The Southeast Friends of Fort Stewart and Hunter, in an effort to make the community aware, will co-host an event in support of local elected officials who will sign a resolution in opposition of sequestration and the negative economic impacts it could have on the entire country for years to come.

According to U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., “The impact of sequestration on Fort Stewart and Hinesville would be a loss of 7,000 jobs.”

This “sequestration” would be the formal plan for the defense and entitlement cuts of $1.2 trillion that will take effect on Jan. 2, 2013, if a deficit-cutting package by Congress is not developed.

This cut would take the armed forces to numbers that have not been seen since 1940. Sequestration generically means a halt or seizure, but in this case, it would be additional budget cuts in the federal budget for the next 10 years.

From our board chairman, Hinesville Mayor James Thomas, this is how you can help us make your voice heard: “The most important part of our communication to Congress is you, the citizens of our communities. Please make your voices heard in Washington. Let Congress know that this issue impacts you and your families. When our citizens are involved and participating in what their government is doing, the Senate, House and the administration pay attention to what the citizens want. I ask you to call and write your congressmen, senators and the administration to let them know how you feel about this issue. Please let them know that we need action on this issue now, not later. All parties will have to give in on some parts of the budget, and no party will get everything it wants. The economic well-being of our country is more important than the wishes of any party or administration” (as published in the Coastal Courier on Aug. 31, 2012).

Our local event will be at 3 p.m. Tuesday in the courthouse annex, upstairs in the commissioner’s board room. We urge the public to come out and attend and sign a personal petition that we can, in turn, send to our elected officials by the box-full in opposition to this detrimental act.

If you cannot make it out, we will host a www.change.org online petition just for Liberty County that you can access via www.friendofstewartandhunter.com, www.libertycounty.org or through the Facebook fan page of either entity.

Andreshak is executive director of the Southeast Georgia Friends of Fort Stewart and Hunter.