In an effort to head off the March 1 deadline for sequestration, President Obama made a speech in front of police officers, firefighters and other first responders.  He was attempting to make the point that the country will be less safe if the March 1 deadline passes without a deal being reached.  He was appealing to the American people, in the hope they will put pressure on the Republicans in Congress to force them to make a deal.  In his speech he said, “Air traffic controllers and airport security will see cutbacks, which means more delays at airports across the country.”  He continued, “Thousands of teachers and educators will be laid off. Tens of thousands of parents will have to scramble to find child care for their kids. Hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose access to primary care and preventive care like flu vaccinations and cancer screenings.”  The President can use scare tactics about the border but the border is less than secure today and cuts will do little to change that.  School systems will find a way.  And security lines at the airport are already ridiculously long.  The only valid point in his speech, involved the deep military cuts.  What the President failed to point out however, is the very reason for these drastic cuts.  Congressional members on both sides agreed to them because they never thought they would be in this position; facing the March 1 deadline without reaching an agreement.  The deadline, was supposed to scare Congress in to acting, apparently it hasn’t worked.  Our legislators have had more than ample time.  We must now take a terrible dose of medicine and all of the sugar in the world isn’t going to help make this medicine taste any sweeter or go down any easier.  On the positive side, and there is a positive side, we will be forced to cut the budget deficit; to be fiscally responsible. The number one issue facing this country is not in fact jobs, it’s the deficit.  That’s hardly a consolation if you’re unemployed.  But we are reaching a point of no return.  Soon, no matter how strong the economy becomes, we will never be able to bring down the deficit.  With gas prices already above $5.00 in parts of LA, don’t expect the recovery to gain strength as we head towards Spring and Summer, when gas prices peak. We’re barely paying the interest on the debt, never mind the actual principle.  So while the President is up there pleading with and denouncing Republicans, the best case scenario is about to be realized.  The Democrats will pretend they are the good ones but they bare as much responsibility as the ones on the other side of the aisle.  What’s so ironic, is they aren’t even aware of how their divisiveness is about to save the USA.