Sunday evening massive tornadoes moved across the Midwest, hitting hardest in Oklahoma. At least one person died in that state, with many more injured. It has only been four days since twisters ripped through northern Texas, killing six.

This afternoon tornadoes could form again in the same areas. Unfortunately, the tornado season is just beginning.

If you would like to provide assistance to tornado victims, texting REDCROSS to 90999 will add a one-time donation of $10 to your phone bill. You can also call 806-765-8534.

This week’s Congressional hearing concerning the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya was rough on the White House and the State Department. But a number of outside events drew the attention of Americans away from Washington.

Wednesday afternoon all the cable news stations were analyzing the implications of testimony from State Department employees who had not previously had the opportunity to give their information on the attack. Then the jury in the Jodi Arias murder trial reached a verdict and the news shows switched to rehashing her trial while waiting for court to reconvene.

Arias was convicted of murdering her boyfriend in Arizona. Analysis of possible sentences followed. An hour or so later, a news conference was held in Cleveland to announce the charges against the man accused of holding three women captive in his home for ten years.

The tragedy of four deaths in Benghazi and the scandalous nature of the testimony before Congress should have riveted everyone’s attention. The idea that one or more persons ordered a halt to military rescue operations should shock all of us. There was also testimony that some State Department employees were told not to talk about the events surrounding the attack on the consulate.

But, as sensational as the hearing was, Americans have become used to periodic scandals in government: Nixon and Watergate, Reagan and Iran-Contra, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. We seem to doubt we can find a politician who has integrity. Just this week, Mark Sanford, former governor of South Carolina, was elected to Congress although he lied while in his former office and had an extra-martial affair.

So it is not surprising that news outlets focused on the conviction of a woman who stabbed and shot her boyfriend and the horrific tale of three women held essentially as sex slaves in a rundown section of a major US city. I am sure President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others directly involved in decisions during the Benghazi attack were relieved to have the focus of attention turn elsewhere. Sigh of relief!

Unfortunately for them, a story broke today that ABC News obtained e-mail messages that show that the narrative concerning events in Benghazi had been changed multiple times before being released to the public. White House Spokesman Jay Carney underwent severe questioning by the press, who did not seem to trust his answers today. (And why should they, when he apparently has lied about this event in the past?)

Amazingly, the administration was rescued again. The Internal Revenue Service announced that last year employees slowed down applications from conservative groups seeking non-profit status by demanding more information than is required in the application. There was an apology and the statement that no high level IRS employees or anyone at the White House knew anything about this.

The federal government rarely admits mistakes without prompting from an outside source. And when the truth comes out, government employees or appointees try to minimize their actions or the impact. (E.g. Today Carney insisted on the truthfulness of past statements about Benghazi, although they have apparently been disproved.)

The IRS announcement does not fit the norm. Right now there does not seem to be anyone outside the agency who found out what was happening. And there was little explanation for the actions and no attempt to dismiss the seriousness of the offense. That is pretty unusual, as is the timing of the confession.

I doubt the White House and State Department will continue to be so lucky. Conservative news organizations had been driving the questions about Benghazi since the September 11, 2012 attack. But now that the mainstream news media is investigating, the questions will keep coming until real answers are given.

Life in the US is becoming more chaotic and scarier. Places and activities we think are relatively safe no longer are. More and more people are losing self-control and hurting others when things do not go the way they would like, even if they are wrong.

Case in point: a 46-year old soccer referee, Ricardo Portillo, died May 4 as the result of being punched in the side of the head by an irate youth player during a game in Taylorsville, Utah. The referee had issued a yellow card* to the 17-year old goalie for the foul of pushing an opponent with his hands. The “alleged” attack (proper journalistic lawsuit protection; there are plenty of witnesses to the incident, including the victim’s daughter) came while the referee was notating the player’s jersey number and infraction on the game card.

What could possibly have possessed this teenager to hit an adult hard enough to cause brain swelling, coma and ultimately death? This youth’s moment of rage has ended the life of a man in his prime (who was giving his time so kids could play), devastated Portillo’s daughters, and probably destroyed his own future. And why was this 17-year old so angry? He broke a rule and deserved the yellow card.*

My family has been involved with youth soccer for over 20 years: kids playing, a little coaching, refereeing, kids moving on as assistant coaches and refs when they got older. There have always been parents – and occasionally coaches – who set a bad example by criticizing coaches and referees. And players have always grumbled about the referees’ rulings. But in recent years we see players yelling at or cursing out referees to their faces.

