Who Says There’s No Difference Between Democrats and Republicans?
Before you can fix anything you need to identify the cause of the problem. Whether it’s a car that won’t run or a basement that’s flooded, you cannot solve the problem until you figure out what’s creating it.
When it comes to this nation’s financial troubles, the source of the problem is pretty obvious. But apparently not obvious enough, as even some on the right are having difficulties locating it.
For lack of a better way of identifying them, I’ll call this specific group of free-market advocates the third party crowd.
This particular breed of conservative seems to believe that both parties are to blame for America’s fiscal woes.
Despite the political battles that we have witnessed just this year, these conservatives continue to cling to the view that both groups of Washington politicians are pretty much the same.
Unlike those on the left who have bought into the entire myth promulgated by the liberal establishment that Democrats are good and Republicans are bad, these folks seem to have bought into just the second part.
Sure, it goes without saying some Republicans are corrupt. And some Republicans love big government. But this notion that both parties are the same simply doesn’t hold up to a thorough examination of the facts. Honestly, the oversimplified view that they’re all responsible for this country’s fiscal problems doesn’t hold up to even a cursory examination.
A look at the congressional vote ratings conducted by National Journal and the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) clearly shows that these two political parties, at least at the national level, are anything but the same.
First a look at National Journal’s data:
Using a principal-component analysis (done by the Brookings Institution) of key votes, National Journal gives each member of Congress a percentile score along a liberal/conservative spectrum within three issue areas: economic, social, and foreign policy. These issue area ratings are then combined to form a composite rating. The composite ratings are available for each year since 1995 and it’s these ratings that I will be referring to here .
Amazingly, by excluding only 11 senators from this analysis the two parties become entirely separated over the entire 14-year period since 1995 (Jeffords, Hatfield, Heflin, Specter, Hollings, Collins, Snowe, Miller, J. Chafee, L. Chafee, and Ben Nelson). By excluding just six senators the two parties become entirely separated for all but four of these years (Miller, Jeffords, Specter, J. Chafee, L. Chafee, and Ben Nelson). If anything, the two parties are even more separated of late as the exclusion of two or fewer senators per year entirely separates the parties from ’03 to ’08.
In the House, despite the fact that there are over 400 members, the exclusion of 11 or fewer representatives per year entirely separates the two parties from ’02 to ‘08. By simply excluding five or fewer representatives for ’05, ’07, and ’08 the two groups become completely separated.
This is a reasoned analysis based on actual data, which one would think should sway the argument in favor of returning the Republicans to power to save the country from the overspending Democrats. The problem is the people are no longer interested in reasoned arguments and after TARP they have seen the feds true colors. I for one will not blindly support any party and/or candidate because the Republican party could have stopped TARP in its tracks, but instead bargained for better earmarks before passing the crooked banker bailout bill. If either party or candidate wants my vote then they are going to have to run on their record and be fiscally conservative. I am less concerned about social issues because if we continue to allow out of control government spending then we all will be in chains sooner or later. I agree that the average Republican is more conservative than the average Democrat, but when the chips were down they held out their palms to be greased just like everyone else. Country first is what matters and parties be damned.
Of course Republicans are equally responsible. This article seems to ignore the fact that not doing the right thing is as bad as doing the wrong thing. Democrats being far, far left doesn’t make it alright for Republicans to ride the fence.Their inaction is just as responsible for this mess as Democrat’s actions.The Dems are actively destroying this nation, it is indisputable fact; The Rhinos/current Republican party does not get a pass for standing by with marshmallows as they watch the flames climb the walls.
