Today
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta charged Congress with putting national
security at risk by “lurching from budget crisis to budget crisis to
budget crisis” in a downward spiral of political gamesmanship aimed at
partisan gain.“My fear is that there is a dangerous and callous attitude developing among some Republicans and Democrats alike that these dangerous cuts can be allowed to take place in order to blame the other party for the consequences,” Panetta said.
At the same time, Panetta applauded President Obama’s recent request to postpone the March 1 deadline for the $1 trillion ($500 billion for defense) in spending cuts known as “sequestration” in return for modest spending cuts and tax reforms.
Panetta derided the Congressional impulse to ‘kick the can down the road” on various budget deadlines but said he supported Obama’s action in urging Congress “to at least pass a smaller package of spending cuts and tax reforms to delay sequestration until a permanent solution is developed.”
In a Georgetown University speech Panetta hit on familiar themes from his two years as Defense Secretary in warning that massive across-the-board cuts would lead to a “hollow” military and devastate training and readiness.
He made no mention of the Pentagon’s plan to extend new benefits to the spouses of gay military personnel, including housing and commissary privileges.
The extension of gay rights in the military, including the scrapping of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, along with the end of the direct ground combat exclusion rule for women, would form two of the mainstays of Panetta’s legacy as the top civilian leader of the Pentagon.
The 74-year-old Panetta was expected to retire to his walnut farm and the Panetta Institute for Public Policy in Monterrey, Calif., as early as next week if former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) is confirmed by the Senate as his successor.
In what was likely to be his final trip to Capitol Hill, Panetta and Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will face the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on Thursday on the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
In his Georgetown speech, Panetta outlined what he described as “perhaps the most urgent task facing the nation – and that is overcoming the partisan dysfunction in Congress that poses a threat to our quality of life, our national security, our economy, and our ability to address the problems confronting the nation.”
“It has become too politically convenient to allow crisis to drive the issues,” said Panetta, who served 16 years in the House as a Democrat. “When the crisis gets bad enough, both parties are forced to respond to it. It’s a good way to avoid making tough decisions, because you can blame the crisis for forcing you to do what you have to do.”
“But there is a real price to be paid for this approach,” Panetta said. “You lose the trust of the American people and you create an aura of constant uncertainty that pervades every issue and gradually undermines the credibility of the nation.”
“I don’t think you have to choose between protecting our national security and protecting our fiscal security,” Panetta said. Panetta said he came to office with a deal in place to cut $487 billion from defense over 10 years. The deal was workable with the winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and with the smaller and leaner military planned under Obama’s national defense strategy, Panetta said.
But the entire plan would be undermined by the $500 billion in additional cuts that would come with sequestration, Panetta said. Read complete Article:
What I would like to say about the politicians I will not reduce to writing. What I will say is that all of them, Congressional leaders and Hussein Obama are playing this game with the future and security of this country, and they are literally going to sink us in a hole that is so deep and so broad that we will be unable to recover. They are allowing the military budget to be cut to the bone which includes pay and benefit to active and retired soldiers. And makes no mention of the Pentagon’s plan to extend new benefits to the spouses of gay military personnel, including housing and commissary privileges.
What pisses me off is that politicians care about one thing…….”THEMSELVES” If they genuinely cared about this country there would be no bickering. They would look at the financial crisis as a crisis that needed to be solved everyone on both sides work for the common good of America, and the common good of the American people, and above all our veterans, who have kept this country free. What I see coming out of Congress makes me cringe, there is not but a handful of congressional leaders that are worth their weight in salt.
If there are cuts to be made, how about cutting these worthless chucks of flesh!!
Barack Obama – President US – Born: USA, Hawaii 1961 – Married – Children: 2
- Annual: USD 400,000.00
- Monthly: USD 33,333.00
- Weekly: USD 8,000.00
- Daily: USD 1,600.00
The Obama family, in tax returns released Friday 13, 2012 by the
White House, reported an adjusted gross income of $789,674 for 2011,
down from $1,728,096 in the previous year. The family income topped $5.5
million in 2009. The president earns a salary of $400,000 for his day
job. His total earnings are much higher because of his books sales.
Note: the VIP Salary Check is based on a 5 days working week and 2 weeks holiday per year.
Note: the VIP Salary Check is based on a 5 days working week and 2 weeks holiday per year.
NetWorth: between $1 million and $2.5 million
Joe Biden – Vice President of the USA – Born: 1942 USA, Pennsylvania – Married – Children: 3
- Annual: USD 225,521.00
- Monthly: USD 18,793.00
- Weekly: USD 4,510.00
- Daily: USD 902.00
Huffingtonpost December 28th, 2012: As of March 27, 2013, federal
employees will see a half to one percent pay increase. Biden’s pay will
increase to $231,900.
Returns for 2011 released by the White House on April 2012 show the Bidens paid $87,900 in federal taxes on adjusted gross income of $379,035. Their income was $143 below their 2010 return, but their tax bill was $1,274 higher. In both cases, the effective tax rate was just over 23 percent. Most of the couple’s income came from the vice president’s salary of $225,521 and Mrs. Biden’s wages of just over $82,000 for teaching at Northern Virginia Community College.
Returns for 2011 released by the White House on April 2012 show the Bidens paid $87,900 in federal taxes on adjusted gross income of $379,035. Their income was $143 below their 2010 return, but their tax bill was $1,274 higher. In both cases, the effective tax rate was just over 23 percent. Most of the couple’s income came from the vice president’s salary of $225,521 and Mrs. Biden’s wages of just over $82,000 for teaching at Northern Virginia Community College.
John Kerry – United States Secretary of State – Born: 1943 USA – Married – Children: 5
- Annual: USD 199,700.00
- Monthly: USD 16,641.00
- Weekly: USD 3,994.00
- Daily: USD 798.00
Huffingtonpost December 28th, 2012: As of March 27, 2013, federal
employees will see a half to one percent pay increase. Kerry’s pay will
increase to $174,900.
NetWorth: Estimated between $2.3 to $3.2 billion
Eric Holder – United States Attorney General – Born: 1951 USA New York – Married – Children: 3
- Annual: USD 199,700.00
- Monthly: USD 16,641.00
- Weekly: USD 3,994.00
- Daily: USD 798.00
Leon Panetta – Secretary of Defense – Born: 1938 USA California – Married – Children: 3
- Annual: USD 199,700.00
- Monthly: USD 16,641.00
- Weekly: USD 3,994.00
- Daily: USD 798.00
Janet Napolitano – United States Secretary of Homeland Security – Born: 1957 USA New York – Single
- Annual: USD 199,700.00
- Monthly: USD 16,641.00
- Weekly: USD 3,994.00
- Daily: USD 798.00
Wikipedia:’For calendar year 2010, the annual rate of pay for Level I is $199,700.’
Eric Shinseki – United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs – Born: 1942 USA Hawaii – Married – Children: 2
- Annual: USD 199,700.00
- Monthly: USD 16,641.00
- Weekly: USD 3,994.00
- Daily: USD 798.00
Rank<2 Years Experience 4 Years Experience 6 Years Experience Private (E1) $18,194** — — Private (E2) $20,398 $20,398 $20,398 Private First Class(E3) $21,449 $24,178 $24,178 Specialist or Corporal (E4) $23,756 $27,659 $28,840 Sergeant (E5) $25,913 $30,359 $32,490 Staff Sergeant (E6) $28,285 $33,833 $35,226
You tell me who needs to have their salary cut, all this does is to confirm that politicians care only about NUMBER 1 BABY, themselves….
God bless You and may God bless our men and women of the military, this to shall pass…
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