Do fiscal conservatives even exist anymore?

[Costco1]

Why does it feel like real fiscal conservatives are an endangered species?

The current US economic climate is an unsustainable disaster caused by the idiotic policies of not just the Biden administration but trumps as well.

When trump took office the deficit was somewhat manageable, and trump proceeded to exploded 500% (increased by trillions)in 4 years. Trumps idiotic reckless spending is not somehow less damaging than bidens idiotic reckless spending just because he is on your team. Trump and Bidens economic policy is the equivalent of maxing out your credit cards getting payday loans and a reverse mortgage buying a new Benz and a Rolex while bragging about how much money you have. It only looks good to someone with not even a surface level understanding of economics. We have done that but on the national scale, creating an inevitable economic catastrophe and kicking it down the road while hoping that when it goes off the other side will get the blame for something that both sides are just as complacent in.

Even before covid trump was exploding the deficit.

Trump took office with 500 billion deficit and left with a 3000 billion one, even if you take out the COVID spike he still was in the process of doubling it.

If you want more trump don’t pretend to be a fiscal conservatives, you support big government spending and deficits as much libs do. At least they are honest and open about it and don’t run on getting spending under control

The economic policies of Biden and trump are both to blame for the mess we are in.

But try to Explain how I’m wrong and fiscal conservatism is a 500% deficit increase in 4 years and that didn’t lead us towards the economic disaster facing us now with Biden following the same script.

[Jonty30]

Unfortunately, quite extinct amongst the political set.
Not amongst the average American

[jarwulf]

I don’t think its fiscal conservatives specifically that are rare its small government conservatives that are rare. Small government and libertarian conservatives mostly exist as a significant force in America and even here they’re not that popular on the national stage. Outside its mostly big government social conservatives or moderates vs big government leftists.

[Lurkinanloomin]

Congress only passes continuing resolutions now.
He shouldn’t have signed them.

[Jim Noble]

With no constitutional money and virtually all consumption procured by rampant usury - what would a fiscal conservative, you know, conserve?

[Theoria]

'Do fiscal conservatives even exist anymore?'

They never existed. Welcome to FR.

[Obadiah]

Fiscal conservatives? Sure, personally. But for government? Honestly, it seems like that ship has sailed. Thirty Trillion in debt and I see no way out - at all. At this point everybody with a hand on the government printing press simply want to keep on printing.

Thirty Trillion in debt and we just gifted Ukraine $40 Billion. What budgeted account did that come from?

[nickcarraway]

Good question.

[Renfrew]

This is another thing we need to thank Bush II for.

He lived by the maxim that voters don’t care about deficits as long as you keep them happy with gifts.

[PGR88]

No, you are correct.

But at this point, the only other alternative to massive debt, money printing and constant deficits is collapse.

I say bring it on, but we all know the DC permanent deep state will go full Bolivia before they allow that.

[rintintin]

“ The economic policies of Biden and trump are both to blame for the mess we are in.”

Did you speak out in opposition to the Bush-Cheney invasion of Iraq?

If you didn’t not a fiscal conservative and please be quiet.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

There were some attempts to draft bipartisan legislation to rein in the deficit. I believe Sen. Alan Simpson led one of these efforts. Also the Tea Party originally started out as a "good government" effort but got sidelined by libertarians and social conservatives.

Trump is a populist and populists are not known for being cost conscious when it comes to new programs.

Even if we got a fiscally responsible President what is he gonna do as the number of seniors increases while the number of working age taxpayers decreases?

Even Keynes would disagree with our current policies as he only believed in deficit spending during recessions, not every year.

[nickcarraway]

LOL. I bet less than 25% of that $40 billion goes to Ukraine. Maybe less than $10 billion. It wasn’t for Ukraine, it was just an excuse to get back some of what Manchin nixed.

[rintintin]

The invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq by Bush-Cheney has cost more than $3 trillion. If you didn’t oppose that invasion, you have no business lecturing about “fiscal conservatism”

[nickcarraway]

So you are a proud socialist?

[nathanbedford]

Trumps idiotic reckless spending is not somehow less damaging than bidens idiotic reckless spending just because he is on your team. Although both Biden and Trump spent under pressure, Trumps spending is different from Biden's spending in the following respect: Trump combined his spending with measures to offset the debt by increased GDP while Biden, to the contrary, combined his spending with measures calculated to constrict GDP.

For example, Trump cut taxes and cut regulations. Biden is a regulations monster who constricted the economy, especially in oil patch, and made it impossible to swim out of the hole dug deeper by the spending.

Further that spending that was required to ameliorate the Covid shutdown can be justified under Trump as occurring at a time when we simply did not know what we were dealing with and when the data, especially as it was trumpeted by WHO and Fauci, panicked the world-except evidently Sweden-and made spending virtually mandatory.

In contrast, the Covid spending under Biden came at a time when the evidence began to show that shutdowns did not work, that Sweden had been right, and were were not worth the cost. Long after the threat dissipated, Biden pushed through an additional $1.6 trillion in more spending.

While both presidents deserve some blame for the spending binge, at least Trump presented a plan to deal with it, to grow the economy to compensate, whereas Biden simply ignores it and, worse, actually and incomprehensibly pretends that more spending cures the problem.

[Observator]

We exist. :) But yes, a dying breed.

[SACK UP]

The difference is that Trump had a growth agenda hence normal rates of inflation. Biden has a regressive agenda hence shrinking economy and exploding debt. 7 trillion in the first year after we werrke on the other side of the pandemic. It’s fine if you don’t like Trump but you don’t need to mischaracterize or downright lie about it.Trump never ran on the debt whereas your buddy Bush ran on debt and proceeded to explode it.

[rintintin]

Most Freepers supported the Bush-Cheney invasion of Iraq. Opponents of the invasion were always flamed and often banned. Fiscal conservatism on Freerepublic died at that time, 20 years ago.

[Secret Agent Man]

Rand might be more budget conscious