Your article entirely misses the point. When we say they are the same, we are not taking about voting record but the fact that most in both parties are SCUM, lying, money grubbing scum. And shockingly considering you would think it difficult to get elected, most are not that bright. Look at Boxer! Look at Sanford! There was a reason our founding fathers did not trust us to elect Senators…
“This article seems to ignore the fact that not doing the right thing is as bad as doing the wrong thing.” Untrue. Your moral compass needs re-alignment. Badly. The American people elected these crooks. THEY and their greed and short-sightedness are to blame. Americans have bought into the something-for-nothing creed the politicians have been selling, and have made themselves vulnerable to fraud thereby. Let’s face it, Americans WANT to vote themselves a living at others expense. Americans just want someone else to pay for it. Until we get back in touch with an understanding of government and human nature that is much more in line with that of our country’s founders, we’re going to have this class of problems. Want less corruption? Shrink government so there is less for the political class to buy and sell (this is what the fiscal conservatives forgot). Want less immorality? Government isn’t the right place to fix that. About all government can do is NOT provide subsidies for immorality (this is what the social conservatives get wrong). We’ve dumped the cost of our old age on our children through so-called social security, and we call that socialism good. The country has a lot to learn before we get better, morally or otherwise.
Mr. Wickersham:
While this is all fine and good the bottom line is that we no longer believe that either of the major parties are willing nor able to do what needs to be done. Over the past 40 years our federal government has grown way beyond any thing that resembles a democratic republic. Both spending and regulatory intrusions have gone well beyond the scope of the constitution and the consent of the people. We have crossed the boundary where the government no longer serves the needs and interest of the people but rather where the people have become subservient to the needs and demands of the government. Over the past 40 years we have seen an explosive growth in the federal government to the point where it now commands over 25% of the annual economic activity of the country and is seeking to take over even more.
We have now reached the point where we either completely surrender and become serfs of the state or we fight to take back our government. My choice is to fight. That means that I will only listen and support politicians who are willing to take on the size and scope of the federal government and bring it back into line with what the founders designed and which the Constitution still states. To that end I will support only those politicans who agree to:
REDUCE the SIZE of the federal government by eliminating wholesale departments and areas (such as Energy, Housing, Labor, Commerce and Education) where the federal government simply does not belong.
Reign in the regulatory behemoth to the point where it recognizes individual liberty and the rights of property
Use the savings from the downsizing of the federal government to pay off the debt. For nearly 200 years the values of the governed were that we did not pass our debts on to our children. That message has been lost over the past 40 years.
Once the debt is repaid – cut taxes so that the federal beast must stay on its diet.
Fix the Constitution in several areas – repeal the 16th and 17th amendments. Add a term limit amendment for congress and the federal courts. Also add an amendement to require election to the U.S. Supreme Court (our elected representatives have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted with this power).
This course of action will be painful but it is the only way we can regain control of our lives and our government. The alternative is to continue down that path of subservience to our once “elected” leaders. The choice is ours!
The scores only take into account legislation that is voted on. So the scale reflects the Washington conventional wisdom. But Washington’s conventional wisdom skews so far left that Republicans can score well just by opposing outright socialist initiatives. Where Republican would stand on more conservative/libertarian issues is not reflected in the scores. Where do Republicans stand on elimination of the income tax? Or elimination of the Department of Labor, or Energy, or Education? We don’t know because such issues never are raised in the legislative process.
When the bank gets robbed, the getaway driver who waited outside goes to jail with the stickup guys who went inside.
Send the Nelson Rockefeller Country Club GOP back to their Groton showers and the Demogoguics back to their Chicago sewers.
Bring in term limited Mr. Deedses to sunset all laws since 1900 and demand constitutional tests on each new law, to eliminate every “entitlement” and stop paying anyone to not work.
Screw the argument over who’s at fault — axe them all.
The fundamental difference between the two parties is their philosophy on economics: free market vs. socialist. (The Dems used to be Populists, but now they are frankly Left.) One assumes maximum personal freedom and responsibility, and the other assumes minimal personal freedom and responsibility. All other policies devolve from that basic worldview.
Unfortunately, relatively few voters–including Republican politicians, I am very sad to say–really understand that. Since the Dems don’t throw their own money around, but someone else’s, you could say their main political motif is bribery–literally, buying votes. You’d think that obviously base and immoral approach would be anathema, but you would be wrong. Voters like to be bribed.
I figured it out after 9/11, when I finally pulled my head from my bottom and spent some time studying the matter.
