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(Prepare yourself for a long foray into the sob stories, the heartstrings emotional manipulation, and the hyper-victimizing of the government beneficiaries impaired by the sequester cuts. Remember, these cuts amount to a 2% reduction in spending, after allowing automatic baseline budgeting increases to be implemented. And most of the cuts are happening to the military.)
Bozeman Head Start teacher Lane Langford shows infinite patience as he herds 4-year-olds into the classroom and gets them settled in tiny chairs so they can draw pictures and sound out words and letters with his help.
“N!” said one little girl in pink. “I did it!”
Langford, a teacher for four years, doesn’t betray any apprehension about news that Head Start in other states has had to shut down classrooms, shorten the school year and cut staff jobs.
“It concerns all of us, we’re so tight as it is,” Langford said. “We’re concerned to see what happens to these awesome kids and their families if we lose even more of our budget.” (Emotional manipulation #1.)
Head Start is just one of many local agencies – from Montana State University to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital and the Bozeman School District – bracing for federal budget cuts.
In the 2011 Budget Control Act, Congress and the president purposefully engineered across-the-board cuts, called the sequester, to be so severe (Severe? Editorial comment. And as we have seen, they're not severe at all.)
– targeting both military and domestic programs with a meat-ax approach (Another pejorative editorial comment.) – that politicians would be forced to find better solutions for balancing the budget.
But Congress failed to find a solution, (As we can see, politicians weren't forced to do anything, and never are when it comes to bringing home the bacon. Every program is crucial, every dollar is needed, every cut hurts women, children, and the poor, no reduction in government is ever a good thing, whether in good times or bad.)
so the sequester cuts automatically kicked in March 1, and chopped $85 billion from this year’s federal budget. ($85 billion divided by $3.8 trillion is 2%. Oh the pain! How will we survive! This is going to prolong the economic downturn! It's a catastrophe!)
The cuts don’t stop there. The sequester is designed to keep cutting over the next 10 years, to reduce federal spending by more than $1 trillion. (She writes this like it's a bad thing.) “This thing is kind of like a snowball rolling downhill,” said Matt Kelley, Gallatin County’s city county health officer. “As time goes on and Congress fails to find a solution, the impact is likely to be greater.” (I'm liking it even more. It's about time something happened to reduce, even by a little bit, the drunken sailor spending of congress.)
Congress passed last week a last-minute deal to keep the government running through the end of September, thus avoiding a government shutdown next week. Folded into that was money to soften the sequester cuts in several areas. (Where did that money come from? We borrow over 40% of every dollar we spend.)
All the last-minute maneuvering creates uncertainty and confusion for Bozeman-area program managers. (What about the uncertainty and confusion for business owners who don't know what to withhold for their employee's taxes, don't know how much obamacare is going to cost them, and are at the mercy of opportunistic social engineering government types who can't resist tinkering with the financial status of the US?)
Many are still waiting for word from Washington on whether they’ll be cut, by how much and when. (What a sad commentary. So many are so beholden to government programs, government benefits, and/or government jobs that their universe revolves around the next thing that government might or might not do. And not just those who are on the dole. Average citizens are being subjected to an ever-intrusive government impinging on their daily lives, where great portions of their attention, time, effort, and paycheck are devoted to serving governments aims instead of their own.)
“The hardest thing … the last four years is not being able to plan and respond to community needs” because of the uncertainty, said Heather Grenier, chief operations officer for the Human Resource Development Council, which operates such local programs as the Gallatin Valley Food Bank. (Emotional manipulation #2.)
“The sequester is frustrating,” said Mari Dominguez, Bridgercare clinic executive director. “Everyone understands the need to cut expenses… What we’re seeing is a trumping of politics over responsible government, (The last thing Ms. Dominguez is interested in is fiscally responsible government. She just want to keep the cash flowing. And by the way, why is this woman popping up so often these days. Is she that eminently quotable? I discuss her faulty perspectives here.) to make hard decisions about what is essential.” (Emotional manipulation #3.)