More and more, I hear teens and young adults expressing that they should be allowed to do whatever they want without regard to others (i.e. anarchy). In soccer, they think their team should be allowed to violate the rules to gain an advantage. But, of course, if the opposing team does the same, the referee should call penalties. This “bipolar” attitude is not held by the majority of young people, but it seems invasive with some older Americans expressing similar ideas. If this selfishness is allowed to permeate our culture, we will have more violence in unexpected places. Are we going to permit (what is now) a small number of people who cannot or will not control themselves to stop us from volunteering or participating in family activities for fear of injury to ourselves or our children?

Solutions to this kind of behavior will be hard to find and implement. Just convincing many that we are seeing an attitude shift in society, not just isolated incidences, will be difficult. I usually have some suggestions for solutions, but here I am discouraged and at a loss.

Ricardo Portillo’s daughters are in my prayers. Actually, the perpetrator needs to be in my prayers too. I hope that after he is presumably convicted and finishes any imposed judgment, that he will get the help/rehabilitation that he needs to become a peaceful, productive member of society.

* Yellow cards are given for reckless play (usually a foul), a step above careless play which may bring a whistle or verbal warning. There is no punitive action taken against the player for a yellow card, although the opposing team is normally given possession of the ball. This incident might have been more understandable (not justifiable) if the goalie had been given a red card (for any second yellow card-level infraction or an excessive offense), since the player is ejected from the game and the team must play shorthanded.
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Since federal budget sequestration took effect, there have been several reports that the National Park Service is planning to close campgrounds and have parks open fewer hours per day because of the across-the-board budget cuts. But now I hear that the NPS has announced the designation of 13 new national landmarks.

Some members of Congress have suggested that these new NPS designations be delayed or abandoned. NPS officials responded that they do not have the authority to take those funds and use them to pay employees to staff national parks at previous levels.

While the statement that funds cannot be transferred between an agency’s accounts is true, this still seems designed to hurt ordinary Americans while less obvious spending continues. Acquiring new NPS property should be on hold, much the same as federal agencies cannot hire new employees. How is the NPS going to open these new national landmarks to the public if they do not have adequate staff?

This is another example showing that even when government agencies are forced to cut spending, it is difficult to get the federal bureaucracy to act responsibly.

Hallelujah! It’s a miracle! Congress actually dealt with an issue within a week and the solution to the problem was overwhelmingly supported by both Republicans and Democrats.

Late Thursday, the Senate passed legislation that would allow the Department of Transportation to shuffle their budget money between accounts so air traffic controllers would not need to take furlough days. The House of Representatives gave final approval to the bill Friday morning. This legislation does not give the DOT any more money, just flexibility in the use of what they already have. Presidential spokesperson Jay Carney said Mr. Obama will sign the bill.

I have to travel by air this summer, so I am glad Congress fixed this problem. But I am still annoyed that the White House, or the FAA, or both, made it a problem in the first place. Senators from both parties had proposed this measure for the FAA when the Sequester went into effect, but President Obama threatened a veto. Apparently he wanted to make a political point by allowing furloughs to begin regardless of whether they disrupted commerce for airlines and business travelers, and inconvenienced other passengers.

I have one question that has not been answered (actually not even asked). Furloughs are supposed to be required for only non-essential personnel. (At the local Bureau of Land Management office, the plan if furloughs are necessary is that essential employees such as law enforcement rangers would not face furloughs.) While air traffic controllers’ salaries make up 40% of the FAA payroll, you have to agree that they are essential, so why should they be furloughed at all?

The passage of this legislation, which affects only the FAA, highlights the fact that many sequester related problems could be minimized by giving agencies authority to transfer funds between accounts. Republicans proposed such a plan in late February and again in early March, but President Obama said then that he would veto any such legislation. You might want to contact your members of Congress and urge them to continue to press for this solution to the entire Sequester.

In the meantime, the skies will soon be a little friendlier if the President signs this legislation.
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After the celebrations fade away, Boston and its suburb of Watertown can sleep in peace tonight. One of the men suspected of planting the Boston Marathon bombs is dead, and the other is in police custody after an almost 24-hour manhunt.

