Time to Pay the War Bills

American President Barack Obama ordered a package last week that will have a predicted $1.2 trillion dollar decrease in public spending in the next ten years. Included in this package is a targeted savings of $85 billion for the 2013 fiscal year. However, this number is insufficient for closing the budget shortfall, though it is a big step toward preparing Americans for austerity. According to the plan, if new legislation is not implemented, ten years from now we will see a significantly downsized national budget.

This is the first time Americans, accustomed to a culture of consumerism in every aspect, will face such an atmosphere of savings. And it won’t only be them, but the whole world that is affected by the politics of austerity. Cuts involving the American defense budget will have an effect on world politics. Secretary of State John Kerry’s policy of strengthening diplomacy to solve problems is not just idle talk. In his first foreign trip, Kerry gave the message that America will avoid expensive military operations. With this economic package, we can say a new period of isolation is beginning. Within seven months, $46 billion will be cut from defense spending. The cuts will hit the operational, staff and research and development departments of the army. Eight hundred thousand people working in the defense department will be given furloughs. The American political scene, as a result of these cuts, has heated up. While the former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was saying the cuts would turn America into a “second-rate power,” the weapons lobby started to press Congress to review the defense cuts.

Delays as a Result of Cuts

From March 2013 on, those setting off for the United States should be ready to experience problems at the airports. As a result of cuts to the budgets of the United States Department of the Interior and the Federal Aviation Administration, additional delays are being experienced at the airports. Due to a lack of appropriations, The FAA has stopped night shifts at some local airports. Cuts to the budget for security staff in airports have resulted in long security lines.

The Poor Will Be Crushed

According to a report published by the United States Congress, the cuts will cause 750,000 people to lose their jobs in 2013. The $85 billion cut will result in a 0.6 percent decrease in the American economy. Twenty-six million dollars worth of cuts will be taken out of social spending, hurting America’s poor the most. This is because the deductions will affect food and rent aid for the homeless. The National Institute of Health’s $31 billion dollar budget will lose $1.6 billion. Projects and research in the area of public health will be left unfinished. In the field of education, it is being stated that 14,000 teachers will lose their jobs, and early education programs will be cut.