Soon Iran/NorKor will be selling container nukes on eBay, craigslist and Amazon. Bazaar for sure.
Meantime we have unfettered, clealry dangerous illegal entry because US borders remain unsecured. Why?
Charlatans – thieves. Supposedly, elected our politicians, gov’t bureaucrats and the judiciary are intellectually divided over the degree of openess? And over the inalienable rights of those breaking US law to be here? Wetback and terrorist alike.
One party supports open borders to deliver and sustain a cheap labor pool, while the other party covets that cheap labor for votes and welfare dependency. It seems to me that Republicans are stuck-on-stupid here; once across that cheap labor votes Democrat, whenever it can.
Far as I can tell, both parties are equally guilty of encouraging the slave trade. What else can we call it?
Both parties openly collude to create and maintain a permanent UNDERCLASS in the US.
Illegals worldwide are attracted, for whatever their motivations, by the apparent “openess,” then pretty much doomed to a bondage existance. Living in fear, poor, exploited and illegal doesn’t deliver the American dream to many. While it may be a far better existance than back wherever, their prospects begin and stay low by US standards. Many turn to crime.
Too many Repubs advocate private control of this slave trade, financed by contributors that intend to cheat the system by breaking multiple US laws. Graft. What else could explain such depravity? They claim to fight tooth&nail against the Dems, who advocate total government control, enslaving eveyone…and most sentient beings know where that leads.
Open borders are evil. They’re immoral and destructive on numerous grounds, independent of one’s political affiliation. What’s to debate? Ergo, all those in any way in favor of and/or facilitating and/or supporting illegal immigration, are complicit in the practice of slavery. Rent-seekers all.
BTW, did you know that 10 million folks were deported from US during WWII, when we had a fraction of the police, no ICE/Homeland Security force, a Border Patrol 1/20th the size, whilst 50% of our menfolk from 17-45 yrs. old were going off to war, and US needed to ramp up production of everything big time?
It may be time for conservatives (plus anyone else who can be enlisted) to draw some new battle lines for the upcoming fight to stop the on-going theft of freedoms and treasure. If the lines aren’t sharply divergent, it won’t be worth the fight for enough of the citizens needed to succeed.
Both parties. Donor lists matched to recorded votes on “immigration” matters. Discovery. Trials. Televised testimony. Minimum sentences = publically ostracized with permanent loss of any/all gov’t benefits. Loser pays court costs.
Besides I may soon be forced, along with 100 million other kulaks, to take my alloted place in the permanent UnderclasS. Imagine how bad conditions will become everywhere across the globe should the US falter. Can you say tsunami at every border?
In defining the terms of this argument there is a rather large hole in terms of what one describes as the “American fiscal mess”. The NTU and the author seem to take the generalization that all spending is wasteful. Grading government in this manner is simplistic and overlooks large expenditures such as the Iraq war and Bush’s Medicare part D which are big ticket items that received widespread Republican support.
The broader problem at this time is that from the Clinton Administration onward we have let Wall Street run unchecked. Neither political party has seen fit to reign in the hubris that allowed the tremendous leverage which caused this financial meltdown. While the NTU looks at the nickel and dime expenditures that are passed on to taxpayers, it does not reflect the untold damage caused by too little regulation in the mortgage and derivatives markets that has led to our current fiscal situation.
A properly functioning government should have taken steps to avert this crisis and eliminate the need for the TARP funds. On this issue both parties should hang their heads.
Nice attempt to blur the facts with statistics Mr. Wickersham.
While the Republicans may score well on average in your comparison it is the ones that are bringing the numbers down that are a problem. Its not the guys that are scoring 90%+ its the ones that are scoring 50% or lower. You also mention we have to exclude certain members, well the RNC supports them just as much as the more conservative people.
To me and many others its why the RNC won’t receive a penny until they dump these people and get some more fiscally conservative candidates. As far as socially conservative I’m not so concerned, however I’m not sure you can really separate the two as many of the socially liberal support social programs that are often costly and involve taking my tax dollars and giving it to those that don’t pay taxes, won’t work, and are looking to milk the system.
