EDMOND —
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe introduced the Sequestration Prevention Act of 2012 on Wednesday while blaming President Barack Obama for securing nearly $500 billion in defense cuts.
“These devastating cuts would result in the smallest ground fleet since 1940, the smallest fleet of ships since 1915, and the smallest tactical fighter force in the history of the Air Force,” said Inhofe, R-Okla.
Congressional negotiators’ failure last fall to agree on a plan to reduce the deficit has caused the Pentagon to face budget cuts of $500 billion during the next decade. Neither did Congress agree on a budget last year, paving the way for the “sequester” of across-the-board budget cuts. As a result, $1.2 trillion in budget cuts will start in 2013 unless Congress reaches a compromise.
The legislation repeals sequestration put into place by the Budget Control Act of 2011 and offsets the cost at a total savings estimate of $61.2 billion within 10 years, Inhofe said.
“Our nation has endured more than 41 months of unemployment at or above 8 percent. Yet the president is doing nothing to address the looming fiscal cliff when $500 billion in automatic tax hikes and $1.2 trillion in sequestration spending cuts go into effect at the start of next year,” said Inhofe, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Inhofe said the Sequestration Prevention Act would avoid the across-the-board cuts of sequestration with reforms to entitlement programs.
The legislation also replaces the sequestration cuts with the following proposals:
• Repeals the Affordable Care Act and Block Grants Medicaid (saves $1.1 trillion) — following Paul Ryan’s approach, this is said to reduce Medicaid spending by $1.2 trillion and will hand over the management of the program to the states
• Reduces non-defense discretionary spending to FY2006 levels (saves $952 billion)
• Freezes non-defense spending at FY06 levels through FY2017; allows 2 percent annual increase thereafter
• Block grants food stamps (saves $285 billion)
• Repeals the current food stamp program and creates a scaled-back block grant program and allows states to design and manage their own programs.
• Reduces the federal workforce by 10 percent through attrition (saves $144 billion)
• Enacts medical malpractice tort reform (saves $74 billion)
• Caps non-economic damages at $250,000
• Caps punitive damages at $250,000 or twice the amount of economic damages, whichever is greater
• Repeals funding of climate change and global warming related activities (saves $83 billion).
Local News
Inhofe introduces anti-sequestration act bill
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FAI calling all pets for ‘Pets in the Park’
Animals now get their turn to connect with the activities at the Fine Arts Institute of Edmond with a new event, Pets in the Park, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 1 at Mitzi’s Park, 27 E. Edwards. Registration for the pet parade and art contest will begin at 10:30 a.m.
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City: Tornado damages 12 homes in Edmond
Twelve homes were damaged in the Edmond area by Sunday afternoon’s tornado, a city official said.
At about 3:47 p.m. Sunday, outdoor warning sirens began to blow in east Edmond. Police spokeswoman Jenny Monroe said point of contact for the tornado appeared to be in the 33rd and Bryant area. From there, the path went to the northeast and crossed I-35, Monroe said. -
UPDATE: Tornado touches portions of Edmond
Roger Williams and his wife Shellie, residents in Edmond’s Thornbrooke neighborhood since 2004, were watching the weather reports Sunday as a large storm approached the city.
When they heard reports that a tornado was spotted near Broadway and 15th Street, then Broadway and 33rd Street, the couple and their son Ethan, 11, took cover in a reinforced interior closet. After they closed the door it got eerily quiet, like being in the eye of a hurricane, Roger said. As the tornado passed by, they could hear a few bangs outside.
“I was kind of scared,” Ethan said. -
SLIDESHOW: Tornado strikes I-35 area of Edmond
A violent tornado ripped trees out of the ground as it dropped into southern Edmond late Sunday afternoon along areas east and west of Interstate 35 from 15th Street to 33rd Street, according to various reports. Damage in Edmond is confirmed by the city and included blown out windows at the brand new Mercy I-35 facility that was scheduled to open later this year. Hail also peppered northwest Edmond during the violent storm event.
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The Big One
It’s a bleak scenario. A massive earthquake along the New Madrid fault kills or injures 60,000 people in Tennessee. A quarter of a million people are homeless.
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City plans to hire downtown consultant
Conceptual ideas about how the City of Edmond may plan for downtown development were shared this week by David Forrest with members of the business community.
The Central Edmond Urban Development Board has revisited plans made in a 1998 Downtown Master Plan through public meetings and presentations to protect the future development of Broadway. Recommendations by the group will be taken into account by future city councils. -
Feds recommend changing legal alcohol content levels
During the past 15 years alcohol contributed to a third of highway deaths prompting the government this week to recommend reducing state Blood Alcohol Content limits from .08 to .05 or lower.
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St. Mary’s Episcopal School names new Head of School
Pamela Dockter will become the new Head of School at St. Mary’s Episcopal School effective July 1.
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Local girl receives crown
Audrianna Page Fredericks recently was crowned Miss Junior Teen Oklahoma United States 2013.
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‘Locker Hooking’ workshop offers instruction in durable, useful crafting technique
Residents who would like to learn how to use the “locker hooking” technique to make one-of-a-kind items for use in the home or for decoration are invited to attend the “Locker Hooking” Workshop Tuesday from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Oklahoma County OSU Cooperative Extension Service.
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