Reasons to Cooperate

Barring an unlikely deal on taxes and spending before January, automatic cuts to defense and domestic spending will go into effect, gutting $500 million from the Pentagon's budget, and a similar amount from safety net programs. While no one is too vocal about the travesty of cuts to safety net programs, politicians across the ideological spectrum have been lamenting the cuts to the Pentagon's budget. Just last week, General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, advised a Congressional Committee that cuts to defense spending could spread the military so thin as to invite aggression.

I believe General Dempsey is telling the truth. I believe such cuts to defense spending would severely handicap the United States Military, and reverberate through the economy as cuts to weapons development would further hamper the economy. I sincerely do not want these cuts to occur.

Which is why I believe that under no circumstances should politicians pass legislation that would prevent the cuts from taking place.

As Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, "It was designed as a meat ax. It was designed to be a disaster. Because the hope was, because it's such a disaster, that Congress would respond and do what was right. And so I'm just here to tell you, yes, it would be a disaster."

A disaster. And sadly this is where we find ourselves, hoping to avoid a self-created disaster by reaching an agreement that would also prevent a second self-created disaster. If no agreement on taxes and spending is reached, taxes would go up, and spending would be cut - an economic and military disaster, but one of our own making, and one that can and should be avoided. I do not want the cuts to happen, but I also want our politicians to hold themselves accountable, something that they have struggled with lately. Overturning the agreement would only further undermine America's faith in Congress's ability to legislate. What Americans want and need is an agreement that reforms entitlement programs to save money, cuts spending from appropriate discretionary programs, and raises revenue either through higher tax rates or closing loopholes.

Without the looming specter of economic and military disaster, how will this happen? Sadly it seems as though that Congress won't reach an agreement even in the face of Panetta and Dempsey's dire warnings, let alone the obvious economic consequences. It is impossible to imagine either side giving ground - though I'm looking at one group in particular, and I'm singling you out Eric Cantor - if neither has skin in the game.

America deserves politicians that can and will solve our nation's problems, and that starts with holding themselves accountable. If they can't even do that, how are we supposed to have any faith that they can put America back on the right path?