Don’t forget: Congress failed you

Don’t forget: Congress failed you

Pay close attention to politicians who say, from the beginning of sequestration on through the early spring months, that sequestration is not having the dire affects alleged prior to March 1, or that, while they do not like it, sequestration was the fault of the “other” party.

Such assertions are evidence of their endeavor to dupe the public. Not until April will meat processors and FBI agents be furloughed. Education cuts will enlarge class sizes, further diminishing the effectiveness of a public education. Health programs will shed those with needs onto the horizons of other furlough-ridden agencies, such as public safety agencies.

Combined with pressure to put a gun into every American’s pocket, we may find ourselves reliant upon an angry, out-of-work, neighbor for protection with his semiautomatic handgun, regardless of his state-of-mind.

Most affects of severe agency cuts will not be evident until well into the beginning of summer, with domestic agencies paring down by 5 percent and the military by 8 percent. By the end of summer the economy, job losses, and societal stresses will become readily apparent.

The most vulnerable of our nation will feel the effects first. The bailed-out banks, the heavily-invested-in-lobbying Congress mega-corporations, as well as the very rich, will hardly feel the tremors. FAA cuts may curtail some corporate jet flights, but their offshore, nontaxable, wealth will remain secure and they will not pay additional taxes, a benefit secured through their successful congressional lobbying.

Disingenuous congressional representatives, who say that they never supported sequestration, failed America by not getting the job done and no excuses, from either party, are accepted.

Alas, only in America can our leaders fail so miserably and continue to enjoy the benefit of generous salaries, lucrative benefits, and frequent, long vacations.

Gail Talbot

Huntley