Also frustrated are many federal employees, who wonder if they’ll be getting furlough notices, requiring them to take a number of unpaid days at home each pay period -- on top of three straight years of pay freezes, according to the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. (Emotional manipulation #4.)
People on the left and right disagree about the wisdom of the sequester. The White House contends it amounts to a “self-inflicted wound” to the struggling economy, ("Prolong the downturn!!!" Wow, I must be psychic.)
threatens 750,000 jobs (which I doubt.)
and will “cut vital services for children, seniors, people with mental illness and our men and women in uniform.” (Which I again doubt.)
Conservatives argue the record federal deficit is the nation’s greater danger, that this year’s cuts amount only to $45 billion – the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projection — and that the sequester amounts to little more than a penny for every dollar the federal government spends.
Here are some of the local impacts from the federal sequester cuts: (here are some more sob stories to manipulate your emotions.)
*Head Start is expecting a 5 percent cut, (Where did that number come from? Are they expecting it for some rational reason, or just making a number up?)
said Ken Miller, director of Gallatin and Park counties’ Head Start programs. It serves 168 children in Bozeman, Belgrade, Gallatin Gateway and Livingston, and has a waiting list of about 30 to 50 kids from low-income families. (Emotional manipulation #5.)
“I know we’re going to be cut — I don’t know how much,” Miller said. “They did say as a one-time thing this school year we could close early. …You can’t cut without cutting staff.
“There isn’t a Head Start program in Montana that can cut 5 percent without cutting services, cutting numbers of children and families served.”
* Research at Montana State University, which posted a record $112 million in spending last year, relies heavily on federal dollars. National Institutes of Health grants alone make up one-third to 40 percent of MSU’s research, said Tom McCoy, MSU vice president for research. (Emotional manipulation #6.)
The National Science Foundation put out a notice saying awards that scientists have today shouldn’t be affected, but the sequester is expected to mean no funding for 1,000 new awards. McCoy also heard that Defense Department research grants would be cut 7.2 percent and all other agencies 5.2 percent. (Emotional manipulation #7.)
“The impacts will be felt over time,” McCoy said. “The concern I have is we’re still trying to climb out of the recession and build the economy. I’m a firm believer that university research and development are big contributors to building the economy.”
* MSU student Pell Grants, which provide about $16 million a year to support the neediest college students, won’t be affected in the coming school year, said Jim Rimpau, vice president for student success.
“But after that, it’s anybody’s guess,” Rimpau said. “I think we have to worry about it a lot, because we don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.” (Emotional manipulation #8.)
Interest rates on student loans haven’t been affected, but the origination fees are being raised slightly this fall – from 1 to 1.053 percent for student loans and from 4 to 4.2 percent for parent Plus loans.
* MSU’s 539 student veterans on the GI Bill aren’t affected, but 85 students in the National Guard or on active duty who were promised tuition assistance — up to $4,500 a year as a signing incentive from the Defense Department -- were nearly cut off. On Thursday, Congress restored most of the Pentagon’s sequester cuts of tuition assistance. (Emotional manipulation #9.)
“There’s been a big outcry across the nation,” said Brenda York, MSU’s director of disability, reentry and veterans services.
said Ken Miller, director of Gallatin and Park counties’ Head Start programs. It serves 168 children in Bozeman, Belgrade, Gallatin Gateway and Livingston, and has a waiting list of about 30 to 50 kids from low-income families. (Emotional manipulation #5.)
“I know we’re going to be cut — I don’t know how much,” Miller said. “They did say as a one-time thing this school year we could close early. …You can’t cut without cutting staff.
“There isn’t a Head Start program in Montana that can cut 5 percent without cutting services, cutting numbers of children and families served.”
* Research at Montana State University, which posted a record $112 million in spending last year, relies heavily on federal dollars. National Institutes of Health grants alone make up one-third to 40 percent of MSU’s research, said Tom McCoy, MSU vice president for research. (Emotional manipulation #6.)
The National Science Foundation put out a notice saying awards that scientists have today shouldn’t be affected, but the sequester is expected to mean no funding for 1,000 new awards. McCoy also heard that Defense Department research grants would be cut 7.2 percent and all other agencies 5.2 percent. (Emotional manipulation #7.)
