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Aides have said elements of the package could reflect a plan offered last week by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the top Democrat at the House Budget Committee. That measure would eliminate subsidies to the farm industry, scrap tax preferences used by oil-and-gas companies and implement a new minimum tax rate on people making seven figures annually — the proposal commonly known as the “Buffett Rule.”


The New York Times reported Monday that Senate Democrats were closing in on a $120 billion package that would include elements of the Van Hollen proposal.

Ibanez wrote:Senate Democrats plan to have a bill on the floor by Thursday.

Aides have said elements of the package could reflect a plan offered last week by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the top Democrat at the House Budget Committee. That measure would eliminate subsidies to the farm industry, scrap tax preferences used by oil-and-gas companies and implement a new minimum tax rate on people making seven figures annually — the proposal commonly known as the “Buffett Rule.”


The New York Times reported Monday that Senate Democrats were closing in on a $120 billion package that would include elements of the Van Hollen proposal.

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/a ... n-thursday" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

bluehenbillk wrote:

Ibanez wrote:Senate Democrats plan to have a bill on the floor by Thursday.


http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/a ... n-thursday" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The GOP isn't going to go for that.

Honestly, the more I read about the sequester the more I'm OK with it. Sure, there are going to have to be some DOD furloughs but the DOD along with 99% of Washington is already bloated to begin with. Look, people can't have it both ways, you want smaller government well here it is.

Heck I hear the State Department whining about falling $2.6B short with things & 20% of what they listed was BS that we shouldn't be paying a dime for already. This isn't the Cold War era anymore, if Iraq & Afghanistan and events since have shown we need a leaner, more responsive military, not the one that I grew up with in my teen years in the 1980's.

The bottom line is this: Our Federal Government spends too much money. How do you think we got $16T and counting in debt. God forbid we actually pass a balanced budget amendment.

Let the sequester happen, it'll be the best thing for our country. Maybe we'll learn to start working together more & make real decisions for the country's best interest versus pursuing out of control partisan divide.

Grizalltheway wrote:

bluehenbillk wrote:
The GOP isn't going to go for that.

Honestly, the more I read about the sequester the more I'm OK with it. Sure, there are going to have to be some DOD furloughs but the DOD along with 99% of Washington is already bloated to begin with. Look, people can't have it both ways, you want smaller government well here it is.

Heck I hear the State Department whining about falling $2.6B short with things & 20% of what they listed was BS that we shouldn't be paying a dime for already. This isn't the Cold War era anymore, if Iraq & Afghanistan and events since have shown we need a leaner, more responsive military, not the one that I grew up with in my teen years in the 1980's.

The bottom line is this: Our Federal Government spends too much money. How do you think we got $16T and counting in debt. God forbid we actually pass a balanced budget amendment.

Let the sequester happen, it'll be the best thing for our country. Maybe we'll learn to start working together more & make real decisions for the country's best interest versus pursuing out of control partisan divide.

Ask the UK and other Euro countries how strict austerity is working out for them.

GannonFan wrote:

Grizalltheway wrote:
Ask the UK and other Euro countries how strict austerity is working out for them.

Aks them how all that excessive spending and lack of competition that got them into a position where they had to adopt austerity got them. Europe was like an old person that decides it's time to retire and they check out of the workforce. Problem is, a person who retires lives the rest of the life and eventually dies. They don't need to worry about any period of time longer than their lifespan. Countries, on the other hand, don't die off (well, mostly, I mean, the Ottoman Empire is no longer with us, but it took a long time to wind that baby down). Eventually they're like the retiree who only thought they'd live for 10 years after retiring and now that they're in their 3rd decade of retirement they're screwed and are bagging groceries or serving up fries at McDonalds 8 hours a day. Europe is like a look into our future - rampant goverment spending, massive intervention into the free markets (I know kalm, they're never perfectly "free"), a declining birth rate and resistance to meaningful and effective immigration. But it's still a nice place to vacation to for a few weeks.

bluehenbillk wrote:

Ibanez wrote:Senate Democrats plan to have a bill on the floor by Thursday.


http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/a ... n-thursday" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The GOP isn't going to go for that.

Honestly, the more I read about the sequester the more I'm OK with it. Sure, there are going to have to be some DOD furloughs but the DOD along with 99% of Washington is already bloated to begin with. Look, people can't have it both ways, you want smaller government well here it is.

Heck I hear the State Department whining about falling $2.6B short with things & 20% of what they listed was BS that we shouldn't be paying a dime for already. This isn't the Cold War era anymore, if Iraq & Afghanistan and events since have shown we need a leaner, more responsive military, not the one that I grew up with in my teen years in the 1980's.

