Feb. 19, when President Barack Obama marched out firefighters and other first responders in his campaign to shame Congress into passing legislation that would bypass or lessen the impact of the first wave of budget cuts, I was genuinely offended.
Obama knew these cuts were coming, cuts he thought were “absolutely necessary” when he signed the Budget Control Act of 2011. He said as much Feb. 13, 2012 to students at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale, Va.
“The truth is we’re going to have to make some tough choices in order to put this country back on a more sustainable fiscal path,” he said.
This year, the president has received his tax increases on the rich. With the end of the temporary 2-percent payroll cuts, everyone’s taxes have increased. Up until the zero hour before sequestration, Obama tried to avoid fulfilling the promise of the BCA in taking the first step towards ending Washington’s culture of uncontrolled spending.
Still, there is more to be done. In truth, more spending must be cut, and taxes — painful as this reads — must increase. Balancing the budget is not enough; principal on the debt must be paid.
That is just my opinion though. The Opinion Desk wants to know what the Pride thinks in this week’s Voice of the Pride.
Submit your opinions to the Opinion Desk at [email protected]. All submissions must be 500 words or less. For more guidelines, email the [email protected].
