Threats are flying! Gigantic financial slashes will be
made if the sequester budget cuts are allowed to occur.
Doesn’t
this sound like a re-run of the past? Even most of the names
are the same. It would almost appear constituents enjoy all
the bickering and bullying.
One
day we are told cuts will be made in education, the next
it’s health care and on and on. Will our country ever
find a level playing field again? Will our elected congresspersons
ever find a way to agree on anything?
A
major threat of budget cuts passed around this past week
involved air travel. A big hue and cry went up when the TSA
announced cuts would be made in inspections via a plan
to
reduce its number of employees. In my flying time over
the past few
years, I’ve determined the inspectors seem to be
bumping into one another as they hold up the lines of people
hoping
to catch a flight.
I
watched an inspector stop an entire baggage check area because
someone left a little change in a basket. What’s the
problem? If someone left a pair of shoes and a Bic lighter
in a basket, I could see a major holdup. Concern over the reduction
in the number of inspectors is ridiculous; the only people
they seem to check are the elderly. Persons I’ve
witnessed being taken aside and buzzed with wands did
not appear threatening
in any way.
The Secret Service is also on the chopping block for cuts.
I suggest they cut back the team that watches the president.
This could result in him staying at the White House to prepare
his speeches to Congress. We could collect the guns from the
laid off bodyguards, take them to a big gun show and sell them.
The money earned could be used to reduce our national debt.
After
grounding some of the president’s guards, we could
move on to House and Senate members. If we limit their travel,
along with the number of Secret Service personnel they need
to do so, we could save a bunch of money. Planes, trains and
automobile fuel add up to a lot of it — at a huge cost
to the taxpayers. If Congress stuck around Washington more,
they might even learn the meaning of the word “govern.”
While
looking for good ways to cut the budget, let’s
get rid of a few federal judges. All they seem to do is pass
their decisions on to the next guy — higher up the chain.
Perhaps we should just start at the top and enforce every fine
levied — pay or jail time. We would collect a lot of
cash for the cause. What is a $1,000 bond — 10 percent?
So it’s just $100, why make it sound like so much, let’s
just collect it and put it in our bank. If the
person bonding out is found not guilty, give them
their
money back, with
the same 0.01 percent they would have earned if
it was in the bank.
If law enforcement personnel were more empowered, we could
cut down on drug traffickers, drunk drivers and kids carrying
weapons. We might even be able to help some young people avoid
ruining their lives. If penalties were harsher, enforced to
the limits, the need for them would diminish.