BITCHES AND BASTARDS—CREATING CHARACTERS THAT ARE BOLDLY IMPERFECT

Jade Lee was scheduled for today but unfortunately was unable to visit. We'll catch up with her later.

My guest, is fiction editor, Beth Hill. Her topic is on creating characters the touch readers. If you get the chance, do stop by Beth's Blog and check out her archives. She has some fabulous articles on craft and they are a great resource for writers.

I was recently talking with a frustrated writer, frustrated because beta readers were finding fault with her lead characters.

Some readers didn't like her male lead; others had trouble with the female. They said the characters were unsympathetic, unkind, or just not nice.

No, her leads aren't rotten; they aren't the bitch and bastard referred to in this article’s title. They are simply characters with character.

And isn't that what we want for our stories, characters who stand out, who grab our attention? Don’t we want characters who make us notice them? Characters with character, characters we’ll remember for their bold actions, characters who stir our emotions? Don’t we want stories peopled with characters who aren't safe and who don’t blend in?

RUSSELL CASSE--INDEPENDENCE DAY

The characters we most enjoy have some growing to do. They aren't necessarily nice. They certainly aren't insipid.

They don’t always do the right thing, say the right words, and have the correct motivations. They aren't always politically correct and they may hurt others, both willingly and unknowingly. They may never apologize. They may make excuses. They may lie or cheat or steal. Characters who are bold, who aren't always nice or polite or solicitous, are the characters readers will remember.

So why all the fuss from beta readers?

My guess is that the readers don’t want the writer to submit something they think won’t be popular with either agents or editors.

Yet characters that stand out, who are outrageous or who stumble or who push the readers’ buttons, are exactly the kinds of characters agents and acquiring editors are looking for.

Who wants to read about nice characters, characters who don’t ruffle feathers or who don’t get into trouble or who always say the right thing?

Don’t we want bold characters who are different from us, who speak their minds—even when fearful of consequences—who press ahead despite fear and anxiety and feelings of worthlessness?

Nice characters don’t create tension—they’d work to diffuse it. Nice characters mean bland scenes and ho-hum motivations. Nice characters mean not-so-nice stories.

And lest anyone take offense, I’m not talking about doing away with characters who are good, who stand on the side of justice or integrity or decency. Good characters can be strong and bold and powerful. But nice characters, characters who don’t take a stand and who have no outstanding quirks and who don’t rock the boat are not strong enough to be the leads in a novel.

Characters without flaw are flat and the stories told about them can’t draw the readers’ interest the same way stories about imperfect characters can. What surprise is there when a perfect character defeats his enemy? Doesn't he always defeat his enemy? Was there any doubt that he’d win again?

HANS SOLO--STAR WARS

But what about the imperfect character who’s admitted to cheating to get ahead—can he win the biggest challenge in his life without resorting to cheating again? Will those around him let him forget what he’s done before and pull for him or will they always stand against him, no matter how honest he now is? Can a rude or belligerent character change enough to get other characters on his side when it counts?

If your lead character is perfect, how will he grow? If he’s perfect, how will his next victory be any different for him than his last? If he’s perfect, how will the reader relate?

The writer I was speaking with said the characters didn't resonate with the beta readers. Yet after hearing some of the comments her readers had made, I told her the characters certainly did resonate. They had those readers upset. The characters had succeeded in touching the readers.

And that’s exactly what you want your characters to do.

Consider Rhett and Scarlett, whose movie was on TV just in time to bring them to mind for this article. Neither Rhett nor Scarlett are perfect, but they are good characters. Great characters. They give us reasons to both loathe them and root for them. They are bold, brash, audacious, and larger than life. They pull us into their lives not by their goodness, but by their manner. Their personalities. Their daring and confidence. Who would work his way through Margaret Mitchell’s tome without the reward of Scarlett’s nerve and Rhett’s disregard for propriety?

