The people need to know that across-the-board budget cuts have consequences. This is just one of them. It's not an essential govt. service, so it should be cut. I think the President made the right call here.

-Laelth

The WH has 3 calligraphers on staff. There are 4 florists.

they cant take a WH tour.

apparently you think the cut is 0.5%, not 5%.

We're shutting down national parks, making air travel more of a nightmare, etc. - and those are just nonessential things that are being cut. While it's a drop in the bucket, why should the silly White House tours keep running when all those other things are lost?

I kind of "See what they're doing!"

--imm

You follow a route using a tape recorder which explains everything. It is a very dumb move to cancel the tours. It saves nothing and just allows the Rs to highlight other things the government is wasting money on while canceling the tours.

I agree that it is a PR move, but there are probably minor (insignificant) savings, at least from labor spent on security - I'm sure they at least do cursory background checks. I expect the WH gamed out the probable reaction before they took action. Given that Congress exempted itself from the sequester, I suppose Capitol tours will not be affected.

The article clearly states that their office budget is being cut by 8.2%.

just watch.

I don't blame the WH staff for being pissed at having to do this. They already have enough to do without having to placate even MORE angry constituents about something over which they have no control. Plus, if the person who contacts them to cancel their tour works for the WH, the people whose tours are cut will blame the WH for it, not congress.

I think this is a really stupid penny-wise/pound-foolish mood.

Constituents who want to visit the White House must go through their representatives to schedule a tour, so Congressional offices will be forced to turn away visitors hoping for a tour and contact others to cancel scheduled tours.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/us/politics/white-house-suspending-tours-over-budget-cuts.html?_r=0


let the reps explain to their constituents why they can't visit the white house.

The representatives will say it was a decision by the WH and then show them ways the government is wasting money on other things. Dumb move.

fuck them

I might remind you there are 55 Democratic Senators and 200 Democratic members of the House that sponsor these tours also. You want to fuck them too I guess.

. . . instead of consequence of the countless cuts to government agencies across the board?

I think it's amazing how folks can brush past all of the truly damaging cuts to services as a result of the sequester to point at this one.

Besides, most of the folks howling and wringing their hands over this- the ones openly opposed to this WH in Congress - regularly dish out these visits to their constituents as favors. This may be a good opportunity for their constituents to take notice of something which might not otherwise affect them personally, at all.

So sorry, I would tell them. There's a war being waged on America by the republican leadership and their colleagues.This is just a fraction of the outrage and hurt that an estimated three quarters of a million jobholders are being forced to deal with right now. We resolve that dilemma, we resolve this little matter of field trips to the White House.

They either accept that, or tough. Don't expect anyone directly affected, or otherwise, to care much about their vacation or day trip destinations at this point in time.

It's not as if there's a huge threat that this is going to be a permanent situation.

have made instead.

So sorry. You'll just have to bear up under the obvious strain to your sensibilities for the afflicted.

and this it's unnecessary to cut anything popular as a result.

apparently they think our President isn't being truthful about the sequester.

I think he is.

You made me laugh!

Good job.

their protective activities. Ergo, canceled tours.

It's a trivial thing, but a reminder that government costs money.

...get over it.

...their opinion trumps your opinion.

It looks petty and vindictive.

Do you know how many schools schedule DC trips in the spring? A WH touris a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of them and now they won't get it.

I'd love to see the dollar amount that's going to be 'saved'. It's a pitance.

...how many schools are still going to be able to afford those trips?

A pittance here, a pittance there...it all adds to the pile that has to be cut thanks to the stupidity of the GOP Tea-Nazis.

As Cali stated it's OUR house and the public should always have access.

There's really no excuse.

...the GOP Tea-Nazis are forcing us to make. This is just another way to drive that point home.

Nobody likes it.

It seems an activity to make the impact of the sequester more obvious.

As such the lack of show is really part of the show.

Last edited Thu Mar 7, 2013, 07:46 AM - Edit history (1)

Which could be how the public will view this overt gesture.

they are definitely tuned out now. The realization that nothing can bridge any gaps between the two sides has reached critical mass. I have even tuned it out and I am a political junkie.

I say we got the hike on the upper tier, we got healthcare, we got a cut in defense and they got nothing. Say we won some battles and give up on the situation until the House moderates. On economic issues, I mean. Move on and find something that is less partisan to do, if there is anything

The republican party has become totally commited to unhinged ideologies (republicans like Rand Paul and Paul Ryan can't make evidence supported argument to support any of their social or economic ideas) and consequently the republicans reject all manner of compromise and pragmatism as a means of approaching whatever their notion is of the common good.

The Democratic party seems to have completely rejected ideology (Keynesianism, Progressivism etc) in favor of the unprincipled pragmatism of the DLC and the Third Way--they'll make any compromise just avoid a loss and kick a problem into the future.

This leaves me, and I think, many of the concerned and educated democratic base typified by most active DUers, in the unhappy position of rejecting the terrible ideas of republicans, and lamenting democrats seeming lack of commitment to any ideals, be they good or bad.

This is an environment that rather favors tuning-out.

Ted Kennedy so much. He had it in his bones - that clear and present commitment to ours ideals. It was automatic for him. And he was demeaned and made the poster boy by the right. But even that didn't stop him. Unfortunately, it stopped others who fell for all that and won't even stand up and proudly say that they are a liberal democrat.

I mean, I thought that was your raison detre.

easy to make elsewhere.

frankly, that's exactly what the Republicans have been saying about government cuts.

i'm really disappointed to see you saying it. this amount of a cut cannot be made easily.

you have no idea the cost of security for all the extra people coming into the White House daily.

and as for people to lay off, you blithely say that some people, whom you deem unimportant enough, can be laid off.

but you do this a lot. you make up your mind and don't really care to be criticized, even when you are patently unfair and inaccurate.

of the WH, and in the end, isn't it those people that really matter.

affected by furlough. They didn't want to have to explain to someone who lost their job that the
tours were more important.

But something about picking the tours to cut, does sound a little too political.... to further shed light on the sequester.

Let the people with cancelled tours know who is to blame for the cancellation -- the representatives who won't accept cutting tax loopholes for the rich, and congressmen who won't stop tax breaks for companies sending jobs overseas. Stop all the non-essential stuff. It's not food and shelter for kids, it's a lark for tourists provided by congressmen, most of them RW.

spend less on governing?

close some bathrooms in the building?

where are you going to get 5%?

i know you want the tours to continue. but apparently you believe the cuts can be made in an invisible way.

which i think is a dumb thing to say because it's about the easiest thing to say ever.

vacation time? What about those who can't afford a vacation, or food, or rent, for that matter. I think if things need to be cut, it's the non essential that needs to be the start. This is/was perfect!

Most people don't care about White House tours. Hell, a lot of Americans can't even afford to take a vacation and tour Washington DC.

So from a PR standpoint, it means absolutely zilch. The money has to come from somewhere. This is another faux controversy manufactured by the GOP and you just had to bring your concern about it here.

important. The House of Representatives is supposed to be the 'People's House' as well, and look what a mess we have there.

The first is Air Force Flight Test Center Detatchment 3, better known as Area 51, located at the Groom Lake site in Nevada. Not even the world's greatest ninja could sneak in there without being detected.

The second is the Pantex nuclear waste disposal facility near Amarillo, Texas. As heavily monitored and defended as Area 51, but easier to get pictures of because not many people want to be anywhere near what they're storing.

The third is the White House in Washington, DC - and for the POTUS to cancel all tours by the people who pay to keep this place running is beyond me. Didn't Bush 43 do the same thing in the interest of "national security?" Obama does not need to emulate this man anymore than he already has.