[palmer]

unfair to levy $600 Billion in cuts on top of the $450 Billion that Defense has already been cut

"Fairness" is not relevant. There have been no cuts at all, you are talking about hypothetical future cuts. We have no money, we borrow money from China to pay for excessive amounts of stuff (pork projects, set asides, earmarks, by the politicians). To borrow that money we build up China's industrial and military strength. In many cases the parts are from China (electronics, computers, etc).

We need to face the fact that we are done, we are no longer the world's superpower thanks to both parties. We have plenty of momentum and can defend some spaces (mideast) and maybe others (e.g. Taiwan, Japan) for now. But that won't last. Get used to it. I know I am, my defense job will be toast before too long.

[SkyPilot]

There have been no cuts at all, you are talking about hypothetical future cuts.

You are wrong.

Defense has already been cut in real dollars. What do you think that 22.1% decrease last quarter was?

There have already been thousands of industry and military jobs lost by the Obama-Gates-Panetta cuts.

These stories are all from 2011. That is when the deepest cuts began.

$46 Billion Worth of Cancelled Programs

Navy to Lay Off 3,000 Sailors

Army slashing 8,700 jobs as budget cuts begin

Air Force announces 9,000 civilian job cuts

We have no money

When people say that, I ask them: "If we have "no money" should we be cutting Social Security and Medicare - NOW?"

I never get a straight answer. It is always full of "Well, yeah, sure, but that isn't the point....."

It is the point. Both parties are trying to cut spending on 1/3 of the budget while leaving 2/3rds of the budget "exempt" that is growing astronomically.

[subterfuge]

Get used to it. I know I am, my defense job will be toast before too long

My defense position went away a year ago after 33 years of exeplary service (according to them) with the same company, Northrop Grumman. My wife finds out this week if her DOD contractor/employer is going out of business. So, to me, BERT, sequestration IS bad. And it IS NOT the only way to get spending cuts as you claim.