Sequestration and Stupidity - When did they become American Values?

Let me explain in basic terms the impact of sequestration.  I received an e-mail from a client today.  Tomorrow, Friday, my client informed me that her husband will be asked to reduce his work 20% which will result in a 20% loss of income.  This will impact his retirement goals, his wife's work, their goals and expectations.  This will bring to a stop income being set aside for his own investment in his future.  It will reduce and personally impact me, reduce my income, reduce my ability to reach my goals, support my community, impact the services I can provide and reduce my ability to financially address those who are less fortunate. 

He works for the military providing family advocacy services for marines. 

Sequestration does not result in smart decisions but results in making easy, terribly impactful decisions.  Reducing the support services for veterans and their families is likely a terrible decision.  Yet it is far easier to cut services for those who deserve and need it.  If they truly find it necessary to have therapy, let them drink, do drugs, get arrested and become jailed.  It simply must be easier when measured against the loss of programs that protect corporate welfare, tax savings for CEOs and the super wealthy, and the benefits necessary to support the lifestyles of defense programs that cost Americans $400 billion dollars in waste - and thats just in the defense budget.

Sequestration isn't the fault of democrats or republicans.  It is our fault as a country.  We have decided that working for the common good no longer valuable.  We have chosen to create a divisive culture where we judge each other rather than value the differences.  We have litmus tests rather than appreciate conversation.  We would rather be right than find peace or success.

Every American should be contacting their representatives.  It is not enough to complain, confirm or encourage their position.  It is unacceptable to allow politicians to determine our financial fate.  It is unacceptable to allow either political party to determine and destroy the dreams of America.  We voted for them.  All of us should hold them accountable or enact recall procedures on every one of them on Monday.

I am willing to compromise that is reasonable for the entire community.  I am not willing to allow the poor to live worse or the wealthy to continue to improve their taxable value.  The decision of the Supreme Court on Citizens United supports the dependency of politicians on the super wealthy and corporate America.  A comprehensive debate and review of national policies is desperately needed, but Americans, generally, would rather watch reality television than address reality itself.

I am willing to completely accept a restructuring of tax policy, foreign investment, corporate welfare policy, agricultural policy, education, financial system impacts, investment in health and sciences and many other issues.  But, to grind down a debate to whether the politicians support raising taxes or cutting benefits and services is a debate which is both too simplistic and results in debates that range from bizarre to utterly monstrous.  Plus, anyone who believes that the current debate is that basic, I have to question whether you ever took a civics class or simply do not understand the idea of positioning in conversation.

Until both conservative and liberal, all Americans, are willing to fire their personal representatives who appeal to their most personal opinions, extreme values and beliefs to garner their vote, for the purposes of getting the politicians to create a working government, we will continue to deserve the lack of compromise, vacuous debate, the extreme volatility in our markets, the uncertainty of our futures, and the loss of confidence from the rest of the world.