Much of the credit for the timing of the arrest goes to the homeowner who called 911 this evening to say someone was in the boat in his backyard. Contrast that with high school classmate of the younger suspect who told a reporter this afternoon that he thought he recognized the man in the FBI photos, but did not call authorities because he didn’t want to ruin his classmate’s life if he was wrong. This young man did not say when he first saw the FBI photos and video – if it was soon after the pictures were released, would a phone tip from him have possibly saved the Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer who was shot and killed by the alleged bombers last night?

I was rather awed by the massive law enforcement presence that responded immediately to events last night, and by the precise, methodical way they searched for the second suspect in Watertown. It certainly helped that the FBI was already in the area investigating the bombing. And the possible terrorism connection caused more concern about solving the crime quickly. But if that kind of manpower was deployed whenever a specific criminal was on the loose, fewer criminals would escape capture.

Investigators and prosecutors will now do their work. I have faith in the US justice system. The dead and wounded can become our focus again. I am not using the names of the bombing suspects – their names and photos have been all over the television and Internet. But I want to add to the cyber-immortality of the victims:

Martin Richard, 8 years old
Krystle Campbell, 29 years old
Lu Lingzi, 23-year old graduate student from China
Sean Collier, MIT police officer, 26 years old

I pray that there will be justice for them.

Tonight my thoughts and prayers are winging heavenward for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

If this incident was masterminded from outside the US, it wouldn’t be a surprise. There are many groups and even some governments that hate the US. Some resent our affluence and influence, some find us the epitome of the decadence that offends their religious beliefs.

If the bombings were initiated by US citizens, it is a double tragedy. We are the most free country in the world, even to the right to speak and write against our government or society. But some people take that a step – or in this case, many steps – too far. Shame on them for taking advantage of their freedom to use violence to force their views on the rest of us.

The political process is the way to make the changes all these groups want. They can lobby for their point of view – if the majority of Americans agree, we will turn that way. So far most of us do not want the kind of totalitarian system being championed by domestic or foreign terrorists.

I am not sure why the foreign terrorists won’t just stay in their countries and leave us alone. And the domestic terrorists should move to another country that is closer to their ideals. They all need to realize that killing people will not win us over to their side.

The mini-series “The Bible” (finale tonight) has been a ratings blockbuster for The History Channel. Americans are very interested in spiritual things.

At the same time, in the name of tolerance or political correctness, there are some who are trying to ban all things related to the Christian faith from public spaces. There were reports last week that some schools were prohibiting the mention of the words “Easter bunny” and “Easter eggs”. Those two symbols are part of the secular traditions of Easter – what are these PC police afraid of? That’s the equivalent of banning Santa Claus from Christmas . . . excuse me, I mean winter celebrations.

I believe faith played a large role in the establishment of the US and plays a bigger role in the lives of everyday Americans than many in the education and political establishments believe or acknowledge. But I would not have a problem if schools did not mention any religions except where historically relevant. That’s equal treatment.

The problem is that children are now taught about many faiths, but not Christianity. Islam is experienced at a Texas high school that has girls wear burqas, my daughter’s class read a book that laid out the tenets of Buddhism through a fiction story. Schools in Wisconsin have presentations from Native Americans that include explaining their spiritual beliefs, in Hawaii kids are taught about the Hawaiian goddess Pele. (The spiritual beliefs of native peoples are not history, many follow these “religions”.) Some school districts allow Muslim children time to pray during their required times each day, while in other schools children are reprimanded for praying individually over their lunch.

I think it is good for children to learn about the religious beliefs of various people groups, and how they have impacted history, literature, music, etc. But what Christians and Jews believe, and their place in history also needs to be taught. Just because Christianity has historically been the religion of the majority of Americans (the ratio is changing), does not mean that it should be eliminated from education. Obviously, who should be included in “diversity” is up to those in power.

Despite attempts to eliminate most religion from the public sphere, the popularity of television and movies such as “The Bible” show that spirituality cannot be eliminated from people’s hearts. Most religions have existed for thousands of years and will continue despite current hostility.

HAPPY EASTER!

