Unit 4

Defense Spending Myths: Cutting Through the Noise
Link:http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/03/08/1690591/defense-spending-myths/?mobile=nc

Everyone everywhere will be affected by the sequester. Thus a heated debate on how the defense budget will be cut. The first debate came when the house passed a bill to cut the budget of the Pentagon. Most debate has risen from how the defense spending will be cut most coming up with theories and possible ways to cut the budget. The first theory that they come up with is to measure the percentage of GDP to see the capability of how the military will achieve quests. All that goes into the GDP comes from private consumption, investment, and defense spending. If the GDP goes down while the spending is decreased but many think that how much is spent should not be determined by the GDP but by the level of threat and strategy. The second myth would that defense budget cuts would result in unemployment. Most of the unemployed would come from job programs and defense industry. The third theroy is that the Defense Department will be cutting at least $487 billion over the coming 10 years. The main reasoning is because, projected plans would increase the defense budget. However war spending has decline over the last years since the end of the Iraq war and the decrease in sending troops to Afghanistan.
There are many types of theories on how each part of the government will be effected by the sequester. Many are still unknown while some have adapted to coming up with a bill in order to cut a budget. This and hand comes in hand with what we have done in class. we have debated on if a bill should be passed, changed or denied, each party having their own view. On my view, I think that some of the projects that the military has should be cut because we are sort of wasting money on what we do not need. Also, there are better things in what the government should be spending with the money that they cut. 

Unit 3

The Sequester That Wasn't Meant To Happen Begins
Link:http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/03/01/173276447/the-sequester-that-wasnt-meant-to-happen-begins

      Many in Washington D.C never thought that they would have to come to an agreement to cut spending. The thought of cutting money from the federal budget was not a thought that cross the mind of the congress. Most spending cuts would be towards the Defense and domestics programs from the budget. Things in Washington are not what President Obama thought they would be from what he had planned. Most parties have demonstrated how defective they could be in this time being. Most Republicans would be more defensive when it comes to not cutting any money that goes towards the military and Democrats on federal spending, but both parties did not seem to be effected by so. However Republicans see it as a small advantage because they would get 1.2 trillion in overall federal spending cuts over 10 years. This in hand would also help the GOP with small government/low tax identity and would also have less public backfire with the sequester. On the Other hand Democrats are more alarmed with large federal spending cuts.  With the budget sequester it will in hand force both Democrats and Republicans to come to a compromise with the budget.  

Those in Washington seem to be the ones who are untouched with the upcoming sequester. Programs and benefits are being cut that are quite essential to the poor. Those in the upper class will be paying higher taxes when the sequester is approved. Some will be happy beacuse those who have a bigger paycheck at the end of the day pay more taxes later on but  tax increases will hurt jobs more than budget cuts. Over $85 billion will be cut in in 2013, in the coming years however, the amount that is cut will increase.