The Federal Sequester

Time to address the question that is on no one’s lips – what is the Federal sequester? In short it is a series of budget cuts coming in across the USA. However that doesn’t nearly do it justice, so lets dig in a bit further.

 

As I’ve blogged about before, President Obama faced budget problems earlier in the year, hampered by the separated system in the US that traditionally creates a Congress and a Presidency split across party lines. On that occasion he was able to broker a deal, but the ideological divide on spending between the Republican House leadership and the President has meant no such solution has been found to this round of cuts.

 

As such, at the start of March, Obama was forced to (he made it very clear he didn’t want to) sign into law cuts to the federal budget that amount to $1.2 trillion in the next 10 years. This being the federal level of government, the cuts affect everything from defence to national parks to housing support. This however only signified the start of such cuts – for example, due to a bill Obama is set to sign any day now, $85 billion will be cut in the next 7 months. So sweeping are the cuts that the White House has had to close down tours of the building to save money ($74,000 per week, though why they couldn’t cut down the number of guests at the Easter Egg Roll I’m not sure).

 

These cuts are sweeping and they reveal at least two things about the future of Obama’s second term. Firstly, they will either make or break the GOP chances for dominance in the 2014 mid-term elections. Traditionally a time to register issues with a 2^nd term President and the opportunity to make him a ‘lame duck’, the GOP will be hoping the elections bring in more Republicans and help them shape legislature to a more conservative agenda. However, Obama’s clear reticence to agree to these cuts means he could win people round - voters will see that budget cuts lead to people being out of work and so could oppose raising the GOP membership of the House of Representatives.

 

The second implication is on Obama’s campaign promises. Having said in 2012 that he would bring in a global warming law, cut college fees and lower the national debt, Obama now faces economic hurdles and a confident hostility in the Capitol. As he seeks to shape his legacy he will need to manage these issues and balance out different demands. Similar to 2008, he won’t be able to keep all his promises, but those who supported him with their vote will want to see some of them enacted despite the difficult situation.

 

The way both sides of the political divide manage this situation will therefore have far-reaching effects, from the mid-terms in 2014 to the actions of whoever occupies the White House from 2017. Whether they’ll be bothered by tourists looking round their house is certainly one of the less important considerations.

 

Debate warmly encouraged

Shooting the Diana Model No.16 Air Rifle

I was surprised to find during a visit to my Grandma and Grandad's today an air rifle in a cupboard in their hall. I was told it had been my Great-Grandad's and dated from the 1930s. He, my Grandad and my Great-Uncle all shot it but it has not been used for a good 40 years or so, keen to find some way of spending a day of my ridiculously long holiday, I offered to take it away, strip it down and clean it. However, having done that I drove past a hunting shop and invested in some targets and .177 pellets and had a bit of fun.

It was a good laugh, though the sights are very basic (a gap on the barrel and a point on the end of the barrel) and a bit off. I highly recommend it for someone looking for a basic air rifle with no thrills. Good for kids as well

 

Tools of the trade - air rifle, hammer (and nail), Bisley targets and .177 pellets

 

Star of the show, a Diana Model No.16 originally owned by my Great-Grandad and bought in the mid-1930s

 

It says 'Original' though I'm not sure, it might be a copy of a Diana. However it does also say 'Made in Germany' on the barrel

 

Snow on the ground and quite a bit of wind to deal with

 

It's a break-barrel rifle which has a leather pad in the breach as it was produced before the invention of rubber O-rings

 

All targets shot from 10 yards away, which looks like this....

 

 

....or this, depending on what you choose to focus on!

 

1st attempt from 10 yards: 13 shots, 54 points

 

2nd attempt: 10 shots, 67 points

 

3rd attempt (couldn't hang the target so it's lopsided): 13 shots, 57 points

 

4th attempt: 11 shots, 74 points

 

 

5th attempt: 10 shots, 66 points

One knackered tree at the end of it!!!

 

A good afternoon of shooting!

Making job rejections easier

I've received a lot of rejection letters recently, so I just thought I'd mock one up to help anyone looking at my application and thinking of a way to turn me down. You can use either the bits in blue or the bits in red. Simply copy and paste and delete the bits that aren't necessary:

Dear Mr Summers

 

Many thanks for/Why did you waste our time with your application in response to our advertised employment opportunity/job/elf juggling competition.

 

The responses we have received have been of a high standard though you might as well stop reading now, it’s a no, meaning we are able to narrow down the list of applicants to just those who best meet our specifications/make tea better than you did on your work experience placement/are less incredible than you, as we wouldn’t be able to cope with your level of incredibleness permanently in our office. We will therefore not be meeting with you on this occasion/ever, you stink. Please do/don’t think of this as a reflection on your skills/background/looks/charm/wit/ability to recite ‘A Christmas Carol’ from memory, but rather an indication of the specific criteria we are looking for/our opinion of you - seriously, you make TERRIBLE cups of tea. This only reflects the wider difficulties in the job market during the current economic crisis/that there are hundreds of applicants for every job you’re applying for (P.S. we just thought we’d remind you in this rejection just how hard it is to get a job at the moment).

 

We cannot offer individual feedback to unsuccessful applicants due to the high number of submissions for this job opportunity/ALL of the MANY applicants - remember, LOTS of applicants for just ONE job. I’m just saying I sure wouldn’t like to be you right now.

 

We do appreciate your interest in our company/other/elf juggling appreciation society and wish you every success for the future/good luck as you’re going to need it.

 

Yours/hugs and kisses/Ever your friend/sworn enemy

 

Name/Generic sign-off