Tomorrow and Wednesday the US Supreme Court will hear arguments on two cases related to “gay marriage”. On news talk shows over the past weekend, one of the prime arguments from “experts”, spokespersons for gay-lesbian groups, and other guests was that more Americans support same-sex marriage now than in the past.

Over the past decade or so, the number of Americans who call themselves pro-life has increased, now about the same percentage as favors same-sex marriage. But no one is saying that the Supreme Court should overturn Roe vs. Wade because of changing public opinions. More Americans than ever favor some restrictions on access to abortion, such as making the horrific partial-birth abortion technique illegal. But the Court has not cited public opinion in any of their rulings upholding or striking down various state laws on abortion.

Popular opinion on an issue is a poor way to determine the validity of a law, especially when considering Constitutionality. The Supreme Court must consider the historic basis of marriage and its value to society, and the traditional definitions of terms/ideas contained in the Constitution when ruling on these cases. The US Constitution and state constitutions keep our government entities running consistently. If public opinion was the basis of legislation, we would be subject to continually changing laws, which would create chaos in the courts and in society in general.

My spouse and I just returned from a trip to Alaska. We took this same trip in 2011 and 2012. I observed no change this year in the number of TSA personnel on duty or wait times in security lines.

The closet airport for departure is Reno-Tahoe. There was only one TSA agent checking IDs and boarding passes at the entrance to the security area, which created a bit of a back-up. But there was an abundance of agents in the luggage screening area, so the initial slow-down was more a poor distribution of employees than any shortage of agents from sequestration furloughs.

When we left, the airport was still working on a new, centralized security area that has been under construction since last summer. When we returned, all the equipment had been removed from the old security areas and the new area was in use. I would expect this change to create longer wait times, since all passengers will be screened in one place instead of the previous two checkpoints.

In Seattle and Anchorage we did not leave the secure area. We did walk past the exit of one checkpoint in Seattle that was closed, but has always been in use on four previous stops at SEA-TAC. But we have no idea if that is a result of sequestration, a consolidation similar to Reno’s or some other reason. At both airports we saw TSA agents walking the concourses.

So, at least where I travel, sequestration has not created the horrible security delays predicted by President Obama.

Iditarod Finish Line

Mitch Seavey has won the 2013 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, crossing under the historic Burled Arch in Nome, Alaska late Tuesday night. Seavey finished this year’s approximately 1000 mile race in 9 days, 7 hours and 35 minutes. This is his second Iditrod win.
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2012 Iditarod winner, Dallas Seavey, with his lead dogs

At age 53, Mitch Seavey is the oldest person to win the race. He also had another first. This is the first time members of the same family have won the race in consecutive years – his son, Dallas, was 2012 champion. (And Dallas set a record as the youngest musher to win.)
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Four Generations of Seaveys

The Seaveys are one of a handful of multi-generational Iditarod families. Mitch’s father, Dan has also competed. Last year marked 100 years of use of the Iditarod Trail, including the 1925 race against time to get diptheria serum to Nome, which is the basis of the yearly race. The Iditarod Historic Trail Alliance named Dan Seavey their “Centennial Musher” and he mushed the entire trail last year at age 74.

Finally a victory for sanity! New York State Supreme Court Judge Milton A. Tingling blocked enforcement of the NYC ban on sweet drinks over 16 ounces the day before it was set to be implemented. Judge Tingling said the ban is arbitrary and capricious. In his ruling, he specifically mentioned that there are other drinks with higher sugar content than those included in the ban.

While NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg had the best of intentions (fighting obesity), the ban was poorly constructed. Anyone selling soft drinks in open containers could not serve more than 16 ounces per container. That meant that even when you took your family out for pizza, you could not buy a pitcher of soda to serve the entire family. On the other hand, there was no prohibition on refills or a person buying more than one 16 ounce drink for themselves (which Judge Tingling said serves to “defeat the stated purpose of the rule”).*

Shakes, fruit smoothies and coffee drinks are excluded from the ban if more than half milk, despite their sugar content. That creates a burden on restaurants with a large selection of drinks to keep track of which must be size-limited. Also arbitrary was the fact that only food service establishments inspected and graded by the health department were affected by the ban. Grocery and convenience store self-serve fountain drinks could continue to be purchased in cups larger than 16 ounces. People could still buy 20 ounce, 1 liter, 2 liter, etc. bottles at the grocery store, but could not have one of these bottles delivered to their house with a pizza.

