Here's another sign that the election season is already in full effect. A group of moderate Senate Republicans who normally join with bipartisan efforts to pass the budget are, this year, joining their conservative counterparts in calling for spending cuts.

The 2 percent trim from the $1.13 trillion budget proposed by President Barack Obama, which Republicans are calling for, could result in the reduction of after-school programs, worsen the shortage of air traffic controllers and cut veterans employment programs.

And to add to the silliness, Senate Republicans still plan for earmarks, or special projects that legislators place in the budget, for their home states.

The 12 Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee signed a letter saying they won't support a budget larger than the $1.11 trillion cap they are proposing.

"The American people are saying to us: 'You're spending too much, you're running up too many debts and we expect you to do something about it,'" said Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

McConnell is partially right. Our record-setting budget deficit is becoming a liability as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said. We need to learn to live within our means; however, cutting these important programs is not the right thing to do.



This argument is similar to the way Republicans don't want to fund unemployment benefits while using the budget as an excuse. Instead, we know this is really about an ideology against so-called government handouts: The same Tea Party and conservative Republicans rallying against government handouts are the same ones cashing those unemployment and Social Security checks.

Democrats are not faultless in this. Obama proposed a three-year freeze on most spending but exempted military spending. His budget calls for an added $18 billion, or 3 percent increase, to the Pentagon's budget.

Maybe we should be taking a closer look at our military spending.

Many people agree that it is excessive. In 2008, the United States accounted for 42 percent of worldwide military spending. That number is huge considering that we make up only about 6 percent of the world's population. We spent $600 billion on our military, seven times more than China, our closest competitor. I understand that the country is involved in two was, but maybe we should look to cut our military spending in other areas.

When budget cuts come up, military spending should not be exempt. What good is it if we have more weapons but our air traffic control infrastructure continues to risk passenger safety due to overwhelming volume, outdated equipment and inadequate staffing? That will only hurt our economy.

How strong will our military be if we don't have well-prepared young people who choose the armed forces as their career path?

And why wouldn't we want to take care of the men and women who serve this country and come home in need of services?

Our priorities are backward.