One cannot have Summer all year round;
We are in the Winter of economic discontent,
and may, or may not, have the resources
to last it out _IF_ we do not waste
resources on anything else.
As the Klingons put it:
“Only a Fool fights
in a burning house.”
Any CongressCritter who cannot or will not
change their behavior needs to be out of there.
Andy, you left out step One (1).
Identify and define the problem.
This is right out of Intro to Systems Analysis. You must have cut the second class. Are you a closet liberal? I ask because you then proceed to step 1 in your example. Which would indicate that you are aware that it is step one, you just assume everyone else is too.
I might be a little picky here but only because I used to teach SyAy 101 and it always annoyed me how liberals never could get things like a proper order down pat.
Almost made me believe in the psycho-babble about left brains and right brains. Almost…. Then I realized that P-Shrinks are all left brained.
In this case you have Identified the problem as the economy….I think.
Either that or you have a flooded car in your basement.
Cause and source ARE NOT the same thing. Cause creates an effect. It affects a situation. Source doesn’t always affect something. It can, but it doesn’t have to. Cause and effect is a physical/natural LAW ( not the sort Congress can change), present whenever an action is taken. The technical term is causality.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causality
While the theory of causality is under assault in physics, it is still an essential element of human behavior, which is the topic.
The problem is that the economy sucks.
The theory is that it sucks because the people responsible for it (Congress) have screwed the pooch. So to test that theory, the voters tossed out the last bunch of crooks (Republicans) and replaced them with a new bunch of crooks (Democrats).
The economy STILL sucks. If anything it is even suckier ( I’m not publishing or being graded so I can make up words as I go along. Just like the cute little bimbo on CBS, only with more body hair).
The basis of any experiment is that you change things 1 (one) thing at a time. Then compare to a control group. If the change has no effect, then you look elsewhere for the cause. If it does, then you worry about a source.
As is proven every day in the real world, changing parties DID NOT help the economy. Ergo as far as the economy goes, there is no difference between them.
FACT. As proven by the Experiments of November ’06 and ’08.
You can deny facts all you want, that doesn’t bother the facts, nor change them.
The source of America’s woes is corruption. The cause of that corruption is the enormous amounts of money the feds have. So much that they cannot keep track of it all. A few basis points of a trillions of dollars is still millions. Sometimes hundreds of millions. It is no surprise that so much money will attract crooks. Combine that with a government that rewards lying, cheating, and stealing and you have to expect what we are seeing now.
Normally one expects politicians to grab a few cookies from the top of the jar. After all, if they were honest, they wouldn’t be in politics. The situation today is that the Cookie Jar is empty. It’s empty because the politicians haven’t been watching out for the people that refill the jar. So now the politicians want to toss the jar on the floor and break it so they can fight over the crumbs.
What is needed is a make-over of the system. We can do it the legal way with a 5th amendment Constitutional Convention or we can have a civil war. Regardless, it will be the end of the Bi-party system as it exists today. The politicians don’t want that, we are talking about taking away their cookie crumbs.
Just show me one, just one, republican that has reduced the size and scope of the federal government in any meaningful way and I will believe they are not the same.
Just one.
I can’t think of any and I’ve been paying attention for a long time.
I can’t think of any states that have pared back their state level government under leadership of a republican either. Certainly not Utah where I live and they all proudly label themselves conservative republicans as they increase state government spending. Certainly not California under Schwarzenneger.
Reagan didn’t even manage to kill the federal department of education. Bush I didn’t even try to reduce government domesticly except in response to the end of the cold war – and that was more international than domestic. Bush II not only didn’t even try to reduce government domestically, he purposefully expanded it.
So tell me again why democrats and republicans are different?
One drives us over the cliff at 20 mph. The other drives us over the cliff at 60 mph. The differences are moot once you’re plummeting through the air to your death.
Except changing parties did have an effect on the economy- it made the economy worse.
