I actually looked up the word hyperbole today (with thanks to Dictionary.com):
hy·per·bo·le: noun Rhetoric .
1. obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”
Having listened recently to the Administration’s ministrations on Sequestration (trying saying that three times fast), I am left to wonder whether they were intentionally exaggerating, or they were making figures of speech not to be taken literally. Either way, they certainly took us on a journey into the Land of Hyperbole. It was a rhetorical magical mystery tour of horribles. But, I woke up this morning and drove into work like any other day. No less traffic than typical. My power at work was on. The systems were working. Nothing was different other than the date, 1 March 2013, the day I had been told all hell would break loose.
I have heard of no teachers being fired today (other than Arne Duncan’s debunked pink slip slip-up). But I wouldn’t have because this school year was already funded. The impact to local school districts that could lose money is in reality unknown. Will teachers be laid off – I don’t know but I suspect local communities might actually rally around their schools in the event layoffs result.
I checked to see what the airline flight delays were like. With a tip of the hat to some irony, I checked fly.faa.gov as my authoritative source. No flights delays, the map was green. But, just in case that directorate of the FAA had succumbed to the Sequester blues, I checked flightstats.com, and confirmed no delays. According to reports, I should check back in April when the effects will really be seen . . . honest it’s going to be really bad . . . just wait . . .
I was concerned about my taxes. After all, with all these furloughs how was the IRS going to process our returns? But, not to worry, the IRS has said any furloughs would happen after tax season. I guess there was some flexibility after all.
I am waiting for a by-name list of the 230 kids in Wyoming who might not be able to get vaccines because of a $16,000 dollar reduction in federal spending. I am waiting for the boil order for my water given the sudden, drastic decrease in funding for clean water. I feel for the 170 million folks Representative Waters claims will lose their jobs as a result of the Sequester. I am upset the Sequester has so restricted food safety inspectors that horsemeat found its way into Taco Bell products. Oh, wait, that happened before today. Never mind.
I am of two minds when it comes to the Sequester. I think spending should be cut and the Sequester serves as a forcing function that does not require politicians to actually have to go on record with any priorities. But, I am not a fan of the one-size-fits-all approach. If you have ever been the gal caught between Petite and Regular you will understand.
The whirling dervish of non-sense surrounding the Sequester has hidden the real problem. The Senate has not passed a budget in 4 years, the budgeting baseline is flawed as a result, and the use of continuing resolutions prevents flexibility and undermines reliability. Organizations only know what their funding level is for the term of the CR. How can you plan financially when your budget hops along week to week, or month to month? How can you appropriately contract and pay for those activities that require sustained funding? Don’t take my word for it. According to Rear Admiral Kirby, the Navy’s Chief of Information:
“Unless a spending bill is passed quickly by the new Congress, we may be forced to operate under the same CR that has been sustaining us since the beginning of this fiscal year. This CR is set to expire at the end of March. Should Congress decide to extend the CR through the end of FY13, the Navy and Marine Corps would not have enough money to meet FY-13 requirements in these accounts.” (http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2013/01/16/navy-navigates-continuing-resolution/)
In the end the Sequester proved one thing: our current crop of politicians lack the fortitude to make the really tough calls. We can nibble around the edges all we want, but until we address entitlement (non-discretionary spending) reform in the context of deficit reduction, we will not be able to solve this problem for the long-term. The conversation already includes discretionary spending and revenues (regardless of whether or not you like the answers). Let’s add the third leg to this budgetary stool and have a reasoned, adult discussion.
The definition of reason you might ask? Sound judgment; good sense. In terms of politics it could be a “Sound Judgment Politician” is an oxymoron, but let us hope that is mere hyperbole.
Small Politics 