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Cancel the sequester and stop the cuts. The deficit is already down by more than half. The cuts are cruel and stupid. They hurt people and they hurt the economy.

Sequester = 900,000 Jobs Lost

I included this as a part of a post the other day, in Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. Please. But I think it is worth bringing out for attention. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) did some calculations last week and reported that “Repealing Sequestration Would Create 900,000 New Jobs in a Year,”

Canceling the automatic, across-the-board spending reductions known as the “sequester” today would have a sizable short-term impact on our economy ... CBO estimates that canceling sequestration would increase the level of real GDP by $113 billion (0.7 percent) and generate 900,000 new jobs in the third quarter of calendar year 2014; a number akin to 40 percent of the total number of jobs created over the last twelve months.

This is so important to understand, because Republicans are getting ready to take the country hostage again demanding even more cuts in government spending. People need to understand the impact that the cuts they have already forced are having on people and on our economy.

Cuts Don't Save Money

It is also crucial to understand that these cuts do not even save money! For example, cutting Meals on Wheels for seniors actually costs money! My post Here’s A Sequester Cut You’ll Feel In Your Gut looked at cuts in Meals on Wheels in Fort Wayne. The result of these cruel cuts,

More than one-third of respondents in the March survey conducted of Meals on Wheels clients whose meals were reduced reported losing weight after the cuts and one-quarter claimed to be “food insecure,” fearful of running out of food or going hungry.

Then they looked at the impact on the budget (cruelty doesn't sway Republicans, maybe money will). The result of the cruel cuts was "increased hospitalizations and premature nursing home admissions attributable to nutritional disorders among the elderly."

And what do you think the cost is for "increased hospitalizations and premature nursing home admissions attributable to nutritional disorders among the elderly?"

Even if these people did not help from We, the People (government) this is still a cost to the economy. This is just one small example of the cruelty and stupidity of these cuts.

Government Spending Is Things We, the People Decide To Do To Make Our Lives Better

In a democracy government spending is by definition things that We the People decide to do to make our lives better. People who want cuts in order to keep taxes low for the wealthy are really advocating that we cancel democracy. "Less government" means "less decision-making by We, the People." That's why they call us "moochers" and "takers."

Cancelling the sequester would add 900,000 jobs next year. Other cuts are cruel to people and also happen to hurt the economy. Stop these stupid and cruel cuts and lets get this country moving forward again. We need jobs, please.

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