As others have noted, neither wing of the Republicrat party has done anything to drain the ever swelling purulent boil that is the Federal Government.
As for the current economic crisis, one of the main problems is the “sub par mortgage” Carter may have lit the fuse on that one but three Republican presidents have served since and did nothing except the occasional CYA speech to stop it.
If you think the GOP stands for conservatism you probably also think WWL wrestling is real.
Recognizing that too many Republicans are bad is not mutually exclusive with understanding that Democrats are far worse. I’ll take the lesser of two evils. But it would be lovely to get a chance to vote for some “good” ones. We need another Reagan. And we need to roll back government — not just slow its cancerous growth. It would be even better if the Court would reassert itself by overturning its ridiculous farce of “interpreting” the power to regulate inerstate commerce to provide for unlimited power. Freedom itself should not be up for referendum every four years. That is why the Constitution expressly provides for a limited federal government. How about it Scalia? Our once free country needs some help buddy!
So? What’s the point?
Both the Republocrats and the Demopublicans are destroying this country. The only difference is that the Demopublicans are working faster.
#14 Richard – As to which Governors have shrunk their governments, I offer you Governor Palin. From literally putting crooked politicians in jail, to selling the private jet and canning the chef, to firing herself when she could no longer properly do her job, she shrank government while increasing its revenues. When you downsize yourself, you get my vote!
#16 JustAl – Bush 43 tried to stop the trainwreck, but it required Congressional action. He asked them more than 20 times to deal with Fannie and Freddie. In 2004, the Pubs in Congress tried, but the Damned Dems filibustered. This is one case where Bush can’t be blamed.
Bush also put real Conservatives on the Supreme Court. He tried to put them into all kinds of federal court jobs, but the Dems ruthlessly blocked his appointments. The process even got a name, “Borking”. (I don’t care what you think of Bork. I’m talking about the process.) And I like Bork. – “We are Bork. You will be assimilated!”
As to the article, the problem is the understanding of the political circle. I believe Conservatives are the center. To their right are the Libertarians (even smaller government), then the Anarchists. Everything to the left of the Conservatives are the Left (Big Government lovers). It goes: Moderate Pubs, Liberal Pubs/Conservative Dems; Moderate Dems; Liberal Dems; Totalitarians of all stripes (Socialists, Markists, reactionaries, Progressives, Islamists, etc….) It’s all about the size of government. Everything else flows from there.
al well and good as the saying goes. but as others have pointed out, it is often what they (the GOP) have NOT done. like right this very moment…the GOP strategy in the Senate, as expressed by John Kyl, is not to STOP this Health Care fiasco and fraud but to try and make it “better” with the right amendments. you can’t polish a turd, dear friends in the GOP! This bill must be STOPPED, in it’s entirety. THEYJUST DON’T GET IT! STILL!
This needs a pretty graph or it will never get traction. As if it would anyway, but a pretty graphic goes a long way towards convincing my barely literate liberal friends
Our daughters. A modern parable
A man and his wife were blessed by the birth of triplet daughters. With this blessing coming later in life, they named the girls Autumn, Summer and Winter. Amazed by the miracle they vowed to use all of their being to raise, educate and nurture their daughters.
Beginning at a young age they taught the girls the values: charity, courage, gratitude, honesty, hope, humility, moderation, respect, responsibility, sincerity, thrift and work. These life lessons were given with love and compassion.
The girls embraced these values with open arms and grew to become beautiful vibrant young ladies. As life would have it, a day came when the daughters announced that they were ready to go out on their own. They had decided to go in separate directions taking the values learned and make their own mark on the world.
Summer headed west, Autumn east and Winter stayed near home. On their own they begin to get a taste of the world. After a while, they each met a man, fell in love and looked forward to marriage. Before their weddings, the girls queried of their beloveds, the man’s feeling regarding the values they were raised upon.
Summer’s young man agreed that the values were nice and sounded good, but indicated more fun could be had if the values were ignored. Summer was conflicted, but love and lust overcame the value decision. She and her young man were married and began their lives to together. Together they set out to live the life of free spirit without responsibilities.
