Page 17 - Deficit Cutting News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> hello, ed. >> i sense that this shutdown will be much more severe than the last one. do you agree with that? tell us why. what do you think? >> undoubtedly it will be more severe, ed, because all of the areas you just mentioned, people are more dependent on today. many of them because they don't have jobs, because they are dependent on social services that will be slowed down, or will not be available. the economy today is much worse than the economy was in 1995 in the last shutdown. so we're facing, you know, not armageddon, but we are facing a public that is really going to be in trouble ...

Labor secretary robert reich, professor of public policy at goldman school of public policy. professor, thanks for your time tonight. >> hello, ed. >> i sense that this shutdown will be much more severe than the last one. do you agree with that? tell us why. what do you think? >> undoubtedly it will be more severe, ed, because all of the areas you just mentioned, people are more dependent on today. many of them because they don't have jobs, because they are dependent on social services that will be slowed down, or will not be available. the economy today is much worse than the economy was in 1...

>> if you were trying to drive a deficit cutting effort wouldn't you deal with revenue. >> they worked so hard to pass $800 billion in tax cuts and we're fighting about $60 billion in cuts to money for babies. >> i'm not -- i can't indulge the absurdity that the republicans are any more interested in solving this than the democrats are when we have a massive revenue collapse driven by housing and unemployment that neither party is dealing with. what i don't understand what has to happen political hi in this country to organize the one employed, to organize the foreclosed, organize the affected...

Our own nuclear fears? our joblessness. our housing crisis. well they are going on vacation. immediately after voting through a budget bill that kicks the can down the road yet again to keep the government running until april 8th the senate agreed to take ten days off. really? congress getting plenty of rest, the house worked only nine days in all of february. and 11 in january. and now, they are on another long break. of course let's not foreget the president jetting off tonight for a working vacation in brazil. now, regardless of your feelings on the government, it is clear that we have a ma...

Robert, can you hear me? >> yes, i can hear you. i thought you were talking to patrick. look, it's not the best situation. there's no question about it. but, again, when you take a look at this poll, it's a pretty compassionate poll as to how the american people are thinking. >> emily? >> i do think that, you know, the issue of jobs is definitely on americans's minds. i think the poll also illustrated deficit cutting isn't necessarily the biggest issue for many americans. for many people it's jobs and the economy. so this focus on deficit cutting might not be the biggest priority. so these are...