The bottom line is this: Our Federal Government spends too much money. How do you think we got $16T and counting in debt. God forbid we actually pass a balanced budget amendment.

Let the sequester happen, it'll be the best thing for our country. Maybe we'll learn to start working together more & make real decisions for the country's best interest versus pursuing out of control partisan divide.

SDHornet wrote:

bluehenbillk wrote:
The GOP isn't going to go for that.

Honestly, the more I read about the sequester the more I'm OK with it. Sure, there are going to have to be some DOD furloughs but the DOD along with 99% of Washington is already bloated to begin with. Look, people can't have it both ways, you want smaller government well here it is.

Heck I hear the State Department whining about falling $2.6B short with things & 20% of what they listed was BS that we shouldn't be paying a dime for already. This isn't the Cold War era anymore, if Iraq & Afghanistan and events since have shown we need a leaner, more responsive military, not the one that I grew up with in my teen years in the 1980's.

The bottom line is this: Our Federal Government spends too much money. How do you think we got $16T and counting in debt. God forbid we actually pass a balanced budget amendment.

Let the sequester happen, it'll be the best thing for our country. Maybe we'll learn to start working together more & make real decisions for the country's best interest versus pursuing out of control partisan divide.

I agree with this. Since the children on the Hill can't get their **** together, take away their toys.

Grizalltheway wrote:

GannonFan wrote:
Aks them how all that excessive spending and lack of competition that got them into a position where they had to adopt austerity got them. Europe was like an old person that decides it's time to retire and they check out of the workforce. Problem is, a person who retires lives the rest of the life and eventually dies. They don't need to worry about any period of time longer than their lifespan. Countries, on the other hand, don't die off (well, mostly, I mean, the Ottoman Empire is no longer with us, but it took a long time to wind that baby down). Eventually they're like the retiree who only thought they'd live for 10 years after retiring and now that they're in their 3rd decade of retirement they're screwed and are bagging groceries or serving up fries at McDonalds 8 hours a day. Europe is like a look into our future - rampant goverment spending, massive intervention into the free markets (I know kalm, they're never perfectly "free"), a declining birth rate and resistance to meaningful and effective immigration. But it's still a nice place to vacation to for a few weeks.

Notice I said STRICT austerity. There's no doubt we need to get our finances in order before our situation becomes as dire as theirs, but it'd be unwise to do it too swiftly, while the economy and job market are still basically on life support.

bluehenbillk wrote:
Honestly, the more I read about the sequester the more I'm OK with it. Sure, there are going to have to be some DOD furloughs..

93henfan wrote:

bluehenbillk wrote:
Honestly, the more I read about the sequester the more I'm OK with it. Sure, there are going to have to be some DOD furloughs..

Easily said when you won't be taking the 20% pay cut that Col Hogan and I will be taking for 22 weeks (at least) if no agreement is reached.

This is not some hypothetical scenario. It will start on April 1 with no Congressional agreement. The services have already published their plans. Imagine taking a 20% pay cut for 22 weeks. We've already been under a pay freeze for three years.

Col Hogan wrote:

93henfan wrote:
Easily said when you won't be taking the 20% pay cut that Col Hogan and I will be taking for 22 weeks (at least) if no agreement is reached.

This is not some hypothetical scenario. It will start on April 1 with no Congressional agreement. The services have already published their plans. Imagine taking a 20% pay cut for 22 weeks. We've already been under a pay freeze for three years.

While I ain't thrilled about losing $$$, if they let me arrange my "sequestration vacation" the way I want it, I'll be ok...

I'm told we will have to take two days a pay period...so I'll take the first and last days of a pay period...that way I get a 4 day unpaid vacation every other week...

Right now we spend almost as much on interest payments as we spend on defense...like defense or not, at least lots of that money comes back into the local economies...

And Huckleberry Hound is right...DoD has way too many bases...overseas and here...and what he doesn't realize is that it's way easier to close an overseas base than it is to close one in the states...

So, welcome to "The Suck, Sequester Version"...

bluehenbillk wrote:Honestly, the more I read about the sequester the more I'm OK with it. Sure, there are going to have to be some DOD furloughs but the DOD along with 99% of Washington is already bloated to begin with. Look, people can't have it both ways, you want smaller government well here it is.

Heck I hear the State Department whining about falling $2.6B short with things & 20% of what they listed was BS that we shouldn't be paying a dime for already. This isn't the Cold War era anymore, if Iraq & Afghanistan and events since have shown we need a leaner, more responsive military, not the one that I grew up with in my teen years in the 1980's.