Only limiting the size of some drinks in some instances does not do enough to prevent over-consumption of sugar (if one considers that a good goal).

This court ruling blocks the ban while a lawsuit by members of the beverage industry makes it way through the court system. Mayor Bloomberg continued to defend the ban today and said he would appeal the ruling.

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* http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/03/11/the-new-york-city-soda-ban-explained/

Just today, when the indictment was opened, we found out that the son-in-law of Usama Bin Laden has been in custody in NYC for a week. He will be arraigned in court Friday. Many, including myself, are asking why Congress – and the American people – were not told right away.

Apparently Suliaman Abu Ghaith had been hiding in Iran since 2002. At some point he went to Turkey, supposedly with a fake passport. Turkey tried to deport him to Kuwait, the country of his birth. The plane stopped in Jordan, where the US took him into custody.

I am still undecided about using drone strikes to take out terrorists. (Could we kill the wrong person? Is it o.k. to also kill innocent people nearby?) But ignoring that, I have to wonder why “we” didn’t just zap Abu Ghaith as we did several other Al Quida members?

I am also distressed that the Obama administration brought this terrorist to NYC in secret. The President had wanted to hold trials for other terrorist suspects in NYC, but the outcry from Congress, families of 9-11 victims, NYC officials and others halted those plans. Now Mr. Obama has gotten his way by hiding his actions until it is basically too late to make changes.

Bin Laden’s son-in-law must be taken to Guantanamo Bay, where other terrorist detainees are held. In a military court, the evidence and defense are presented, and if guilt is established, punishment is handed down.

Often a defendant in our regular court system is charged with more than one count of the crime (i.e. the number of murder counts equals the number of victims). But Abu Graith is only charged with one count of plotting against the US. (Only one – are we kidding???) With a normal US trial, even if the evidence is overwhelming, any of many small technicalities could easily allow him to walk free. If that happens or somehow he is acquitted, will he just be released to continue his plotting against Western nations?

This terrorist will not be required to answer questions (Fifth Amendment protection in US courts), so the government may not get information that could help protect the US from attacks.

President Obama has not given any logical reasons why this is a necessary or better way to put terrorist suspects on trial.

To ask your Congressional representatives to demand that Abu Ghaith be transferred to Guantanamo, click on my “contact Congress” tab and follow the links.

update 3/8: Abu Ghaith pled not guilty in a NYC court this morning.

It is sad that a US president would not care about Americans, but it seems to be true. Information has come out in the past few days that appears to show that President Obama’s administration is ordering executive branch agencies to implement the sequester in ways that cause the effects to be the most obvious and difficult for the public. (Since the real Horsemen of the Apocalypse do not answer to the President, the administration needs to create its own version of devastation.)

WHITE HOUSE TOURS
Beginning Saturday, there will be no more White House tours. This is absolutely NOT necessary! The sequester spending cuts have to be taken over the next seven months of the federal fiscal year. It would have been perfectly acceptable to stop tours (if really necessary) in a month or two, giving tourists a chance to rearrange their plans. And since the sequester requires an approximately 5% cut across all programs, no program should need to be totally eliminated.

update 3/7: Although tours have stopped, the Director of the White House Visitors’ Office is still on the job earning over $100,000/year. What is she currently doing to earn that salary? Does she at least have to take furlough days?

FEDERAL EMPLOYEE FURLOUGHS
My source at the local Bureau of Land Management office tells me that the current bureau-wide proposal for employee furloughs is to have everyone furloughed on the same days, totally closing down each office. If employees’ required non-paid days off were staggered, there would usually be someone in the office to deal with almost any issue or question from the public. But of course, they have to make this as noticeable and frustrating to the public as possible, instead of trying to maintain business as usual.

BLM employees have also been ordered not to talk to anyone about the sequester, to refer anyone to the public information officer (who, of course, will have a prepared script to work from). My source was not sure of this gag order was initiated by the Bureau, the Department of the Interior, or the White House.

update 3/7: BLM employees received an e-mail today from Acting Director Neil Kornze which said that it now looks like no furloughs of permanent employees will be necessary. There is a hiring freeze in place for all positions except seasonal wildland fire personnel.

