The sequester, which kicks in Friday, is a very confusing concept, even to a lot of adults. But it is simple really. Republicans and Democrats could not agree on the solution to reducing our country’s borrowing and lowering the 16 trillion dollar deficit. The deficit is the difference between the money we take in and what we spend as a country. As a compromise, both sides agreed to a plan put forth by President Obama to force automatic cuts in spending. The Democrats thought the Republicans would agree to tax increases in order to protect the military. But the Republicans agreed to cuts in military spending instead. The Republicans have even agreed to raise taxes on Americans earning $400,000 a year. The Democrats agreed to the plan because they were trying to prevent wholesale changes to entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. The problem now is neither side likes the deal very much and neither side wants to be blamed when the cuts kick in.