So, be bold in ruffling feathers of both other characters and your readers and don’t be afraid of writing characters who stir the puddin’. Certainly don’t shy away from giving characters unlikable qualities. Give them those negative qualities and make us like them anyway. Or make us root for them, even if they have flaws.

No, characters don’t have to be bastards or bitches or cruel or crazy or repulsive. But they could be. And if you write them well, readers will enjoy reading them. 

Don’t play it safe with your characters. Create characters that are boldly imperfect. Write strong fiction by creating characters that are far from bland and nice. Your readers will thank you.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

I love the written word, the ability we have to create worlds and emotions with well-chosen phrases. It’s my intention to share tips and insights and encouragement with writers at all levels, to help you craft stories that will entertain and satisfy your readers. That will help satisfy you as writer as well. I am both writer and editor. My editing focus is on long fiction, primarily novels. I also mentor beginning writers.

A Novel Edit

The Editor's Blog

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

MONDAY MUSINGS—26.6 MILLION YOUNG ADULTS ARE STILL LIVING WITH PARENTS.

“And the thing is, Mom, Dad, I've lived upstairs since I was three, and it's been great.” Tripp, Failure to Launch, 2006.

Failure To Launch, a romantic comedy, was nominated for People’s Choice Awards in 2007 for favorite movie comedy. And it was funny but under the humor it addressed a real problem of the rise in young adults, ages 18-31, still living at home.

I was reading the PEW Research report on Social andDemographic Trends and learned that the estimate, in 2012, of young adults between the ages of 18 to 31 still living at home was 36%. Granted, half of home-dwelling millennials are college students, Pew found; most (56%) haven’t hit their 25th birthday yet. Just 16% of adults aged 25-31 live at home. The economy plays into this, as does student debt (average of $27k upon graduation). Still, that’s 26.6 million young adults still living with their parents in 2012.

It boggles the mind.

I was on my own at 18. I was proud of the fact I was living independent of my family. Granted, I didn't have a lot of skills but I had been raised to be a self-sufficient adult and that meant working at whatever job I could to pay my bills. In the early part of my 18^th year I lived with a couple of roommates until I could save enough money to buy a car. Once I had a car I moved out and rented a room from an older widow with kitchen privileges. I was attending college and working. It was great not having to share quarters—I had my fill of that. Not long after that, I found a better place renting from a widower who broke his huge house into 3 separate living quarters. I had the bottom half of the house and shared the kitchen with him. I had a four-room apartment and I loved the country setting with a huge yard, lots of trees and flowers, and at least 10 acres between neighbors and me. I could have my dog and my cat with me. The upstairs was a separate apartment and the tenet was an older woman in her 40’s. We all got along well but we had our own apartments to retreat to. There was a feeling of freedom and safety. It was a nice arrangement for a few of years. After college, I moved to take a full time job and my own ground floor apartment. Alas, my dog had to go to my parents’ house for a while. Eventually, I transferred to Virginia Beach and moved into a small house with cat and dog as roommates.

I had been on my own and independent for five years when I met the man who became my husband. I was 23. When we married, I gave up my small house and we found a larger place, ironically, only two streets over from where I had been living. It was a nice subdivision with large yards and close to work and the beach. J

I could not imagine moving back to my parents’ house as a young adult. In my mind that would have said I had failed to um, launch. It would say, I couldn't take care of myself.  My parents wouldn't have said no if I needed help. I received no financial help from my parents (who were still raising 7 other children) once I left home. I had to take care of me. It was my turn.

I’m not sharing this as a way of saying, look how good I am/was. It was more to give my mindset after graduating high school. Independence and self-sufficiency was a big thing for me.

But this generation, the Millennial generation born after 1980 and were between the ages of 18 to 31 in age in 2012 seems to be failing to launch. My son is on the tail end of that generation and he’s 18 now. On one hand he wants to be on his own but on other hand, he’s not quite ready to make that leap. I’m not surprised since males tend to take a bit longer than females to mature emotionally and gain their independence. Young women have a tendency to reach certain targets quicker than young men. 

