Is Sequestration Hurting The Marines? – Wingin’ It Wednesday

On this week's edition of "Wingin' It Wednesday", panelist Mike Stagg, Carol Ross, and Tom Angers, in for Warren Caudle, joined "Mornings with Ken and Bernie" to discuss Harry Reid's comments about sequestration's impact on Marine operations, European Union taxation, and future growth of the Republican party.

Here's what the panel had to say:

1. Senate majority leader Harry Reid is blaming the recent training explosion that killed 7 Marines on Sequestration. Since military training exercises are planned months in advance do you think Reid was right in blaming the explosion on budget cuts?

Tom Angers started us off:

I think it's preposterous. I think it's and example of demagoguery. The general in charge said it was caused by a 60mm round that detonated inside of a mortar tube. This is Harry Reid trying to mislead the public and get more public funds despite the country being super broke already.

Mike added:

I think it's good that Tom brought up demagoguery because this whole thing about massive debt and bankruptcy of the country is an example of major demagoguery from the right. This is all a part of a strategy to divert people from the real problems which is that conservatives in the House refuse to accept their responsibility to govern. They have engaged strictly in obstructionist tactics and policy. Sequestration is a direct result of the house's inability to get any kind of agreement in the Republican Caucus last year and the republicans in the Senate.

Carol Ross concluded:

As a matter of fact, most americans supported sequestration, and felt that nothing would happen and nothing has happened; much to the chagrin of Harry Reid and Barack Obama. They'll keep the military cuts, they just want more spending on their social programs.
One marine came out and said, "Do you really believe budget cuts would cause marines to operate in an unsafe manor?" Harry Reid wants to blame everything on sequestration and it's not happening. Here's what you need to remember about Harry Reid, he was a boxer in his youth, maybe he took one to many blows to the head.

 

2. To secure a bail-out from the European Union Cyprus has agreed to a deal with European Union creditors that would impose a financial transaction tax as high as 9.9 percent on all depositors?  It might be a long way off but do you think the United States is on the road to taxation of savings?

Tom commented:

I think there's obvious a strong anti-tax movement in the united states, second I think this is an example of double taxation. I think it has no tax of passing and it may be illegal.

Mike responded:

I don't think there's any chance they'll tax savings in the United States. I think the low hanging fruit here is placing a small tax on every stock transaction. The volume is so heavy that it would produce huge revenues and wouldn't affect anyone's business. That could be done on a penny a trade or a penny a share or something like that. That would provide huge revenue streams that everybody is obviously looking at.

There's all kinds of ways to get revenue, but I don't think savings will ever be taxed in the United States. The magic to solve the defect is to grow the economy. Quit doing this false crisis stuff. If the right-wing of House of Representatives would get out of the way.

 

Carol surmised:

I don't know. I've heard Jesse Jackson say he'd like to redistribute wealth and now we have a president who talks about that. About 40% of the deposits are from Russian Oligarchs and they weren't too happy. The interesting thing is that I'd take their bail out any day. Just 6 billion dollars, that's all they needed.
The banks will reopen tomorrow, any bets on whether they'll be a run?

Click on the play button below for the complete audio.

Now it’s your turn to tell us what you think about today’s Wingin’ It Wednesday topics. Who got it right, who got it wrong, and who was way off? Let us know in the comment section.