Together they begged, cheated, lied and stole to survive. As times became worse and need for money greater, Summer was given by her husband to other men for their pleasure.
Eventually, Summer’s husband grew tired of her, and in a fit of rage he beat her and left her to die. In a single grasp, Summer’s life had ended. The man and his wife never heard from Summer again.
On the other hand, Autumn’s young man embraced and declared his support for the values held dear to her heart. Proud Autumn called home and told the man and his wife about the nice man and their decision to be wed. Autumn and her husband began their life together and set to make a mark on the world.
Autumn’s husband got a job working for a powerful firm that provided them a good income. Autumn thought was life was good. Then there was a dire change.
Autumn’s husband began to ignore the values she revered. Unexplained sums of money were found hidden in the home. Mysterious phone calls were received in the middle of night. Meetings were held with people unknown to her. She found lipstick on his shirt collar.
Autumn confronted her husband, he denied any wrong doing. He said “You enjoy the benefits of my work. I do what I have to do to keep my job.” Autumn agreed and dismissed her concerns.
Later, Autumn awoke one morning feeling ill. She went to the doctor. After the examination, the doctor told her she had been poisoned. Autumn was aghast. Questions raced through her mind. How? When? Where? Who? The doctor told her the poison was placed in her food and that the tampered had occurred over a long period of time.
Not knowing what to Autumn called the man and his wife to seek counsel. Autumn was told by those that loved her, to leave her husband and never seem him again. Autumn argued with the justifications for keeping her husband.
Not satisfied with the opinion of the man and his wife, Autumn sought out the opinions of her friends. Each of them counseled that her husband was good, perhaps just misdirected and if confronted he return to the values Autumn cherished. Not thinking, Autumn failed to realize that her friends were her husband’s friend.
Once again Autumn confronted her husband and once again he denied any wrongdoing and said the he lives the same values. Autumn again gave in and accepted his explanations. Autumn did not know that her husband was actually lying about everything.
After a while Autumn, sensed things were still not right and began to investigate. She found that her husband had been lying to her. She confronted him once again. This time he grew angry, said he was growing tired of her accusations, beat her violently and left her for dead. In a single gasp, Autumn’s life had ended. The man and his wife never heard from Autumn again.
Winter’s young man , from a young age had been taught by his parents with love and compassion the values: charity, courage, gratitude, honesty, hope, humility, moderation, respect, responsibility, sincerity, thrift and work, shared the values Winter held dear to her heart. Winter returned home with her young man. The young man met the man and his wife, asked for the hand of Winter in marriage and received their blessing.
Winter and her husband lived a long prosperous live, while holding strong to the values: charity, courage, gratitude, honesty, hope, humility, moderation, respect, responsibility, sincerity, thrift and work. They too were blessed with the birth of triplet daughters. The man and his wife enjoyed seeing their daughter become a wonderful mother.
The question left by the story is why and is this truly a parable.
Looking further, and putting into our current context here are the cast of characters:
Man – Life
His Wife – Liberty
Their Marriage – The pursuit of happiness and the foundation of our nation
Their daughters – We the People
Autumn’s young man – Democratic candidates
Summer’s young man – Republican candidates
Winter’s young man – Unaffiliated candidates
I’m sorry, whatever you believe the Republicans have been doing to slow down the growth of gov’t, it has NOT BEEN GOOD ENOUGH. When they had both houses of congress + the presidency, they performed miserably. People have not forgotten that. If they want another chance, they should show that they understand what they did wrong the last time rather than offer up excuses like some school child (“but, he cheated worse than me”).
Well, all I can tell you is that Asians make me uncomfortable. It’s the minority thing, plus I don’t find it very glamorous. Does that make me different than a Republican?
Alaska has a small population (compared to its acreage) of rugged individualist types that also get a piece of the oil action as a direct subsidy to each and every individual in the state.
Under that sort of environment, a corpse could probably have pared back state government.
