In an interview on a fox station I've linked in this post, Senator Lindsey Graham (a man I detest) stated something to the effect that Obama should cut Obama care, not allow the military to be cut, and those in the White House were the ones who came up with this "Sequestration". I was shocked not to hear it was not the historically evil republicans but the treacherous democrats. I was taken aback by this revelation but not too surprised that this came from the greatest politician of all time, President Barack Hussein Obama, and a gutless and spineless congress.
Last week consisted of just too much pain and shock for me to allow another day to pass without attempting to put it down on my post. The first of which was brought to my full conscious with an interview done on Democracy Now {http://www.democracynow.org/... } An interview with, Imara Jones asking the question “What’s –Sequestration- mean in real life?" The interview is based on an article published on ColorLines.com. Here is some of what was said and you can see the interview in the link above.
• 600,000, children and women are no longer going to receive food aid via the Women, Infants and Children program if the $1.1 trillion in cuts set to start March 1st runs its full course.
• 424,000 fewer HIV test. 540,000 fewer vaccines for flu, measles and hepatitis. As well as cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. Reduced grants to community health centers which means 900,000 fewer adults receiving needed health care. Mental health cuts which would translate into 500,000 people whom would not receive care. And Native Americans whom would have their services cut by 1,000,000 visits to Indian Health Services.
• This here is just unreal! 125,000 people will lose Section 8 vouchers. More of the working poor will be added to the already 100,000 homeless people whom would also lose access to temporary housing. 225,000 people made homeless in one swoop.
• 70,000 children will lose access to Head Start pre-school programs while another 30,000 kids will be blocked from child care assistance. A total of 100,000 children will be cut-off from access to childcare. If this Sequestration beast is allowed to rampage through the fall, a total of 20 million of the nation’s poorest student's as well as 6.5 million special needs children grants will be cut-off, effecting 3,000 schools.
• 4 million of the long-term unemployed would see their already expiring befits cut by 10%. 150,000 veterans would not receive the needed assistance to transition from military life to civilian life.
• Thousands of air traffic controller’s will be furloughed. That’s for ya’ll with ways and means. But cutting federal jobs like that, when there are not enough jobs being created in the private sector, is counter intuitive to the attempt at an economic recovery. As the author noted, President Obama was re-elected but it’s hard to see which side came out on top. He also rightly noted people of color will be most harshly affected by these cuts and service reduction.
The cut's listed in this Austerity "Sequestration" will only increase the already outrageous percentage of impoverished people of color within this great depression. More so than any other segment of the population except for the Native Americans. As I have noted before, the republicans had no real problem with Obama. They just played their part in this charade presented to us every two, four or six years. We being the optimistic people we are, we allow ourselves to get swept up in it. Again we are forced to act with urgency to save lives and prevent injury to our fellow citizens, who with millions of others, find themselves in need of a hand up. We can fax, tweet, email, or snail mail our elected official's or simply call congress at 202-224-3121 and the White House at 202-456-1414. We demand that these cuts must not happen. We are again demanding them to tax the elite 1% at a rate that gets the bills paid, along with cutting the bloated military budget by 50-75% or it will be their jobs, this government, or both! We need to take direct action with set INS, marches, walk outs, take over’s, whatever direct action you are able to take. Take it!