The Sequester ... Before and After

All the talk before the sequester took effect was about the disastrous consequences of letting it happen.

Although the federal government spends close to $4 trillion annually, reducing that planned expenditure by less than $50 billion (less than 1.5%) for the remainder of this year was repeatedly represented by President Obama as certain to result in catastrophe for the American people.

So why did President Obama says those things, and why isn't he making those same statements today? Well, it's all about the polls and the facts.

The polls have changed, and the We the People have come to know the truth.

Less government spending isn't a bad thing. In fact, it's a good thing.

Obamageddon: The Flop is subtitled 'World ends, public barely notices:'

"A rule of thumb to divining the politics of the Obama White House is to become a slavish reader of opinion polls. As they go, this White House likely will go. Recall the budget sequester, which had Mr. Obama traveling the land in February predicting the end of days from the automatic spending cuts. We dubbed it Obamageddon.

Results in a December Wall Street Journal-NBC poll suggested the White House's basis for talking up sequester doom. The poll asked how much impact people thought the automatic cuts and tax increases would have on their families. Some 26% said "a great deal." Add in "quite" and "just some" and 85% felt there was something to fear.

The sequester happened. And the WSJ-NBC poll out this week asked people what impact it has had on them. A great deal 9%; quite a bit 7%; some 17%. That's a more than 50-point drop in the sequester's fear factor."

Summing Up

So much for that. Now let's hope the government knows best gang makes a serious attempt to reduce wasteful government spending. There's an abundance of it.

After doing that, then let's consider means testing or 'affluence' testing government benefits.

If we stopped spending money wastefully and stopped paying government benefits to those who can take care of themselves, our financial problems would disappear.

And then our economy would grow, jobs would be created and the American dream would again become our American reality.

That's my take, albeit an admittedly politically unpopular one, at least for the present time.

Thanks. Bob.