This gender gap was addressed in the PEW study, “The men of the Millennial generation are more likely than the women to be living with their parents—40% versus 32%…" There is another study I found interesting and also talks about the gender gap and it was conducted by the BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY, entitled, TwoDecades of Stability and Change in Age at First Union Formation and addresses both the play of gender and education in the process.

I’m not inclined to shove my son out before he’s ready. J However, we have made it a point to let our son know that he needs to make wise decisions that will allow him to live independent of us. I expect him to find his own place and be self-sufficient with in the next couple of years. This past year was vocational college. The next step is finding a job and saving up for a car. I’m not giving him one although I will help. I think one has a greater appreciates for what one has to earn. We've also talked about giving him a section of the property to either build or move in a mobile home until he can build. That won’t happen until he can support himself and has a solid track record of being responsible.

• What are your thoughts on this tendency of this generation and it failure to launch?

"Look, many young men who should be able to move out, simply can't. It's called "failure to launch"…I promise you, when this is over; Tripp is going to be an independent, self-sufficient adult." Paula to Tripp's parents, Failure to Launch, 2006

DON'T BE SCHMUCKED—BEWARE THE SCAMMER

Most, if not all, of us have caller ID and we tend to screen calls choosing those calls we’ll pick up and those we won’t. When we see an 800 number on the screen it tells us tells us it’s either a business call or a telemarketing company. But, it could also be a scammer calling and make no mistake there are some very sophisticated scamming companies out there.

We hear more, these days, about online scammers or email scams originating from all over the world with the intent of defrauding people of their identity and/or money. We forget that scammers started out doing this by telephones and they still are. Don’t think that just because you’re using a cell phone you’re safe. Getting people’s cell phones isn’t that difficult these days.

Scammers use 800 numbers; after all they are a business, just not a legal one. Are you familiar

with the 800 prefixes in use in the United States? Not all 800 prefixes are toll-free numbers.

Here’s a test for you: which of these numbers, off the top of your head, isn't a toll-free number? 800, 888, 877, 876, 866, and 855? Keep in mind there are only 5 toll-free number prefixes in current use in the US and the FCC has reserved the prefixes 844, 843, and 822 for future toll-free use. Were you able to pick the bogus one out?

The prefix 876 is not a toll-free prefix. It’s the area code of Jamaica and it’s often mistaken for a toll-free number.  Surprised?

If you’ll notice the pattern established by the FCC for current toll free prefixes, bogus numbers tend to stand out.

The Jamaicans have quite a scamming business going on with the use of their area code and one of their most popular targets are seniors. Even if you aren't a senior, your parents,

grandparents, or aunts and uncle could be. So it’s a problem that affects us all. Sad to say, but this has happened within my family and my stepfather was a successful businessman for years, and is now in his late 70’s. He lost a substantial amount of money and fortunately my mother got suspicious and made mention of the situation and the sibs stepped in and prevented even greater losses. Law enforcement was brought in and legal steps were taken to recoup a portion of his losses and bring the scammers up on charges.

The obvious scams involve alleged lottery winnings. It’s something we get online but also via

wikicommons

phone scams. In fact this “lottery/sweepstakes” scam is on the Better Business Bureau top ten scams of last year. There is quite a list of different frauds/scams and you can check some out at  http://www.stopfraud.gov/report.html, and another good place is http://www.scamcallfighters.com/ and this one also addresses emails etc. Be aware there is also a new medicare scam going around http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov/.

To compound the problem the scammers try to convince the victims not to tell their family but instead make it a surprise. Oh, it’s a surprise all right. If the scammers feel like they have a potential mark or victim the phone calls will increase in frequency—sometimes hundreds of calls.

Here are some tips from BEWARE: SCAMS FROM AREA CODE 876 http://www.bewareof876.com/

§         If you get a call saying you’re a winner – don’t pay any money to collect supposed sweepstakes winnings. Legitimate operations won’t require you to pay to collect your winnings.

