Sequestration: A Proposed 2.4% Reduction In Future Spending

Sequestration is a term used to describe the practice of using mandatory spending cuts in the federal budget if the cost of running the government exceeds either an arbitrary amount or the the gross revenue it brings during the fiscal year.

Simply put, sequestration is the employment of automatic, across-the-board spending cuts in the face of annual budget deficits. Some of the most detailed reporting on sequestration is from Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward and his new book The Price of Politics.

Woodward’s reporting shows clearly that defense sequestration was an idea that came out of Obama’s White House.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released several hundred illegal immigrants this week ostensibly in fear that the $85 billion in automatic spending cuts (sequestration) widely expected to be triggered on Friday would limit the number of detainees they could pay to house.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said the move jeopardized public safety and cut into the trust Republicans and the White House have tried to cultivate in discussions on immigration reform.

Goodlatte said, "It’s abhorrent that President Obama is releasing criminals into our communities to promote his political agenda on sequestration. By releasing criminal immigrants onto the streets, the administration is needlessly endangering American lives."

Both democrats and republicans were well aware for months that sequestration was on it's way, yet have failed to act thus far. Invented by the Obama White House, sequestration was supposedly a way to enact a move so ludicrous that neither party would allow it to happen. Yet, here we are.

In the interim, republicans are sticking to their guns and Obama is running around the nation crying "the sky is falling, the sky is falling." Republicans have accused Obama of being behind the release of illegal immigrants, which Obama (as usual) denies.

On a personal note, I have bought ammunition, filled my gas tank and bought six months of provisions just in case Barry has more tricks up his sleeves. This is one of the times I'd like to see a debilitating strain of the Swine Flu affect Washington, D.C.

The News As I See It: Everyone is still talking about the Academy Awards. "Life of Pi" took home four Oscars. It's about a young boy trapped at sea on a small boat with a man-eating tiger. Even so, it’s still a better way to travel than a Carnival cruise. In the meantime, a toilet flooded the lobby where the Oscars show was being held. The show, in turn, won an Oscar for best portrayal of a Carnival cruise.

The best picture was called "Argo." It was about a heroic Hollywood producer. Wow, how did something like that ever win? On another note, Michelle Obama won an Academy Award for best bangs.

In a White House briefing, former college wrestler, shortstop and Homeland Security Secretary chief Janet Napolitano warned that sequestration would affect border security. Her remarks raised eyebrows in Washington and got big laughs in Mexico.

A storm dumped 17 inches of snow on Amarillo, Texas. It was really confusing for Mexicans sneaking over the border. They thought they'd gone all the way to Canada.

The White House officially released portraits of the White House gang. You can all see the portrait of Hillary Clinton and Michele Obama. Michele's pictured will be in the next issue of National Geographic and Hillary's picture will be on next month's cover of the "Sports Illustrated" pants suit issue.

ABC announced their new "Dancing With the Stars" lineup. It was a who's who of who needs money. I'm confused. I thought the sequester eliminated that.

Manti Te'o was apparently one of the slowest linebackers to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL's scouting combine yesterday. You can tell he took it to heart because today he spent three hours on an imaginary Stairmaster.

Al-Qaida has issued a list of 22 ways that al-Qaida members can avoid being killed by U.S. drones. Here’s one. Don't join al-Qaida.
 

This Date In History: 1844; Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti. 1933; German Reichstag building in Berlin was destroyed by fire. 1951; The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, limiting the President to two terms.

1973; Members of the American Indian Movement occupied the village of Wounded Knee, South Dakota 1991; Kuwait was liberated in the Gulf War. 2003; Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, died.

Picture Of The Day: .....and that's a fact!

