Monterey, CA Budget Impasse Could Impact Seniors

View From A Non-Profit Serving Carmel, Carmel Valley, Gonzalez, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, Seaside And Soledad California

The stock market has been going up like gangbusters and investors are reacting like we are in full recovery mode.  We aren't.  The GDP growth rate has slipped into negative territory (this is the barometer by which the government decides whether or not we are in a recession) and House Speaker John Boehner made an ominous speech this week about the political battle which is about to unfold regarding the national budget.  He said that it's unlikely that the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate will be able to reach an agreement which would avoid the automatic budget cuts which will kick in within less than two weeks if there is no budget deal.  "It hasn't been real productive the last two years and frankly every time I've gotten into one of these high-profile negotiations, it's my rear end that got burnt," he told a reporter from the Associated Press.  "It's just probably not the best way for our government to operate," he said.  Hallelujah.  It's high time that politicians admit that there is gridlock in Washington D.C.  Let's move to pass a budget so that seniors don't suffer from even more budget cuts.  It's been brutal at both the state and federal levels this year and senior services seem to be very low on the political agenda.  If no agreement is reached, $85 billion in spending cuts will kick over the next seven months in which will impact everyone from children to seniors to our hard working Military.

Please note that this blog reflects my personal opinion and may or may not reflect the opinion of Hands To Help Seniors and the individual members comprising the Board of Governors.