“The impacts will be felt over time,” McCoy said. “The concern I have is we’re still trying to climb out of the recession and build the economy. I’m a firm believer that university research and development are big contributors to building the economy.”
* MSU student Pell Grants, which provide about $16 million a year to support the neediest college students, won’t be affected in the coming school year, said Jim Rimpau, vice president for student success.
“But after that, it’s anybody’s guess,” Rimpau said. “I think we have to worry about it a lot, because we don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.” (Emotional manipulation #8.)
Interest rates on student loans haven’t been affected, but the origination fees are being raised slightly this fall – from 1 to 1.053 percent for student loans and from 4 to 4.2 percent for parent Plus loans.
* MSU’s 539 student veterans on the GI Bill aren’t affected, but 85 students in the National Guard or on active duty who were promised tuition assistance — up to $4,500 a year as a signing incentive from the Defense Department -- were nearly cut off. On Thursday, Congress restored most of the Pentagon’s sequester cuts of tuition assistance. (Emotional manipulation #9.)
“There’s been a big outcry across the nation,” said Brenda York, MSU’s director of disability, reentry and veterans services.
*At Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, “we expect there could be slightly longer lines” during the busy summer months, said Brian Sprenger, airport director. The federal Transportation Security Administration plans to restrict overtime and not add staff for screening passengers. (Emotional manipulation #10. But notice this is self inflicted. The government took over airport security in the wake of 9/11, and now that these seeeeeevere cuts are being implemented, the already long waits experienced by air travelers [as well as all sorts of other indignities] will be increased.)
Bozeman will keep its control tower, however. The Federal Aviation Administration has put Kalispell and Helena’s airports on a list of potential closures, but not Bozeman’s.
* For Bozeman Deaconess Hospital and physicians in its health clinics, the federal sequester will mean a 2 percent cut in Medicare payments for patients age 65 and older, said Connie Martin, hospital spokeswoman. (Emotional manipulation #11.)
That translates to about an $800,000 reduction in payments, Martin said. And the hospital says Medicare already pays less than the actual cost of service. (In other words, Medicare already screws up, so it will now be worse.)
“It’s not panic mode,” Martin said. The hospital is always looking for ways to run leaner without hurting patient care, she said. And with the Affordable Care Act kicking in, there may be more patients covered by Medicaid, which covers the poor and disabled. (Oh thank gawd. Government is recklessly spending money elsewhere, creating new bureaucracies, and removing peoples' choices, so that this problem is not so bad....)
*At Bridgercare, the Bozeman family planning clinic, the federal sequester is expected to cut 5 to 8 percent of federal funds, Dominguez said. That could mean reducing hours, increasing fees and possibly cutting back from being open six to five days a week.
But what looms larger is the Montana House’s decision to cut from the state budget bill all federal funds for family planning clinics, Dominguez said. (Here she is again! Why is this woman given such attention?)
That would slash roughly 20 percent from Bridger Care’s budget if upheld by the Senate. (Emotional manipulation #12.)
“We’d no longer be able to offer zero-pay services,” she said. If contraceptives become too expensive, she said, some people will forgo using them, which will mean more teen pregnancies, poorer health outcomes and more children born into poverty. (So THAT'S the cause of these problems. Who'da thunk that contraceptives are the answer to poverty?
“I know family planning is effective and improves lives,” Dominguez said.
*The Human Resource Development Council runs many programs that rely on federal dollars — low-income housing, emergency shelter, energy assistance, the senior grocery program and summer lunches, Community Café and the homeless warming center.(Emotional manipulation #13.)
About half of HRDC’s budget of roughly $8 million comes from the federal government, Grenier said. A lot is still unknown about what’s at risk of cuts.
“If we have a federal deficit, we want to be part of the solution,” Grenier said. “I don’t think it’s anything we can’t overcome. It does create challenges for a population that’s already struggling.”
Fortunately, as a nonprofit, HRDC can raise private donations and grants, she said. And the Food Bank doesn’t get federal dollars and so shouldn’t be affected by the sequester.
