March 1st Shame

Today is March 1, 2013, the day the infamous “sequestration” begins.  Today should always be a day which the American people remember as a day of shame, a day when political leaders on both sides of the aisle failed to govern.  Politics is the art of the possible, and requires compromise.  The President has steadfastly refused to negotiate and to compromise, and to give Congressional Republicans something for which they can vote.  Likewise, many Congressional Republicans, without even serving one day in their lives wearing the uniform of our Nation, have put our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardians and Department of Defense civilians, in great harm by passing this harmful and foolish “sequestration” legislation.  As I write this letter, I have never been more ashamed of our political leadership.  It is often said by the President and by pundits, that our system is broken.  No, our system is not broken, but the people who lead our system have failed.  The American people decided to give us divided government.  Divided government means compromise and prudence are a must.  It is time for the President and for the Congress to set aside political agendas and do their most essential job, which is the defense of the Nation. 

I am a retired US Army Reserve brigadier general, and also a Department of Defense civilian.  Somehow, should furloughs actually happen, our family will muddle through and trust the Lord who is our provider, even if we cannot trust our political leadership who have broken faith with us.  However, our deep, constant concern is for the 66,000 Americans in uniform serving in harm’s way in Afghanistan.  Our family has three Soldiers deployed right now.  Our oldest two sons are serving in Afghanistan in the Army, along with one of our nephews elsewhere in the Middle East.  Congress and the President have failed our sons, and if these devastating and automatic budget cuts last long, our sons will not have the support they need, and their lives will be endangered.  Contrary to foolish comments that the impact on DOD is not that great, one less aircraft carrier is in the Gulf, which means decreased support to our troops in danger.  The United States Army, as the Army Chief of Staff said today, will not be able to train for upcoming deployments, increasing risk of mission failure and danger to our soldiers. 

It is time to govern and lead.  Should this impasse not be resolved, may the American people remember this day of shame, and punish both parties during the 2014 mid-term elections and beyond.