Don't Punish the Middle Class

Plans to reduce the national deficit by 2012 have left some to wonder what really is going on in Congress. The Congressional “Super Committee” announced this month that they could not reach an agreement on how to reduce the nation’s deficit. This delay could directly affect the lives of many Americans already struggling in today’s economy.  If a decision is not made by the deadline, it could systematically cut the budgets of our educational programs such as financial aid for students, Medicare and Medicaid, and defense by the year 2013.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding this topic, and we can only lean on what little hope we have for the right decision to be reached. A large percent of students rely on government educational programs such as financial aid to help pay for their educations, as well as student loans. The amount of students graduating with student loan debt has increased, so why is the government leaning toward a reduction in educational programs to help our national deficit? Without the grants for student aid, many might result in not going to college or completing some type of degree or trade certification.  Cutting the budget for Medicaid and Medicare will leave many Americans without medical insurance, therefore costing taxpayer dollars to cover unpaid medical costs. Even ideas about increasing the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67 would do nothing more than create hardship for the older generation.  The idea that cutting federal programs and our defense is like an economic time bomb ready to explode in the hands of the middle and lower class. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. A great place to start is by making sure millionaires are not paying lower rates on taxes than middle-class Americans are. This makes much more sense than reducing budgets for programs that help middle class Americans and our country as a whole. 

America’s future is in the hands of a two-party government.  How can our wealthy members of congress relate to the millions of people living paycheck to paycheck? They must decide on a plan that will not put our economy in an even tougher spot.

Budget Cuts Will Cut Our Defenses Too!

I was reading my colleague’s blog post Cutting Defense in the Face of Trillions which discusses the possible budget cuts the Department of Defense may face. My colleague Alex brings up several valid points in her blog. I agree that without a solid army intact, our country is left a little more vulnerable. After reading an article on the DOD website about the devastating impact budget cutting could have, I believe along with Alex that this is definitely not the way to go. 

The economy is already at a devastating low. Cutting budgets means cutting jobs, which in turn means fewer people to defend our country and a rise in the percentage of people who may become unemployed. Alex mentions in her blog that without enough personnel to monitor our security, then we are less likely to extract important information that could prevent another attack on our soil.  I think an attack on our country could cause millions of tax payer’s dollars leaving our country even deeper in debt. Department of Defense Press Secretary George Little is quoted saying, “We’re not talking about just military jobs, we’re also talking about jobs in the private sector that support the innovation and creativity and capabilities that we need to keep America strong.” He also goes to mention that this cut could downsize our Army, Marine Corps, and Navy to the smallest it has been in nearly 100 years. 

 Alex brings up a great point in that they should start cutting budgets in less necessary departments. First and foremost however is keeping our nation armed and protected. The DOD's already cut budget is manageable, but an even bigger cut will force the decision on whether fiscal security and national security are higher importance over the other.