§         It’s against federal law to play a foreign lottery – so if you get a call [or an email] it is likely a scam.

§         Never wire money to anyone with whom you are not familiar.

§         Never provide anyone with personal information such as bank accounts, pin numbers or Social Security numbers.

§         Check any unfamiliar area codes before returning calls.

§         Be aware that there are many 3-digit area codes that connect callers to international telephone numbers – especially 876.

§         If you do not have Caller ID, consider adding it to your phone service. Caller ID allows you to add a Call Intercept feature that screens calls and offers the option to reject suspicious international calls.

§         If you do not make international calls, ask your telephone provider to block outgoing international calls.

§         Contact your phone service provider, local authorities, or the Federal Trade Commission to report a potential scam.

deposit photos

Bottom line is; if it sounds too good to be true it generally is...it's untrue, a lie, fool's gold.

Like my brother puts it, don’t be a stupid schmuck and get…well you get the picture. J

MONDAY MUSINGS—HOW HIGH IS THE WATER MAMA?

Many of you know that my area has been declared a disaster area due to flooding. It’s been awful for so many people impacted. Most of the rivers are in my greater backyard, meaning minimum ten miles away from the closest leg of the twisty and winding Big Piney River. The Gasconade and Roubidoux are further away—at least 30 minutes away. They all interconnect and man what a mess when they all hit flood stage. The Big Piney has lots of little streams and creeks that shoot off from the main river. We happen to have one finger that winds around the backside of our property and it wrecked havoc with flowing over the county roads, flooding fields, trapping people at home, not because the waters came into their houses but because they couldn't use the roads to get out to yet more roads that were also closed and flooding. But, we faced minor issues in comparison to towns 30 minutes from here and closer to the rivers. 

We've been getting a lot of rain the past two weeks from a series of slow moving thunderstorms and more than our normal rainfall. We got quite a lot the first weekend of August and already the rivers were high from all the runoff. The ground was saturated and the storms that blew into our area Saturday and Sunday and just kept coming. By Monday morning it was getting serious.  We were getting a lot of warnings for flooding and flash floods.

In this area we have a lot of low water bridges—maybe two or three feet above the normal water flow. (click on any of the pictures to enlarge)

These streams and creeks are fed by the big rivers we have in the area but, low water bridges can flood, even without the additional river water feed, with a couple of days of steady rainfall. We’re in hill country so water runs downhill to these creeks and streams. We've learned to expect rising water and flash floods. Most county roads have an alternate way out and around these low bridges. This series of storms…well, lets just say, I didn't go anywhere for a couple of days and I’m on high ground.

We received about 15 inches of rain in 48 hours. Roubidoux Creek was 18.6’above flood stage on Monday the 6^th and 20.14' August 7^th at 6:30 pm by morning it was well over 21 feet, Little Piney almost 15’, the Gasconade was cresting at 28’ over flood stage on Wednesday the 7th and higher. The streets and roads in that area disappeared under the water. Even a section of I-44 closed due to a lake where the interstate used to be. Houses were half or more full of water. Some were pulled off their foundations by the force of the water. We tend to forget just how destructive water is when in flood stage. Especially flash floods.

Flash floods can be extremely dangerous, instantly turning a normally calm creek or stream into wall of water and sweeping everything in its path downstream. Scary to see, but even scarier to hear it coming and know you have seconds to react and get the hell out of its path. During this storm some of the rivers rose fifteen feet (that’s 15) in twenty-five minutes. Think about that. Flash floods can turn streams or creeks into a Class 4 and 5 whitewater rivers. No lie.

 

Like I said, we live in hill country and flash floods happen. One of the things that amaze me is people’s stupidity thinking they can cross a familiar road that’s flooded. Did you know that 66% of flood deaths occur in vehicles when the driver makes the mistake of thinking they can navigate through the floodwater? Especially at night. If the water is flooding then it means there is a current and one that is usually much stronger than a person thinks.

