Sequestration not so scary after all

Veronique de Rugy:

Everyone should know by now that many of the promised benefits of "stimulating" the economy with increased government spending never materialize. The good news is that most of the threatened economic harm from cutting government spending — such as those made prior to sequestration — never materialize either.

Just four months ago the president, federal officials, lobbyists, and government contractors warned that sequestration would inflict an immediate and devastating disruption to the economy and crucial government services. The Obama administration even issued specific and seemingly apocalyptic predictions about the immediate impact the cuts. But obviously, the sky hasn't fallen on us yet.

In fact, when the Washington Post put the administration's predictions to the test by surveying various federal agencies, it found that only 11 of the 46 predictions had come to pass. For instance, the Post reported that "prison guards and FBI agents weren't furloughed. Americans didn't get stuck at border crossings. And hundreds of thousands of low-income women and children didn't go hungry."

The Department of Defense and its special interests also made a host of frightening claims about the devastating impact of defense cuts on the economy.... 

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There is much more.

Politicians often exaggerate to make a point, but in this case their exaggerations show they never had a point to begin with and they raise the question of why we should believe them the next time they cry wolf.