home arrow OPINIONS arrow Make Congress suffer the first cuts

AP Political Videos



Login Form






Lost Password?
No account yet? Register
DIGITAL EDITION
Make Congress suffer the first cuts PDF Print E-mail
Written by Lucius Gantt   
Friday, 01 March 2013

lucius-gantt_web.jpgCut, cut, cut seems to be all that Congressional Republicans want to do but President Barack Obama should see a simple solution to America’s budget problem. Republicans are not mad about spending; they are mad about Barack Obama. Anything the president supports, Republicans will oppose.

So this is what the president should suggest: The president should seek legislation that would require Congress to cut itself first.

Why can’t Congress cut Senator and House members’ salaries down to minimum wage? Many of the Congresspersons are multi-millionaires anyway.

How about cutting Congressional health plans out all together and make elected officials use the same Medicare and Medicaid programs that poor people have to use that must be supplemented because federal health “entitlements” don’t pay the full costs for anything?

Perhaps Congress will be willing to cut their retirement plans that provide both money and health benefits for as long as they live.

And, what about cutting Congressional staff’s salaries, travel benefits, office expenditures and other miscellaneous costs?

Now, Gantt Report readers should know that the whole Congress bears responsibility for the current fiscal problems called sequestration that requires substantial across-the-board cuts to the federal budget.

Both Republicans and Democrats alike signed on to the idea of making budget cuts via a budgetary death wish. Members of both political parties decided to create a fiscal catastrophe that would inflict economic damage on the whole United States unless a political bargain is reached by March 1.

At the time of this writing, no bargain had been reached and Americans have no hope any political agreement will be reached.

The voters thought they would be electing a president and a Congress that would make spending cuts but those same elected officials were expected by voters to tax the super-rich who are, percentage-wise, the least taxed.
Federal programs with the largest budgets probably have the greatest waste.

But one party wants a welfare plan for defense contractors but do not want welfare for needy women, children and babies.

The White House is taking its side of the sequestration story to the streets.

The people are being told that sequestration will mean more dangerous airports, poorer schools, limited health care and no infrastructure repairs.

But the truth of the matter is sequestration cuts are small tomatoes. If cuts go through with no increase in tax revenue, only about 700,000 jobs nationwide will be lost but a lot  of the positions are critical jobs that keep us safe and secure. Congressional support for sequestration was a bad idea from the jump.

African Americans should know better than any other citizens that you can never depend on government to do the right thing.


*Pictured above is Lucius Gantt, a political consultant based in Tallahassee, is author of the book Beast Too: Dead Man Writing. He may be reached at allworldconsultants.net
Comments (0)Add Comment

Write comment
This content has been locked. You can no longer post any comments.

busy
 
< Prev   Next >
 
FAMU journalists capture college ‘Student Emmy’FAMU journalists capture college ‘Student Emmy’
TALLAHASSEE — The winners of a 2013 College Television Award are … Amber Mackie and Lacrai Mitchell! The two Florida A&...
Read more...
by award winning  teen  phenom R.J. Tolsonby award winning teen phenom R.J. Tolson
DELRAY BEACH – African-American teen entrepreneur, philanthropist and award-winning author R.J. Tolson’s book-signing tou...
Read more...
Talib Kweli delivers 5th solo albumTalib Kweli delivers 5th solo album
Throughout his career, whether in his early collaborative work with fellow Brooklynite Mos Def in Black Star or with the...
Read more...
Usher to curate the 4th fireworks musicUsher to curate the 4th fireworks music
NEW YORK (AP) — Usher will be the spark for Macy’s 4th of July fireworks show. The Grammy-winning singer will collaborate ...
Read more...

News Article Comments

Program seeking to curb gang violence
Great job, City of Riviera, officer Hinds and all that are supporting/actively working to bring education and camaraderie to all young people.
Mother May I? Yes, You May!
I just want to say this a great faithful and fashion-forward post! You have a great gift of fashion and journalism and your faith and commitment to God make it all possible! Keep it it up Miss Kryst...
NBA veteran Collins announces he’s gay
Homosexuality is not deserving of the approbation of man. We can not overlook condemning those, who, through their own bad use of their faculties, are vicious to the good and perfection of the human s...
First black BSO chaplain deemed caring pastor
Congratulations Chaplain Knowles, Its a new season, its a new day a fresh anointing coming your way a season of power and prosperity...Walk in your blessing and the favor of the Lord. BSO needs you an...
First black BSO chaplain deemed caring pastor
Praise the Lord and What a blessings to have a man with great compassion to serve the poor & needy as Becon of HOPE to the LOST. Broward County is a great mission field to serve in the Name of the Mig...
First black BSO chaplain deemed caring pastor
Nat "Chaplain" Knowles, thank you for the years of support and such an honor could be more fitting for anyone.
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
Then you can consider me a racist. Rejecting laws that will only hurt law abiding gun owners is not racist, and the more your side pushes gun control the more our side will pour money into the NRA, in...
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
Martin Luther King Jr. wasn't against guns; he tried to get a concealed carry permit, but was denied by racist law enforcement in the south.
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
Mr. Swain: "reasonable background checks" Who says what the Senate was voting on was reasonable? You? Why do you think that what was voted on was in fact reasonable? There are areas where both si...
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
Someone needs to take this guy to school. His education is sadly lacking. The US AND it's territories have been invaded by foreign powers as noted above...Mexico is in the process of "invading" us a...
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
Did you really try to tie MLK with gun control???LOL.This article proves 2 things.1 Liberals will not tolerate anyone that does not believe their way and will try to spin historical events and figures...
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
So would “What kind of people are these? Who is their God?” apply to Fanny Lou Hamer, Robert F. Williams, Martin Luther King Jr., Ernest Thomas, Frederick D. Kirkpatrick, Charles Sims, A.Z. Young ...
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
This guy makes little sense. I'm deeply offended as a white man in my little suburban home.
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
This article is a very good example of why so many gun owners have become jaded and less willing to sit down to discuss the issues. I am one among over 100 million gun owners and am getting really ti...
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
1. The United Stats Was Born out of A foreign Invasion of the U.S. by The United Kingdom and the mercenary troops from Hanover between 1775-1783. 2. The war of 1812 saw the foreign power of The Unit...
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
quoted from the piece: "I abhor guns." This little sentence is the crux of the Mr. Swain's entire diatribe. So his mind was made up way before any possible legislation dialogue ever happened. ...
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
As I read this I wonder how one jumps from purchase & concealed carry numbers to degrees of violence. Clearly the two statistical areas do not always track. There may be more ownership without more vi...
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
..said the guy who's president is arming the Muslim Brotherhood with tanks..
What kind of people are these gun worshippers?
Apparently, you have yet to learn the message that when we infringe on one right, all others are in danger. What kind of people are we who oppose gun control? We're good American citizens who believ...
Role no ‘Pain’ for Mackie
I enjoyed reading this story on actor, Anthony Mackie, Ms. Grant. I first saw Mackie on Broadway in the August Wilson play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. I have always thought that he was a solid actor. I...

The most influential African American weekly newspaper in South Florida

Beatty Media LLC