Letters: ‘Sequester’ showmanship

Re “How ‘sequester’ cuts are made can be telling,” Feb. 27

Your reporter sure has shown character discernment — and had the courage to point it out. Finally, someone openly recognizes President Obama’s penchant for shallow “showmanship.”

Frank Diani
Goleta, Calif.

For all those who believe the “sequester” cuts are onerous, let me make a simple analogy.

Say my annual income is $25,000, yet I spend $35,000 and owe $165,000 on my credit cards. So, in order to solve my problem, I decide to increase my income by $650 (say, the amount gained by raising taxes on the rich).

When that is not enough to close my $10,000 shortfall, I propose to cut my annual spending by $850 (say, the sequester). Now, I only have a shortfall of $8,500 for this year. My new credit card balance becomes $173,500.

This is the U.S. budget condition if you add many zeros to the numbers. So when the president says we cannot afford the cuts, one can only laugh.

Paul Debban
Rancho Santa Fe

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