Six inches (6”) of fast moving water can knock a person down. Six inches can reach the bottom of most passenger cars and cause you to lose control or stall. Two (2') feet of rapidly moving water can float a large vehicle, even a bus or firetruck.

That goes for you and your pickup truck, Mr. Yahoo Smallbrain. “Well lil’ lady, I got me this here won ton pickup truck. It’s tuff. I’m tuff.” 

 “Uh-huh. I’ll be sure to send a tow truck to pull your sorry butt out of the mud once the waters recede. If we can find you.”

 

According to The Weather Channel, one-third of flooded roads and bridges are so damaged by water any vehicle trying to cross stands only a 50% chance of making it to the other side.

How high is the water? Well, I like the sign that says, TURN AROUND DON'T DROWN. 

Sounds smart to me.

WHAT WOULD YOU SACRIFICE?

My guest is debut author, Cherie Colyer, and she's written an intriguing thriller about a young woman faced with too many changes. Does she embrace those changes or run away?  

As a writer, thoughts of What if? are always popping into my head.

What if a girl could embrace magical powers? 

What if she could conjure up a little help around the house? 

What if wishes could be granted? 

What if that wish came with a price?

That type of thinking led to this post. I’d like to thank Sia for having me here today.

We’re all faced with difficult decisions. When we are in school we have to decide how much of our free time to give up for our studies. Those of us with jobs have to decide just what we are willing to sacrifice to get ahead in our career. Parents sacrifice their time and often some of their interests for their children. Siblings protect each other from outside ridicule. But just how much would you give for the people and things that are important to you?

I think about this a lot when I’m writing. Madison Riley, my sixteen-year-old protagonist in the Embrace Series, finds herself faced with difficult decisions all the time. And since the job of a writer is to make things difficult for their characters, she isn't given time to weigh the pros and cons of her choices. Instead, she’s thrown into a situation and forced to react.

I had to get their attention. I had to make them hear me.

“Stop it!” I screamed as I ran between them, my arms out to my side, one hand on each of their chests.

When a life-threatening situation presents itself we often react first and think about what we've done later.  Madison’s quick reaction to a fight between her friends almost costs her life. Luckily for us, she survives or there wouldn't be a book two.

I admire Madison’s courage not only in that scene, but also throughout the books. She risks her life to save the people she loves without hesitation. I’d like to think I’d be just as brave, and yet I’m thankful that I've never been put in a position where I’d have to find out.

Hard choices, putting characters into situations that make them have to give up something big, is one way to up tension, but it also mimics real life. Every day we are faced with choices.  As I wrote Hold Tight I started to wonder just how much would a person give up for something they wanted.

Would you give up your dream job for love?

• Happiness for money?
• Your life for another’s?

Just how far would you go to save the people you love?

Some of the answers to the questions above are easy for me. If I loved someone, then I think I would give up my dream job for him. Fortunately my honey wouldn't ask that of me, and I can write just about anywhere I can plug in my laptop. No, I wouldn't give up happiness for money, because what good is all the money in the world if you’re miserable? The hard one is how far I’d go to save the people I love. I do know I’d give just about anything to save my family.

• How about you? How would you answer the questions above?

                                                                                                                                                                                    

BUY: AMAZON AND B&N

How far would you go to save the people you love?

Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve.

Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him.

Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own.

Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.
Dangerous, intoxicating, and darkly romantic, Embrace is a thriller that will leave you spellbound.

                                                                                                   

Cherie Colyer is the author of  YA paranormal thriller/romance, EMBRACE (available now), and HOLD TIGHT (August 2013), from Omnific Publishing. Check out her website and blog for news on her books and bonus material. Follow Cherie on Twitter and/or Facebook for updates on writing, book and special offers. 

