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News & ArtsWednesday, February 27, 2013
Politics Republicans Want the Sequester Cuts? Then Release the Immigrants
Posted by Eli Sanders on Wed, Feb 27, 2013 at 6:00 AM
This is one of the more interesting moves by the Obama administration as the sequester drama nears its Friday climax:
Federal immigration officials have released hundreds of detainees from detention centers around the country in recent days in a highly unusual effort to save money as automatic budget cuts loom in Washington, officials said Tuesday...
The decision angered many Republicans, including Representative Robert W. Goodlatte of Virginia, who said the releases were a political gambit by the Obama administration.
If it's a political gambit, it's a well played one that leaves Republicans with an easy way to calm their fears about immigrants running free. They can simply strike a deal to avert more cuts.
16
Will, as usual, you are totally off-point.
What will happen someday should you become dirty, stinking, filthy RICH by your own (no Lottery) and you want to keep the money you EARNED? Will your proclivity to hand illegal aliens weapons (double felony BTW) still be in effect? Doubt it.
Don't hate---> Celebrate.
What will happen someday should you become dirty, stinking, filthy RICH by your own (no Lottery) and you want to keep the money you EARNED? Will your proclivity to hand illegal aliens weapons (double felony BTW) still be in effect? Doubt it.
Don't hate---> Celebrate.
14
The best part is, when they're released, they're given detailed maps of nearby mansions of the rich, along with the security and alarm codes.
@12 um, numb nuts, the US population is growing. Try living in reality, instead of denial.
@12 um, numb nuts, the US population is growing. Try living in reality, instead of denial.
13
"And when the Republicans opened the seventh seal of the sequester, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black and the stars fell unto the Earth; and our nation's ability to forecast severe weather, such as drought events, hurricanes and tornados, was seriously undermined. Lo, and the children were not vaccinated, and all the beasts starved in the zoos, and the planes were grounded..."
12
The entire $1.2 trillion in Sequestration 'cuts' should be understood that they are not really cuts at all...
They are really a lowering of the projected INCREASE in federal spending going forward.
In simple terms, if an agency's budget is $100, and they are expecting an increase of $10.00 next year, but they only get $8.00, Dumbocrat politicians characterize that as a $2.00 cut in spending. (Queue the Chicken Little quote).
They are really a lowering of the projected INCREASE in federal spending going forward.
In simple terms, if an agency's budget is $100, and they are expecting an increase of $10.00 next year, but they only get $8.00, Dumbocrat politicians characterize that as a $2.00 cut in spending. (Queue the Chicken Little quote).
10
I'm all for the immigrants, as long as they have committed no serious crimes, never having been arrested in the first place. There's a danger of this backfiring if any of them do commit a serious crime after this release. Of course the odds of that happening are the same as any other subset of the population, but it could turn into a Willie Horton standoff of who's responsible. I certainly hope they are releasing victims of the Drug War as well, but maybe that only makes financial sense and doesn't make as strong a political point.
9
Every politician in a position of power in Washington wants sequestration to happen. They are all jockeying to score political points off it, but hardly anyone is even pretending to negotiate.
8
Would be a better gambit if the news occasionally mentioned that whole pesky "congress, constitutional authority, power to appropriate funding" thing.
5
Kudos on the rare and correct usage of 'gambit.'
I can't think of a word that people screw up more often. Maybe 'ironic.'
I can't think of a word that people screw up more often. Maybe 'ironic.'
4
In the meantime, 3/4 of the progressive caucus (including MCDermott so far) is not taking a stand against cuts to the social safety net: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/02…
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