Still, it is to her credit that she got done what she did. However, look at how the republican establishment treats her and you see why I have equal contempt for republicans and democrats alike. Where are the Goldwater and the Reagan republicans today? The best they can come up with is Newt Gingrich? Fuhgettaboutit.
I don’t see anything in this piece that fingers why the Repubs were taken behind the woodshed in the 2006 & 2008 elections.
Selective vision has afflicted many people.
Two letters: BS.
You might as well have come up with statistics that show how Reed and Frank are better than Pelosi.
It is great that this article has brought out a lot of libertarian, small government sentiments. The Republicans have their own brand of advocacy and activism that can be as costly and liberty sapping as that of the Democrats. I agree with the first four commenters (Sandy Salt, Rob, Quaker and RKV) and many of the others: big, over-reaching government is the problem. Also, we cannot have a political system where the majority has a license to aggressively install their ideology in any way they see fit. Federal powers are enumerated and should remain so limited.
The Repubs had complete control for 8 years and spent like crazy while shredding the Constitution. I will not vote for any of them. But since the Dems are turning out to be spineless Repubs “light,” I can’t stand them either. The problem is, there is no one worthy of voting for. Palin is still a joke, as are most Republicans–the party of No plus tax cuts for the rich. And the Dems–just like all politicians–say one thing and do another. A pox on both their houses.
I kind of agree with #4 but to realize a goal of limited government would take a couple of generations to accomplish once that `process` is started. Therein lies the problem. Getting started. I`m not sure that could happen. Too many hands in the cookie jar. Too many chances for lawsuits by people who feel `entitled` to gov`n handouts. Too many people screaming racism.
Iamgine how less complicated our lives would be if we could abolish the Depts of Education, Energy, HHS, Homeland Security? We survived for more than 200 years without these gov`n agencies. We should also amend the Constitution to return to the states the choosing of our senators thereby making them more responsible to state gov`n and not federal gov`n.
Nothing good will happen as long as the federal gov`n has a hold on the public school system. Once kids are brainwashed there is no going back.
One more thing to add. As far as #13 suggesting we need a `new system` I cannot agree. Our `system` works fine. Our Constitution is the greatest government document ever written. The three branches of gov`n with its checks and balances works fine but has been corrupted by the people we send to do our bidding. What could be better than checks and balances? Our system works fine if we let it work and adhere to our constitutional principles. Communism and Socialism certainly don`t work. Human beings don`t want to be controlled and shouldn`t be controlled. This does not mean we cannot have an orderly society but full gov`n control from cradle to grave is unacceptable….
#29 sharonsj – You sound like a disaffected Dem. Perhaps I can clarify a few things for you, vis-a-vis your statement about the Republicans. I believe in the platform of the Pubs, but not their actual behavior. Still, they’re not all bad.
The Pubs did NOT have “COMPLETE CONTROL” for 8 years. They had a slim majority in both houses of Congress for 6 years.
The spending went up after Bush was elected. One of the first things Bush had to do was an emergency appropriation for the military of $600B, because it had been gutted during the Clinton years. Then, 9/11 happened. Good thing the military had started rebuilding by then. Spending went way up after that, for Afghanistan and Homeland Security. Necessary things. I think they didn’t do enough, as they never sealed the damned border.
Spending increased consistently about 7% per year in Bush’s first six years, including the aforementioned and the Iraq War. When the Dems took over in November of 2006, spending increased about 10% per year for the next two years, but it all got put on Bush and the Pubs. Much of the previous spending had much to do with the Dems as well, as Bush gave them things so he could get his war funding.
I WISH the Pubs were the Party of No! This would make them adults. Adults frequently use the word, “No!” We wouldn’t be in this mess if the Pubs were better at saying “No!”
I’m for tax cuts for the rich. What do the rich do with all their excess money? They either spend it on luxury goods, which otherwise would have no market (less economic activity), or they re-invest it into the economy to make even more money, and thereby grow the economy. Either course grows the economy.
The wealthy people create the wealth, because they know how. We have two alternatives: We leave the money in their capable hands, and let them grow the economy; or, the government takes their money, and grows the government. Sharon, which do you think is the best course?