                                                                                     

COMING SOON:

HOLD TIGHT

You can read the synopsis here

MEET QUINCY MAC--A MAID IN LA

My guest is Holly Jacobs who has written a fun story in new series she has decided to self-publish. Holly tells some heartwarming stories and usually employing a good sense of humor. I haven’t read one of her stories I haven’t enjoyed. This one, though, with a reoccurring central character who finds all sorts of trouble and mysteries to solve, well, I’m really going to enjoy reading this series.

I have written for a lot of publisher and a lot of lines, but all my books have had one commonality...they were romances. Some were comedies, some just humorous, and some very serious. But they all centered on two characters meeting, falling in love and overcoming obstacles in order to be together.

For me, things changed when I met Quincy Mac.  She is a divorced, thirty-eight year old mother of three teens.  She moved from Erie, PA (come on, if you've read my books, you knew I had to tie Erie into it) to LA, hoping to become the next big star.  Instead…she became a maid.

It might not be what she expected, but Quincy's built a wonderful life.    Until... (come on, you know there had to be an until!) the day she accidentally cleans a murder scene and a particularly hunky cop questions her.  Now, most people, even if they accidentally cleaned not only the murder scene, but also the murder weapon, would sit back and let the cops figure out who the real murderer is.  But not Quincy Mac. You see, she has an uncle who was wrongly accused of a crime and spent two years in jail before the cops figured out he was innocent.  Quincy can't go to jail.  She has three boys to raise. She's going to be maid-of-honor in her best friend's wedding. And she's absolutely sure she's not someone who's meant to have a tattoo.    So, she sets out to find the real killer.  As she does, she finds a potential romance with the cop who’s trying to send her to death row…talk about obstacles that need to be overcome!

Right now, Quincy’s story only available for Kindle.  (I hope to have it on other platforms sometime in the future.  And there are two more Maid in LA Mysteries…Dusted, which should be out this fall.  (This time Quincy’s not solving a mystery to keep herself out of jail, but to save her business’s reputation!) and Spruced Up (a Christmas novella—Quincy heads home to Erie, PA for Christmas and finds another mystery to solve!). 

 PS. Here are a few unbiased reviews:

“Hey, at least it’s not a romance.” ~Holly’s son.  

 
“Dear God, not another cop character.  Any police procedural inaccuracies are all Holly’s.  They are not the fault of her personal police models.  Of course, the fact that she portrays cops as hunks is totally accurate.” ~Holly’s husband and two brothers (aka...the cops)  

 *“Holly is a fantastic writing talent…not that I’m biased.”   ~Holly’s favorite daughter* 

 *“Holly Jacobs is an auto-buy for me.  Not that I buy her books…she gives them to me.”  ~Holly’s favorite daughter* 

 *“Holly makes me laugh…so do her books.”  ~Holly’s favorite daughter*  

 *DISCLAIMER: Holly has three daughters…she has no favorites.

                                                                                                                                                                                        

BUY; AMAZON

STEAMED-A Maid in LA Mystery

Cleaning is Murder on the Manicure

Quincy Mac went to Hollywood with stars in her eyes.  Twenty years later, she's not a star, but she's built a good life.  She's got friends, three boys she loves and a thriving cleaning business. That's right, she's a co-owner of Mac'Cleaners, LA's premiere maid service.

Her ex and his newest wife take the boys on summer vacation and Quincy's imagining a quiet night with ice cream and a chick flick.  She just has one last cleaning job to finish first.  But there's a problem...a dead body in the bedroom.

Turns out, she's steamed and cleaned a murder scene.  Quincy's a suspect.  She sets out to find the real killer before she ends up in prison for a murder she didn't commit. Excerpt 

                                                                                                                                            

MONDAY MUSINGS: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TAKING CARE OF CITIZENS FIRST?

I’m not usually political and rarely get controversial and endless arguing of pros and cons of politics is an anathema to me. That doesn't mean I don’t have opinions, only that I don’t always choose to air them. 

I will say this whole debacle of balancing the budget ticks me off. The Joint Committee of the Office of Management and Budget seriously ticks me off, as does congress.

