Government sources have stated that the impending payroll reduction for civilian Department of Defense employees will remove $1.136 billion from our local economy with the total impact of the sequester likely adding $3.5 billion.

Congress is playing political games with the livelihood of U.S. citizens, especially government employees. Congress said "spend." Now, they penalize those who did.

The preamble to the Constitution, states: "We the People in Order to form a more perfect Union, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

"Promote" does not mean "provide for." It means to enable an environment conducive to allowing individuals, using their own resources and effort, to further their own prosperity. "Providing for" (i.e., pork and welfare) is what is driving our national debt. This is unconstitutional and unintended by the Founding Fathers.

We must establish how to "provide for the common defence"; gutting the defense budget will not do that. A weak U.S. military is exactly what China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia are waiting for. Once we lose control of the Persian Gulf by removing one of two carrier groups, China will take control of the Southeast Asian shipping lanes and acquire Taiwan.

Congress is acting way beyond its constitutional bounds. Unless we rein in this political environment, which only reacts to crisis, we the citizens will continue to be the victims.

Richard Jones

Stafford