Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Let’s get something straight:
Sequestration doesn’t prove that the government is broken or
that it can’t get anything done. If anything, it proves the
opposite. This is the American government working. Compromising,
even.
In the summer of 2011, both parties came together and
agreed that they wanted to reduce the deficit. If they couldn’t
compromise on a more appealing policy, then they would use
sequestration, which was itself a compromise. The plan called
for deep, across-the-board cuts in defense and discretionary
domestic spending, with no consideration given to merit. The two
parties could, at any moment, choose to end sequestration by
passing a one-sentence law repealing it. That they’re not
passing that law -- or some alternative -- is a choice, evidence
that the parties prefer sequestration to any other option.
