Sequestration

I have no idea what the rest of the country thinks about Sequestration.  Do you think about it?  Is it all your papers and local radio stations talk about?  Since I live in the DC bubble, it's hard to ignore it. All of the neighbors we slug in with work for DOD or TSA or Homeland Security.  Everyone is facing furloughs, some once per pay period and others will be hit every week.  There have been threats that if they use their Blackberries on furlough days that they will face legal action.  It's forced, unpaid vacation time!

In this pre-furlough honeymoon period, everyone is really upbeat about it.  By everyone, I mean all the real people I talk to - not official press notices from the White House or that economist from the FTC that keeps giving interviews.  I suspect the allure of an extra vacation day every-other-week over the summer is enough to make you forget about the impact to your paycheck.

It took me a while to realize that Nathan is a Federal employee and would likely be impacted.  However, every agency determines its own cost-savings measures.  The National Park Service has an abundance of seasonal employees, so the rumors circulating are that most parks will hire less Rangers for the summer instead of furloughing employees, if they have that choice.  While that lets the permanent employees breathe a sigh of relief, that could mean longer lines at park entrances and visitor centers, fewer facilities open, and definitely less hikes with a Ranger.  That grizzly bear you really wanted to see at Glacier National Park?  Well, he's right over there, but you missed him because you didn't have a guide familiar enough with the terrain to spot him.

In Virginia, an estimated 90,000 Department of Defense employees will lose over $600 million in income.  Most of that is right here in Northern Virginia where we live.  You can compare your state's cuts right here.  I'm almost more worried about the $3-4 million reduced in each state for "clean air and water".  What does that even mean?  I really want to keep my clean air and water.

You might think that, being in the midst of Sequestration Fever, I think it's BS like everyone else.  Except that deep down, I don't.  I really want the government to make smart cuts so that we can balance the budget.  I want to spend less on war and more on STEM education and rebuilding our energy infrastructure with a smart grid that uses renewable fuels.  These are things that will really benefit future generations.  These are the things I want.  But we are so polarized right now that we can't come together for the common good.  Instead of every Congressman (or woman) getting a team of real experts who can help guide them in making policy decisions, we have lobbyists: paid influencers that could care less which issue they push as long as it keeps their personal bank accounts flowing.  So, while I think that semi-blind, automatic cuts are a giant cop-out, it might be the only way to get us moving in the right direction, given our current circumstances.

In the mean time, I'm just going to be glad that I love our new house and wouldn't mind being stuck here for a long time.  We'll see what the real Sequestration impact is and, if we have to, we can always start our own business spotting grizzly bears.