I am not a financial expert. Common sense says to balance any budge you have to first control and reduce the spending while still paying off debt and looking for ways to invest or increase income. It means taking a hard look at needs versus wants. It also means putting away your credit line sources and not touching them and certainly not using them to make up the difference lost income (aka robbing Peter to pay Paul).

When you take a hard look at income versus expenditures aren't you reducing your charitable donations and taking a firm look at finances before loaning money to anyone? It’s not that a matter of not caring about others but a matter of first priorities, which should be the immediate needs and health of your family (or on a governmental level the needs of your citizens). The bottom line is if I’m spending more than I’m earning I’m going to go bankrupt. And so is this government if it doesn't smarten up.

The last time the United States had a balanced budget and reported a surplus was in 2001. The country has been running in the red since and it’s jumped dramatically under this administration. From 1970-1997 this country’s budget ran red. A new president was elected and in 1998 came a balanced budget and a reported surplus and not just one year but 1999, 2000, and 2001. A democratic president and republican controlled congress and yet not only was the budget balanced, but there was a surplus. 

I’m not saying all of this was result of the Clinton Administration because it certainly wasn't. Much of this was set up and in place during the prior Administration. Clinton was just smart enough to go along with what had already been set in motion. Each president inherits the good and bad from the prior administration. And there was some good problem solving by people who actually used the principles learned in school and applied it to the financial mess of the government. It wasn't perfect but at least it was positive forward movement. There was some pretty fancy dancing around turning deficits to surpluses with substantial cutting of taxes (including capital gains) and discretionary spending of the government as well as revamping of the welfare system (and other government funded programs) and thus promoting an economic boom, which led to a surplus. But these people were smart and looked for ways to make the cuts in discretionary spending of government programs by setting other financial resources in place to help defray those cuts and minimize the hardships on the citizens impacted.

This administration has decided the answer is raising taxes, including capital gains (from 15% to 20%). Thus insuring those businesses and people with realized profits that could spend it here, at home, generating jobs will be spend or invest elsewhere.

When the Joint Committee of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) couldn't agree and balance the National budget the Budget Control Act came into play and forced cuts impartially, without thought to the needs of citizens, across the board. According to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this is how it works: 

“The Budget Control Act spells out the steps that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must take because of the Joint Committee’s inability to agree…the law calls for $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction through 2021… Those cuts themselves are divided equally between the “national defense” budget function and all other budget functions: $54.7 billion per year in defense and $54.7 billion per year in non-defense programs.”  

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what brought about the harebrained sequester cuts. There are over 2.1 million federal workers and more than half will be forced into a mandatory furlough one day a week with without pay and they cannot recoup that loss by using their earned vacation pay or sick leave. If you want to know how that impacts a family? Do the math. Take 20% off your weekly income and see what you’d be losing. The sequester cuts will also force lay-offs of more than 8,000 (that figure is just the Department of the Army and who knows what the total figures are from all 4 branches of the military) people who are contract or temporary workers for the government or military. Oh, and your unemployment benefits? You had better hope you can find another job within 6 months. 3.8 million people are unemployed and now more with sequester cuts, and they will see a reduction of benefits as much as 9.4% if jobless beyond 6 months.

The Budget Control Act cuts effect more than you think. It will impact on defense, Homeland Security, food safety, health care (such as Medicare reimbursement and Veteran services), transportation, National Parks, Nuclear Security, tax collection, low-income housing and education. Education is a biggie. To put it in perspective, 70,000 enrolled students in Head Start programs could be cut and 14,000 teachers. Special needs children will lose about 7,200 teachers and aides. Grants used to fund college tuition and work-study programs for students will also be affected.

I understand and agree with the need for cuts in government programs and discretionary spending but not like this.

What really burns my bacon? 

This Administration is cutting paychecks of United States citizens and laying off thousands of others, allegedly to save the government money, and yet this President is giving over $300 million in humanitarian aid to Syria and surrounding countries? 

WTF??

How about spending some of those funds on the needs of American citizens, Mr. President?