I have my own economic theory I call, “+1, 0, -1, -2, -3″:
Money in the private sector is +1. It creates more wealth.;
Money used in the government for very necessary things like military and infrastructure is 0. The money is spent for worthwhile things, but they are not wealth producers. Infrastructure creates some wealth, but also creates a long-term cost commitment for maintenance, as does the military.;
Money used by government for other things is a -1. It creates no wealth AND creates a long-term expense.;
Money used by Big Government programs becomes a -2, because it is so prone to waste, fraud, and abuse. This is because, after some point, the numbers cease to have meaning and become just numbers. People can’t wrap their heads around certain size numbers.;
These large programs also tend to expand and increase government’s power. It leads to even more graft and corruption, and curtail our freedoms, as well. This is the -3, as the programs take on a life of their own.
I could go beyond -3, but it becomes pointless by then, as Liberty and Wealth are destroyed, and economics becomes meaningless.
We have moved to -3. Tax hikes on the rich have happened. The currency has been debased (another form of tax). Borrowing (another form of tax) and spending are out of control. Money is not being invested in the private sector, into the economy, because government is borrowing it all, vacuuming up all the excess capital needed for business. Banks aren’t lending, because they have very little left beyond their own needs of keeping themselves solvent.
Implementing further governmental takeovers like HealthCare and Cap-n-Trade will move us beyond -3. Liberty and Wealth wil be destroyed. This is what Dem control truly looks like, Progressivism in all its inglory.
There ARE some really good Pub lawmakers. Flake of AZ has never taken any pork or requested earmarks. Cantor is really good. Sen. Kyl is just great. Many others. Many have real, solid, private-sector experience. Coburn and Barraso are the only two doctors in the Senate, both good Pubs. Many doctors in the House, mostly Pubbies. There are some other professions represented in both houses, again, mostly Pubbies.
The further Right you go, the more private-sector experience you tend to find. Conversely, the further Left you go, the more career political hacks you find. Kucinich of OH could not hold a job. He was a bum, living in his car many times, unable to find work despite his (communications) degree. The only consistent employment he has been able to find is in Congress. Is it any wonder he’s a Marxist and just HATES Capitalism? The only work he can find is in government. This guy helps write our laws? God help us!
The Obama administration has the very worst record, by far, of any administration as regards to non-academic, private-sector experience. They demonstrate how wrong was Aristotle. We have a complete administration full of philosopher-kings.
When I went to work Inside The Beltway in 1988 a quote I read soon after arriving there still rings true:
“If the Democrats proposed in a bill to burn the US Capitol to the ground the Republican counter proposal would be to accomplish the action in a series of small fires rather than one major conflagration.”
So it is not just what the Republicans do on their own, it is their inherent resistance to saying that Democrat proposals are insane, criminal, and evidence of recreational drug use while on the job.
The Republicans seem to have so much respect for the institutions of government – perhaps due to their Blue Blood roots – that they abhor the idea of any lack of decorum – such as stating the other guys are moonbat nazi socialist scumbags, even when it is obvious that the Dems not only are such but are darn proud of it. Sen McCain is a perfect example of that limitation.
When the cards are stacked against you and it is obvious that the other players are all cheating it is best to recall the fact that a Smith and Wesson beats four aces. And then kick over the table.
The best thing for the Republican National Committed would be to state that for all future elections their initials stand for Repeal, Nullify and Correct and say it loud and clear.
They all gotta go. I for one would prefer that they left wearing tar and feathers
Well,the Fox is in the Hen House, do any of you really understand that? Maybe you have to be one of the Millions unemployed for months to understand that? Whos more at fault for the mess we’re in? Every Freakin one of them. This hasn’t happened overnight. It’s not Rocket Science. Nafta,WTO,Cafta,so-called Free Trade, Trading with Communist Countries in the name of Globilization? WRONG, its all in the name of the New Constitution which is for the Profit, of the Profit and by the Profit. Problem figured out!