The bottom line is this: Our Federal Government spends too much money. How do you think we got $16T and counting in debt. God forbid we actually pass a balanced budget amendment.

Let the sequester happen, it'll be the best thing for our country. Maybe we'll learn to start working together more & make real decisions for the country's best interest versus pursuing out of control partisan divide.

Col Hogan wrote:

93henfan wrote:
Easily said when you won't be taking the 20% pay cut that Col Hogan and I will be taking for 22 weeks (at least) if no agreement is reached.

This is not some hypothetical scenario. It will start on April 1 with no Congressional agreement. The services have already published their plans. Imagine taking a 20% pay cut for 22 weeks. We've already been under a pay freeze for three years.

While I ain't thrilled about losing $$$, if they let me arrange my "sequestration vacation" the way I want it, I'll be ok...

I'm told we will have to take two days a pay period...so I'll take the first and last days of a pay period...that way I get a 4 day unpaid vacation every other week...

Right now we spend almost as much on interest payments as we spend on defense...like defense or not, at least lots of that money comes back into the local economies...

And Huckleberry Hound is right...DoD has way too many bases...overseas and here...and what he doesn't realize is that it's way easier to close an overseas base than it is to close one in the states...

So, welcome to "The Suck, Sequester Version"...

SDHornet wrote:For us non military folks, what the hell do all those acronyms stand for?

My DoD cuts story doesn't impact me directly but my dad is employed by the DoD and the local SD economy will no doubt take a hit due to its high reliance on DoD dollars. My dad is a grease monkey at North Island. He said his shop is looking at 4 furlough days a month (1 per week). He is well past retirement age so he isn’t worried. (Whenever I ask why he doesn't retire he always says, “why should I walk away from easy money?” ) He also said his shop is the end of the line for the gas turbine engine assembly/replacement so it is deemed an essential process and he and his guys will just make up the lost pay from the furloughs on overtime work.

Ibanez wrote: Overtime? I'm shocked that a DoD entity is authorizing it. OT has been eliminated for the time being.

93henfan wrote:Man. I made a tactical error coming back to DoD three weeks ago. I'll be losing roughly $10K (pre-tax) if this sucker goes the whole 22 weeks. GRRR.

But I'm glad Congress has had plenty of time the past five weeks to debate important things like a gun ban that has absolutely no chance of passing.

Keep up the good work Congress.

SDHornet wrote:

Ibanez wrote: Overtime? I'm shocked that a DoD entity is authorizing it. OT has been eliminated for the time being.

No gas turbine engines = no frigates and destroyers available for deployment.

SDHornet wrote:

93henfan wrote:Man. I made a tactical error coming back to DoD three weeks ago. I'll be losing roughly $10K (pre-tax) if this sucker goes the whole 22 weeks. GRRR.

But I'm glad Congress has had plenty of time the past five weeks to debate important things like a gun ban that has absolutely no chance of passing.

Keep up the good work Congress.

Comical isn't it. Our "leaders" are a fucking joke.

It would raise nearly $54 billion in taxes by implementing the Buffett Rule, setting a minimum effective tax rate for wealthy individuals and families. It would raise additional revenues by changing the tax treatment of oil extraction from oil sands.

This version of the Buffett Rule would phase in a 30-percent effective rate for incomes between $1 million and $2 million.

The plan would also end tax breaks that incentivize companies to move jobs overseas, raising less than $1 billion.


The $55 billion in spending cuts are evenly divided between defense and non-defense programs. It would save $27.5 billion by eliminating agricultural subsidies and another $27.5 billion though defense cuts.


Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said the defense cuts don't kick in until 2015, after the Afghanistan war ends and they are phased in slowly until 2021. The plan would make defense cuts of about $3 billion in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 and slowly rise to $5 billion in 2021.


If passed, the package would stop the sequester through the end of 2013. It would cost $85 billion to halt the automatic cuts through the end of the fiscal year, which ends in October.


Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/b ... z2L637iBCI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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houndawg wrote:

Col Hogan wrote: While I ain't thrilled about losing $$$, if they let me arrange my "sequestration vacation" the way I want it, I'll be ok...

I'm told we will have to take two days a pay period...so I'll take the first and last days of a pay period...that way I get a 4 day unpaid vacation every other week...

Right now we spend almost as much on interest payments as we spend on defense...like defense or not, at least lots of that money comes back into the local economies...

And Huckleberry Hound is right...DoD has way too many bases...overseas and here...and what he doesn't realize is that it's way easier to close an overseas base than it is to close one in the states...

So, welcome to "The Suck, Sequester Version"...

Actually, he does realize that and thinks that is where the biggest defense cuts should be made.