AIR TRAVEL
News reports have concentrated on one of the most visible federal agencies, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, has consistently said that overtime for TSA agents has been eliminated and wait times for airport security will increase to 30 minutes or more. On Monday she specifically said that security lines at Chicago’s O’Hare International and Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta were longer than usual. But a spokesperson for the Chicago Airport Authority and passengers in Atlanta contradicted that. (http://www.cnbc.com/id/100519547/Budget_Cuts_Increase_Wait_Time_at_Airports_Napolitano)

I have news for Ms. Napolitano, wait times are often that long. I have waited for over an hour at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii – and the line was outdoors in the hot sun. Waits in Honolulu are routinely 20 minutes; last year I waited about 45 minutes. They have three security areas at Honolulu International, but always have two closed. I do not know if it is a lack of TSA employees or not enough body scanner machines. (Note: I do not take all my vacations in Hawaii; I have family there.)

Wait times have much more to do with when you are at an airport than how many TSA agents are on working. Even at the fairly small Reno-Tahoe airport, it can take 15-20 minutes to clear security if you happen to arrive at certain times of the morning when multiple flights are departing at about the same time. Thirty minutes before or after, you will sail right through the checkpoint. And the number of TSA employees on duty will be the same!

There have been some delays for airline passengers coming from overseas. Since furloughs have not begun, eliminating overtime is likely the problem with the staffing of customs agents. I would have to question the wisdom of using overtime as a personnel management tool. It would have been less expensive even pre-sequester to hire a few more customs employees than pay overtime.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says it will furlough air traffic controllers one day out of every 14 and leave 200 air traffic control towers at smaller airports completely unmanned. Those numbers do not add up with sequester requirements. A 5% sequester cut should require only a one day in 20 furlough schedule.

Since federal employees are supposed to take furlough days, not be laid off entirely, where are the controllers from those 200 small airports going to go? One would think that proper management of furloughs, and an emphasis on keeping sequester problems to a minimum, would allow those 200 control towers to remain open at least during their busiest hours.

update 3/8: It was reported today that in a test of the TSA at Newark Liberty International on February 25, TSA agents did not detect a fake bomb concealed by a federal agent, even with a pat-down. Are we getting any real protection for the tax dollars spent on TSA? ( http://www.newsmax.com/US/undercover-fake-bomb-newark/2013/03/08/id/493819 )

WILL SEQUESTER AFFECT YOU?
The sequester, if handled in a logical, caring manner, should not affect you unless you are a federal employee. But the highly political way this is unfolding, I would be cautious and allow more time (and possibly money) for any dealings that are handled by or connected to the US government.

President Obama seems intent on implementing the mandatory sequester cuts in ways that cause difficulties for as many Americans as possible. This is not because Mr. Obama is cruel, but because he is overly political. He apparently wants to make the Republicans in Congress appear heartless, to aid the election of Democrats in 2014. Certainly all politicians in DC are concerned about political advantage. But once a man becomes president, he needs to place the needs of everyone in the US ahead of political interests.

Until President Obama does that, you should probably arrive at the airport early and don’t expect your tax refund to arrive soon. And give a break to any grouchy person you run into. They might be a federal employee losing a few days of income, or someone whose vacation was ruined because they could not tour the White House or DC monuments.

Earlier today Congressional Republicans and the President could not agree on any plan to avoid the sequester. So a few hours ago Mr. Obama signed an executive order to implement the across the-board mandatory spending cuts. The four horsemen of the Apocalypse have not yet appeared in the sky.

At a press conference during the day, the President called the sequester “just dumb”. He sounded like a little boy who doesn’t get his way on the playground and says the other kids’ idea is “just dumb”.

Mr. Obama continues to blame Republicans for not compromising. The main problem here is that the President’s definition of “compromise” seems to be to do things his way. I have always thought “compromise” meant that both sides of a dispute give up something. President Obama wants the Republicans to agree to tax increases, but he will not agree to any spending cuts.

The President also says that Republicans offered to close tax loopholes, then withdrew the offer. But that offer was part of the fiscal cliff negotiations in December. After Republicans “compromised” by agreeing to $600 billion in increased tax revenue, their loophole offer was null and void. (http://news.msn.com/politics/fact-check-the-sequester-blame-game ) It would appear that Republicans have already made a contribution to help heal the country’s deficit woes. Now it is time for the President to do a bit of compromising too.