*Community Health Partners, which serves more than 12,000 mostly low-income patients in Bozeman, Belgrade, Livingston and West Yellowstone, depends on a $2.5 million federal grant for a major share of its $6.5 million budget, said Buck Taylor, director of community development and operations. That enables it to charge on a sliding scale. (Emotional manipulation #14.)
The sequester’s impact is still unclear, Taylor said. The National Association of Community Health Centers advocacy group in Washington warned two weeks ago of “severe” impacts from the sequester. But last week it reported that the stopgap funding Congress passed last week would increase funding 1.7 percent for health centers.
*Bozeman’s public schools estimate the sequester will cut federal funds next school year by around
$250,000, out of $3.5 million in federal dollars, said Steve Johnson, deputy superintendent. (Emotional manipulation #15.)
Bozeman’s biggest federal programs are Title I to help low-income schools, special education, and professional training money, used to hire teaching coaches.
Johnson said he didn’t think the sequester would mean job losses. A lot depends on what the state Legislature does with school funding.
Budgeting is always difficult in a legislative year, he said. The sequester “adds a little twist to it,” he said.
*The Gallatin City-County Health Department receives several federal grants, including one for public health emergency preparedness, Kelley said. Because of the sequester and other budget cuts, that’s expected to be
reduced from $120,000 to about $100,000. The money is used to train and prepare for such emergencies as earthquakes, fires and flooding. (Emotional manipulation #16.)
“Part of the impact is the uncertainty,” Kelley said. “Until Congress gets its act together, we don’t know. We have to be cautious.”
Combined with cuts from the Legislature, he added, “It’s like a thousand nicks.” (Now he knows how that taxpayer feels.)
Gail Schontzler can be reached at gails@dailychronicle.com or 582-2633.
About half of HRDC’s budget of roughly $8 million comes from the federal government, Grenier said. A lot is still unknown about what’s at risk of cuts.
“If we have a federal deficit, we want to be part of the solution,” Grenier said. “I don’t think it’s anything we can’t overcome. It does create challenges for a population that’s already struggling.”
Fortunately, as a nonprofit, HRDC can raise private donations and grants, she said. And the Food Bank doesn’t get federal dollars and so shouldn’t be affected by the sequester.
*Community Health Partners, which serves more than 12,000 mostly low-income patients in Bozeman, Belgrade, Livingston and West Yellowstone, depends on a $2.5 million federal grant for a major share of its $6.5 million budget, said Buck Taylor, director of community development and operations. That enables it to charge on a sliding scale. (Emotional manipulation #14.)
The sequester’s impact is still unclear, Taylor said. The National Association of Community Health Centers advocacy group in Washington warned two weeks ago of “severe” impacts from the sequester. But last week it reported that the stopgap funding Congress passed last week would increase funding 1.7 percent for health centers.
*Bozeman’s public schools estimate the sequester will cut federal funds next school year by around
$250,000, out of $3.5 million in federal dollars, said Steve Johnson, deputy superintendent. (Emotional manipulation #15.)
Bozeman’s biggest federal programs are Title I to help low-income schools, special education, and professional training money, used to hire teaching coaches.
Johnson said he didn’t think the sequester would mean job losses. A lot depends on what the state Legislature does with school funding.
Budgeting is always difficult in a legislative year, he said. The sequester “adds a little twist to it,” he said.
*The Gallatin City-County Health Department receives several federal grants, including one for public health emergency preparedness, Kelley said. Because of the sequester and other budget cuts, that’s expected to be
reduced from $120,000 to about $100,000. The money is used to train and prepare for such emergencies as earthquakes, fires and flooding. (Emotional manipulation #16.)
“Part of the impact is the uncertainty,” Kelley said. “Until Congress gets its act together, we don’t know. We have to be cautious.”
Combined with cuts from the Legislature, he added, “It’s like a thousand nicks.” (Now he knows how that taxpayer feels.)
Gail Schontzler can be reached at gails@dailychronicle.com or 582-2633.
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