Deciphering the Sequester

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During the ever-evolving battle between President Obama and Republican John Boehner, New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow weighs in on the latest financial crisis, the sequester.

But I'm not sure where all this you-are-the-father origination blame game gets us.

The bill got bipartisan support in the House and at the time Boehner bragged:

"When you look at this final agreement that we came to with the White House, I got 98 percent of what I wanted. I'm pretty happy."

And President Obama signed it.

None of this changes the fact that the sequester is still bearing down on us, and it still holds horrible consequences that we didn't think we'd be facing.

Now we are stuck in a vicious fight about what, if anything, can be done to prevent it and protect an economy that is just beginning to emerge from the muck.

According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, "Our estimate of approximately one million lost jobs due to sequester remains our base case if a full sequester occurs as scheduled on March 1."

So once again the American people are caught in the middle of a game of chicken between Democrats, who rightly warn that the sky could fall, and Republicans, who want to burn the coop.

Read Charles M. Blow's entire piece at the New York Times.

The Root aims to foster and advance conversations about issues relevant to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff.

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