A question for Conservatives - How do you respond to this?

This article is five years old, but it's still extremely relevant and brings up perhaps the most important point in defining 21st century party lines.

"Conservative" Bush Spends More than "Liberal" Presidents Clinton, Carter

www.cato.org...

If you know anything about the Cato Institute, you know it's a libertarian think tank focused on small government and decreased spending. They're about as unbiased towards Republicans as you can get.

The "small government" party has been spending far more and increasing the size of government far more than the "big government" one. Do I see a repeat of the Woodrow Wilson years?

I think it's ripe time for true conservatives like Ron Paul to come in and take over the old, decrepit GOP that has lost all sense of what it used to stand for.

reply to post by evanmontegarde


If you read the constitution, only Congress can spend money. Yes, Bush "has spent" more. He has spent more because we at war. This is a no brainer. Remember 9/11 and Iraq?

Originally posted by mabus325
reply to post by evanmontegarde

 

If you read the constitution, only Congress can spend money. Yes, Bush "has spent" more. He has spent more because we at war. This is a no brainer. Remember 9/11 and Iraq?

You mean the TAX PAYERS have spent more because of the STAGED war. The STAGED war that benefited Cheney and Halliburton.....This my friend is the no brainer.

The Constitution was written for a government by consent of the people.

Bush does what he's told to do and he follows orders from whoever.

As far as I can tell neither political party has anything to do with consent of the people any longer, they just do whatever they want for their friends.

Isnt that called nepotism?


sarc

reply to post by evanmontegarde


My response as a conservative?

Its absolutely true and there's no excuse for it. Most conservatives are quite angry that the Republican party acted just like Democrats, perhaps even worse, when they gained control of both Congress and the Presidency.

reply to post by vor78


Absolutely. I've been disgusted with the Republicans for years. They are not Conservative, no matter what they say.

In fact, all signs point to the idea that the party is looking to cut the Conservatives from their base. At least that's how they act.

I don't even call myself a Republican anymore....just a Conservative.

Originally posted by vor78
My response as a conservative?

Its absolutely true and there's no excuse for it. Most conservatives are quite angry that the Republican party acted just like Democrats, perhaps even worse, when they gained control of both Congress and the Presidency.

Agreed 100%. I think this is what most conservatives will tell you. Being that Bush did such a bad job fiscally, it makes me wonder what a liberal in his position would've done. We'll never know for sure, but it's possible that Gore or Kerry would've put us into an even deeper hole.

Originally posted by BlueTriangle
Agreed 100%. I think this is what most conservatives will tell you. Being that Bush did such a bad job fiscally, it makes me wonder what a liberal in his position would've done. We'll never know for sure, but it's possible that Gore or Kerry would've put us into an even deeper hole.

I really hate to sound offensive, but do you know how absolutely idiotic and typically "conservative" that last sentance of yours is?

I mean really, when you look at the numbers, the real numbers, the greatest increases in the national debt and deficit spending, since World War II, have occurred not durring Democratic Presidencies, but durring specifically, the Reagan, HW Bush and W Bush Presidencies. These are the politicians who's pundits and policies put forward the idea that "debts don't matter," and that "Reaganomics" or "Trickle-down Economics" actually work, and that is what has put us in the hole that we're in...the spending spending spending.

To say "oh, well, Gore or Kerry would have put us in an even deeper hole," its laughable...and you want to know why its laughable? Because the vast majority of the debt, especially in the past 8 years, has not been accrued because of social programs such as Welfare of Medicare or Medicaid, which is what the Democrats tend to put more money into, it has been accrued because of the various military campaigns and wars that the Right, espcially Reagan, HW Bush and W Bush, have thrown our troops into...as well as the deregulation of major business in the US...

Now, what is a major criticism of the Democrats? ...lets think... Oh yes, they are always trying to cut the military budget, which, let us not forget, is larger than all the other nations in the world combined...meanwhile, as far as what I have read, there are an aweful lot of Republicans who would rather simply cut spending by making the troops that have fought in those military campaigns jump through hoops, on one leg because the other was blown off by an IED, in order to get compensation...meanwhile, a as Democrats try to put together healthcare plans for Veterans, they get shot down and Vetoed...

So, anyway, the point becomes, how can the Democrats dig America into a deeper hole than we're already in, because an oncomming Recession/Depression is about as bad as it can get, especially when that recession/depression is largely caused by the overspending on war a war and the military which, according to legend, the Democrats traditionally underspend on?

What I'm saying is that one cannot justly hold onto archaic ideals of fiscal responsibility/irresponsibility applied to each party when the traditional belief is the opposite of what contemporary history has statistically proven to be the case. At least, that is according to my personal opinion.

(end of counter-rant...again, its not directed personally at you, but merely a statement I think is incredibly silly and typically misguided)

Granted, they're all a bunch of lying cheats...but...

[edit on 23/7/08 by madhatr137]

Bush is not a conservative! He never was and he never will be.

take it or leave it.