“Obama’s Temper Tantrum Putting American Lives at Risk
by Donna Garner
3.23.13
Obama’s temper tantrum is putting Americans’ lives at risk. Because he is furious that the Republicans did not back down when he tried to bully them into caving on sequestration, he is determined to make sure the federal agency cuts are in the places that will be most noticeable and hurtful to the public. This way he thinks he can turn the public’s wrath toward the Republicans. With Obama, everything is always about politics!
Ironically, it was Obama who came up with sequestratian in the first place back in the summer of 2011. He thought by threatening deep cuts in defense spending that the Republicans would eventually feel pressured enough to agree to higher taxes. Obama’s plan didn’t work. The Republicans stood by their pledge not to raise taxes, and sequestration went into effect on March 1, 2013.
RAGE #1 – ILLEGALS RELEASED FROM JAIL
Obama decided to have ICE (U. S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement) free 2,228 illegal immigrants from local jails throughout the country between Feb. 9 and March 1 – before sequestration was even to go into effect. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano originally said it was “several hundred”; but when the House Judiciary Committee released an internal document from ICE, the number turned out to be thousands. More illegals were released in Texas than in any other state, putting citizens and law enforcement at great risk.
These 2,228 illegals were not innocent, “nice guys,” including those who had been arrested multiple times for drunken driving, theft, child abuse, and assault charges. Ten of them were labeled as Level 1 offenders which is the most serious classification given.
As stated by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, “The American people were initially told there were hundreds, not thousands, of individuals released. We were assured they were low-level detainees of little public risk. As we now know, neither of these claims was accurate.”
Congressmen have suggested that rather than let dangerous, illegal criminals out on the streets that ICE could have made other cuts in such things as travel, conventions, conferences, publicity, and/or government vehicles.
RAGE #2 – AIRPLANE SAFETY
In an attempt on Obama’s part to cause flight delays that would produce a public backlash against the Republicans, the FAA announced closures of 149 air traffic control towers (with cuts to take place on April 7) even though there are $50 million in unobligated FAA research and capital funds that could be used to save the air traffic control towers. Cuts also could have been made in the FAA budget (and in all government agencies) by cancelling the many diversity/sensitivity/LGBT conferences that take place on a regular basis, many of which are held in expensive resorts. (Here is the White House list of 2013 LGBT conferences: http://www.whitehouse.gov/lgbt/white-house-conferences and http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/02/02/announcing-white-house-lg... )
As a person with the National Air Traffic Controllers’ Association stated, “Closing control towers is equivalent to removing stop lights and stop signs from our roads. It is clear that this administration is putting its top-line message, that spending cannot be cut without severe consequences, before the safety and well-being of Americans.”
People who work in the airline industry (e.g., airport directors, pilots, and workers in the airline sector) have vehemently stated that pilots flying into these 149 airports (who should be focusing on vital landing and takeoff procedures) will be left to try to coordinate their takeoffs and landings among themselves over a crowded, shared radio frequency because there will be no ground controllers to help them.
Many of these 149 airports (13 in Texas alone) help their communities economically because they attract businesses and tourists. Without them, more unemployment and increasing local debt will occur.
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