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) Irony is the opposite of wrinkly. 2) Never play leapfrog with a rhinoceros. 3) We want a cure for short-term memory loss! When do we want it? When do we want what? 4) I want to be as thin as my patience. 5) It's said that one in five people in the world are Chinese. There are five people in my family, so it must be one of them. It's either my dad or my mom or maybe my younger brother Kirt or my baby brother Hop-Sing, but I'm pretty sure it's Kirt.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Pisces - February 27th: Destiny will help you discover that you are not intended to be alone. Destiny might also play with your head and take you to a pet store. If I were you, I'd ask destiny where we are going before getting dressed. Puppies like to lick your feet.....

Birthdays: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet 1807, Alice Hamilton, physician, reformer 1869, Hugo Black, Supreme Court Justice 1886, Marian Anderson, contralto 1897, John Steinbeck, American writer 1902, Ariel Sharon, general and politician 1928, Elizabeth Taylor, actress 1932, Ralph Nader, consumer advocate 1934.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: It was a hot day in Minnesota and Helga hung out the wash to dry and then went downtown to pick up some dry cleaning. Helga thought to herself, "Gootness, it's hodder dan hell today." She passed a tavern and thought, "Vy nodt?"

So she walked in and took a seat at the bar. The bartender walked up and asked her what she would like to drink. Helga said in a timid voice, "You know, I don't usually go into bars, but today it's so hod, I vill make an exception. I tink I'll have myself a cold beer."

The bartender asked, "Anheuser Busch?" Helga blushed and timidly replied, "Vell fine, tanks und how's yur viener?"

A busload of politicians were driving down a country road, when suddenly the bus ran off the road and crashed into an old farmer's barn. The old farmer got off his tractor and went to investigate. Soon he dug a hole and buried the politicians.

A few days later, the local sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus and asked the old farmer where all the politicians had gone. The old farmer told him he had buried them.

The sheriff asked the old farmer, "Lordy, were they all dead?" The old farmer said, "Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how them crooked politicians lie."
 

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: While taxiing at London's Gatwick Airport, the crew of a U.S. Air flight departing for Miami made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with a United 727. An irate female ground controller lashed out at the U.S. Air crew, screaming, "U.S. Air 2771, where the hell are you going? I told you to turn right onto Charlie taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right there. I know it's difficult for you to tell the difference between C and D, but get it right!"

Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically, "God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll take forever to sort this out! You stay right there and don't move till I tell you to! You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you! You got that, U.S. Air 2771?" The humbled crew responded, "Yes, ma'am."

Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly silent after the verbal bashing of U.S. Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance engaging the irate ground controller in her current state of mind. Tension in every cockpit around Gatwick was definitely running high. Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone and asked, "Wasn't I married to you once?"

A man goes to the famous Lucas Carton restaurant in Paris with his girlfriend and orders the 1928 Mouton. The waiter returns with a bottle full of wine, pours a small amount in the glass for tasting. The customer picks up the glass, smells the wine, puts it down on the table with a thud and says "This is not the 1928 Mouton." The waiter assures him it is.

Soon there are another twenty people surrounding the table, including the chef and the manager trying to convince the man that the wine is the 1928 Mouton. Finally, someone asks him how he knows that it is not the 1928 Mouton. The man says, "My name is Phillipe de Rothschild and I make the wine."

Finally, the original waiter steps forward and admits that he poured the Clerc Milon 1928. The waiter went on, "I could not bear to part with our last bottle of 1928 Mouton. You know Clerc Milon, it is in the same village as Mouton. You pick the grapes at the same time. The same cepage, You crush in the same way, You put them into similar barrels. You bottle at the same time. The wines are the same, except for a small matter of geographic location."

Rothschild beckons the waiter forward, and whispers to him, "When you return home tonight, ask your girlfriend to remove her underwear. Put one finger in one opening, another finger in the other. Then, smell both the fingers. Then, you will understand what difference a small distance in geographic location makes."

That's it for today, my little bean sprouts. Remember, lead your life so you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip. I'm going to  AREA 51 for happy hour.

That's it for now. More on Friday.

Stay Tuned !