The Unscary Sequester

As Obama tries to scare the public with dire consequences of the sequester that HE proposed, let’s put it into perspective. According to the CBO, the much ballyhooed sequester would cut spending by $44 billion in 2013. The expected budget for 2013 is $3.97 trillion, so a $44 billion cut amounts to 1.2% of the budget. $44 billion is what the federal government spends in approximately 4.5 days Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) pointed out that "even with the sequester, spending goes up $7 trillion or $8 trillion over the next ten years." We are going to hear a cacophony of howls and wails about dire spending cuts hurting children and the poor.

As reported in a February 6th Wall Street Journal article, “...Still, from 2008-2013 federal discretionary spending has climbed to $1.062 trillion from $933 billion—an increase of 13.9%. Domestic programs grew by 16.6%, much faster than the 11.6% for national security. …

But wait—this doesn't include the recent Hurricane Sandy relief bill. Less than half of that $59 billion is going to storm victims while the rest is a spending end-run around the normal appropriations process. Add that money to the tab, and total discretionary domestic spending is up closer to 30% from 2008-2013. The sequester would claw that back by all of about 5%. “

Democrats are demanding tax increases as a means of preventing the sequester. Republicans cannot buckle to the Democrat fear campaign.