GOP Proposed Cuts To National Security
By gladys46
@gladys46 (1205)
United States
March 12, 2011 3:48pm CST
A ThinkProgress article dated 3/11/11 states the following: A National Weather Service forecaster told CNBC, "Indeed, the GOP cuts would have a significant impact on the nation's disaster preparedness":
- 1.2 billion cut in funding for NOAA, the government agencey with "primary responsibility for providing tsunami warnings to thenation, and a ledership role in tsunami observations and research."
- 1.5 billion cut in grants for first-responders to disasters of "mass destruction."
- 12 percent cut to Emergency Management Planning Grants, which provide critical funds to help communities conduct "effective catastrophic all-hazards planning."
- Closure of local National Weather Service offices and a furlough of NOAA employees for more than 27 days at a time. The closures would essentially silence the government's warning system during disasters.
- Cuts in NOAA's satellite maintenance budget, putting satellities out of commission more quickly and crippling the government's ability to track tsunami wave patterns, hurricanes and even routine weather patterns.
- Additional cuts to FEMA and the Coast Guard.
According to a Ocean Conservancy fact sheet obtained by ThinkProgress, at least a third of US GDP is concentrated in weather sensitive industries and the GOP's cuts could leave large sectors of the economy vulnerable to natural disasters. The cuts would also deny daily weather information to more than 30 million Americans, and reduce the military's access to weather information before combat missions.
Because the Senate rejected last week these GOP proposed budget cuts, for now funding remains in place and agencies have been able to respondd properly to today's crisis. Negotiations over the agencies' budget are now taking place in the Senate, where at least one tea party Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has argued that federal relief for tsunami victims is "unconstitutional".
Dan Sobien, the president of National Weather Service Employees Organization said in a statement to ThinkProgress that while his agency, a subsidiary of NOAA, has made contingency plans, the GOP cuts would "put considerable stress" on the country's tsunami monitoring and response systems. And that furloughs of employees that these cuts would cause could result in "a very heightened risk" for loss of life." "While today's disaster is of particular concern to everyone, we are just now entering tornado season and soon will be hurrican season and our organization firmily believes any effort to defund and dismantle our nations early warning system for all disasters is very unwise."
.....
When President Obama says: "There are certain things House Republicans want that I will not accept." And, "The notion that we can't get resolved last year's budget in a 'sensible way with serious but prudent spending cuts, I think defies common sense .." (emphasis added) ... Would you think that these are the non-sensical GOP proposed cuts he infers?
2 people like this
4 responses
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
13 Mar 11
Again with the blogs Gladys. Did you check THEIR sources? I know Thinkprogress and I'd bet money that if you did, they'd use THEMSELVES as a source without ever linking you to the actual legislation.
That said, WE NEED TO CUT SPENDING EVERYWHERE. EVERYTHING is important in one way or another. The federal government is bloated and filled with useless, overpaid employees. Most of what you've written is speculation by Thinkprogress and none of it is factual. The only FACT is that money is being cut from departments. How effective those departments will be, and what effect that will have on their overall effectiveness, is dependent on the people running and working in those departments.
At my library we have a hiring freeze, furloughs, and staff has been cut everywhere. Despite that we are still serving the same number of patrons with the same effectiveness. From time to time items take longer to shelve, especially after a holiday, but our patrons really don't notice a difference. The only real change is that people in management have to spend a little more time on the front lines to compensate for the staff reduction.
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
13 Mar 11
Note that the quote ThinkProgress uses is from Dan Sobien, of the National Weather Services Employees Organization - the union that represents these employees. Does anyone think it surprising that these dire predictions of what will happen if there are spending cuts come from a union representative?
@gladys46 (1205)
• United States
13 Mar 11
btw Rollo, I ask you to please note that this article states that Mr. Sobien of the National Weather Services employees Organization is a "subsidary" of NOAA ... nothing states that he is any "union"! Do you have credible information to the contrary?
1 person likes this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
13 Mar 11
I think it would be disastrous for the proposed cuts to take place. It is very important to be prepared for an emergency and cutting funds to organizations that provide early warning of disaster is just plain stupid! It sounds like the voters will get what they wanted in getting a reduced budget, but when a disaster strikes and no one was prepared because the funding for advanced warning systems was cut they will begin to wonder. Thanks for telling about this!
1 person likes this
@gladys46 (1205)
• United States
13 Mar 11
daeckardt, let us just hope that the Senate is wise enough to think all this through in the best interest of the American people. As the article states, the Senate rejected these reported intitial proposals from the GOP ... surely somethings may need tightening, hopefully not this drastic.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
13 Mar 11
I suppose they'll have a problem with the Washington Post as a source but here's a link that's not from a dreaded blog:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/11/AR2011031103810.html
According to this, there's little hope of these cuts making it past the Senate, at least not this year. I think this is exactly the kind of nonsensical cuts the President was talking about.
Annie
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
13 Mar 11
"A union representing workers at the tsunami center said the proposed cuts..."
Naturally it's a union making these claims. The unions have made it VERY clear that they don't care about balancing budgets, or anything of the sort. They just want more money sent their way no matter what it costs the taxpayers.
The fact is that the organization still can, and still will do their job if these cuts go through. Almost every agency at the state and local level is doing more with less right now, why can't federal agencies do the same?
@gladys46 (1205)
• United States
13 Mar 11
Annie, what can I say ... you're a real value around these parts! ;)
The writer of that article I offered placed all direct statements in quotes!
I suppose if you or I didn't bring these certain discussions to the table ... they would never be here at all!
Have you heard the quip: If you're not at the table, you're probably on the menu.
Have a really good nite Annie, see ya bye! ;)
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
12 Mar 11
What part of "we're broke!" do people not understand. We need to cut everywhere - yes, everywhere - even the entitlement programs that everyone is afraid to touch.
@gladys46 (1205)
• United States
12 Mar 11
Kenzie, why aren't we NOT too broke to give billions in tax cuts to the uber rich? Is it because if we don't use our tax dollars in that manner, "they" may run out of America to the South of France and stay beyond their usual vacations? Surely, we would not have the uber rich sacrifice an extended vacation ... huh?
2 people like this
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
13 Mar 11
We may be broke, but why can't they cut the defense spending and get rid of the tax cuts and stop bailing out the companies that can't support themselves. I see no reason to cut things like social services just because the rich don't want to pay taxes and a few businesses might go under.
1 person likes this
