Obama's goals match Hawaii's

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Feb 14, 2013

~~<p>Much of what President Barack Obama proposed in his State of the Union address on Tuesday is not likely to win congressional approval because of Republican opposition. However, some important moves, such as an increased federal minimum wage and expansion of preschool education, coincide with Hawaii proposals and should be given due consideration at both levels. Still, there was a disappointing lack of detail from Obama on how new programs would be funded, even as he barely addressed the looming fiscal threat of sequestration. Hawaii's congressional delegation must join with the White House to carve out a balanced approach to that immediate deficit problem first, to prevent harsh across-the-board slashes to the military and other economies crucial to the islands.</p>
<p>The president warned Congress that "sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts" known as "the sequester" — automatic, across-the-board spending cuts in the face of annual budget deficits — "are a really bad idea." Among other damage, he said the cuts "would jeopardize our military readiness" and reduce Medicare and Social Security benefits.</p>
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Much of what President Barack Obama proposed in his State of the Union address on Tuesday is not likely to win congressional approval because of Republican opposition. However, some important moves, such as an increased federal minimum wage and expansion of preschool education, coincide with Hawaii proposals and should be given due consideration at both levels. Still, there was a disappointing lack of detail from Obama on how new programs would be funded, even as he barely addressed the looming fiscal threat of sequestration. Hawaii's congressional delegation must join with the White House to carve out a balanced approach to that immediate deficit problem first, to prevent harsh across-the-board slashes to the military and other economies crucial to the islands.

The president warned Congress that "sudden, harsh, arbitrary cuts" known as "the sequester" — automatic, across-the-board spending cuts in the face of annual budget deficits — "are a really bad idea." Among other damage, he said the cuts "would jeopardize our military readiness" and reduce Medicare and Social Security benefits. Login for more...