Very concerned it has been hard finding a job since I was laid off 11 months ago and now it will get even tougher.

If it hurts, it is because the administration wants it to hurt. Even with these cuts, the budget for 2013 is BIGGER than 2012 by something like $15 Billion. How do you take something, add something to it and call it a cut anyway? This is all people proving that they are right, and they will make sure that the cuts hurt so they can get us to believe we must give in to every demand. It is horrific way to treat us. The administration just wants to prove they are right. And they are not..... they are very, very, very left.

Hey, Life's tough all over......

Hold on you know the President is on the campaign trail and when he get elected he will help fix these problems, oh wait sorry I forgot that was last November.

We all need to wise up and see what is really going on, let's continue to scare Americans that just want to live the American life and dream.

He got his tax increase back at the last "Cliff"....no more taxes. Bring real line by line cuts to the table and act like he is serious, then maybe the house will talk. The House has brought 2 or 3 proposals to the Senate that they have sat on. Cut aid to countries that hate us....cut senate retirement and benefits plans....cut useless and wasteful programs !!!

The most disturbing aspect of this is that a large portion of these planned cuts come in the way of a massive furlough across DOD and many other government agencies. So this cost cutting is a 2013 band aid only. We aren't making hard decisions like eliminating unnecessary and ineffective programs on a permanent basis. So after this brilliant plan of a furlough is implemented and the long term damage to local economies is done we go right back to where we were this time last year. As i've stated before, I do part time rodent control on the local military installation. As a term employee my position will be eliminated. Morale will be low due to the furlough and on top of it these people will be exposed to coon and opossum attacks because my expert trapping and extermination skills will no longer be keeping it safe out there. Trust me when I say you don't wanna find yourself face to face with a three foot long tailed weasel with an attitude. So fellow Americans on the Patch message board I ask you what is this sequester really solving? Our politicians' idea of a solution is to levy a tax directly on the federal employee to cut spending in 2013 by less than 1%. I call it a tax because instead of taking it from the federal employee they're just not going to give it out. Tax, tax, tax. . . spend, spend, spend. Nothing changes and next time there is an election we will vote the same people back in and spend the next four years whining about it.

Get off my lawn!

Really, come on, the current administration put this "policy" in place believing they could leverage the election results to insure the growth of government and continued reliance on the government to provide benefits/entitlements. One of their biggest supporters, Bob Wooodward brought this to the attention of the administration and has been "threatened" for asking the question. The 85 billion, if my math is correct is only 2.2% of the 3.8 trillion federal budgets. We incur far more in carrying the interest on our accrued debt. No one wishes another person to lose their jobs, but all budgets in this country have some bloated "wish lists" in them, the sort of what if I could be all things to all people what would I give them. I am a believer in youth activities but has anyone seen the huge sports complexes the county is putting in by HCC and the Churchville Center? This is after recently putting one off of Chapel road and of course the beautiful Singer Road complex. I would like to have a report done just simply on the amount of use of those facilities by the "organized" activity groups that have access. Millions spent I am sure yet we have needs in mental health and senior care or relief on our property taxes. Politicians should know we are not asking them to be all things to all people. Individual have fixed incomes and so should all levels of government

There are a lot of very hard-working civil servants who live and work in the Harford County area. Their pay has been frozen for 2 years already and will be frozen for at least one more year. Now these same people will lose another 20% of their pay. Don't kid yourselves folks, this will impact you. Less money to spend means less spent in the local economy - restaurants, theaters, grocery stores, hardware stores, antique shops, clothing and department stores. Fewer of their children in local colleges or any colleges for that matter. Longer lines when traveling, less funds into state and local taxes and all of the ramifications from that. So, do not believe the sequestration will have no impact upon you, because it most assuredly will. And, this situation could go on for 5 or more years.

Don't want to see anyone hurt by this but as a former Maryland state employee for over 3 decades, we experienced a number of furloughs and years with no COLA. The Feds haven't. A little belt tightening isn't going to ruin anyone's economy. If it gets to the point where it hurts, drop the cell phone, eat at home, take the vacation locally, carpool - use your imagination.

really people come on now this is not what is suppose to be happening. When the times get tough instead of raising the taxes, food, and the cost of living how about lowering it and or put all congress personal, the president and anybody else who is higher than say 50k a year, lets put them on minimum wage for a year and see how it affects them oh wait take all there savings and etc. from them before this and then lets see whats happens cause after the first 2 weeks they will try and apply for help or state aid and OOPS sorry no funds. SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT THEN come on people use your heads. Like my parents raised us saying WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND, or tit for tat come give it back grow a set and grow up.

I love all these cuts, yet no cuts on congress' pay. It's time to take our country back.

In the words of the cynical TV anchor in 'Airplane!', 'I say, let em crash!'

The government giveth, the government taketh away.

1. Maryland has outperformed the national averages in unemployment during the downturn largely due to its proximity to DC and volume of Federal workers. During the mid 00s boom, the state took in and spent huge property tax revenues. Rather than cut back in tough times and realign spending according to tax revenues, the state increased all sorts of taxes in order to continue spending as if it was the boom time.

2. Rust belt Ohio, no where near DC and with fewer Federal employees, has made a strong rebound since 2008 via manufacturing and other sector growth.

Guess the political party of each state's governor!!!

This is a very good reason that the entire sell job on BRAC is a farse. Government jobs are often not "real" jobs; not based upon the production or economic value of anything sustainable but wholly a result of redistributing tax dollars from the valuable and sustainable to the care and feeding of a massive wasteful complex. We should never have championed sending tens of thousands of federal employees to this county just to cover for overdevelopment and the further deterioration of our quality of life only to suffer when the government decides to close the base or locate it's functions elsewhere. What government giveth is just as easily taken away.

The problem with Maryland is that it's a business-unfriendly state. Do you notice how people aren't really talking about VA being affected. Why not? They have just as many govnmtn jobs as MD, but they have even more PRIVATE businesses that are doing well thanks to smoother regulation and less taxes. MD has been spoiled by sucking on the teet of goverment and our leaders (O'Malley and his cronies in particular) have not made any positive changes. As much as I hate to see it, perhpas this will be a wakup call. Let's get back a business frienndly environment in maryland that will create jobs and stop our dependence on the federal goverment!

Could you explain specifically which pieces of regulation and which business taxes you are citing here?

Our governor opining on economic matters...now that's rich!