "must" be eliminated to preserve it. The war industry is the biggest, most blatant corporate welfare program we have, and no conversation about our supposed need to "tighten our belts" should be permitted without demanding the war industry be cut FIRST.

[Enthusiast]

8. You are so right on.

Cutting the extremely wasteful military should be number one when "tightening our belts". The U.S. military mission should be scaled way way back.

[valerief]

5. Congress members are Empire Agents. nt

[jwirr]

6. Well you know it is all about the oil. They cannot end the Empire

until the oil is gone! Talk about far sighted. Congress cannot see the forest for the trees. All this means is that we will have the oil while it lasts since all the money is going toward getting and keeping it. When it is gone we are still going to be without oil because they did not think long term. That money we are using for control of the ME should be going toward clean sustainable alternative energy sources so that when the oil runs out either because of depletion or because they will not sell it to us anymore we will have something else to fall back on.

But then congress has not shown that it can think beyond tomorrow. And our president is not doing much better.

[Enthusiast]

9. Their thought process has been co-opted

by corporate interests.

[GOTV]

7. I frikken predicted this when the compromise went through. I wish I could find that old post.

[xchrom]

10. recommend

[quinnox]

11. Plenty of money for military weapons eh

But if cuts need to be made, they must come from human social programs! Welcome to America. Disgusting, we already have enough weapons and the biggest baddest military on Earth, DUH. I don't think Mexico or Canada will be invading us anytime soon.