Posted on 08/07/2009 3:28:37 PM PDT by Stephen Colbert
Well, I can't say I disagree with you.
Blow out!
Third party means divide the conservative vote, giving your guy the victory again.
No, thanks.
Beat it A hole, no one could be worse than Obama.
Dang, dude, looking at that chart just ruined my apetite.
If only you had joined before the last election!
Btw, love seeing you on Comedy Central, although now that I think of it, I haven't watched that channel in years.
It really is hard to believe...(those are estimates, the real deficits will be much worse).
When was the last time you bathed?
Like Socialist Party?
Communist Party?
International Green Party?
Worker's World Party?
Socialist Worker's Party?
First, neither Reagan nor Bush the elder had a Republican congress. (Reagan had a Republican Senate for six years) Bush the Younger had a barely Republican Congress for about half of his two terms.
If the population and the economy are growing, if previous entitlement programs make certain expenditures completely impossible to control (e.g. government pension programs, veterans commitments, interest on the national debt), then yes, the spending may not go down in absolute numbers.
It has been said that Reagan was relatively indifferent to deficits, because his proposal of a $90 billion budget cut, in 1976 dollars, cost him the Florida primary and therefore the nomination. It didn’t help in 1980 when the military’s preparedness was completely sacrificed by J.E.C. Also, some thought that it would be better to expend political capital on tax cuts, rather than spending cuts, because the deficits themselves would ultimately prove a check on spending (until the current W.H. occupant decided that trillion dollar checks were worth writing.)
When did spending come under some control? Under Grahm-Rudman, under Newt Gingrich’s House. Under a Clinton that had lost his Congress due to his own performance and had to act more carefully.
While the spending never actually went down in absolute dollars, it really did go down as a portion of the GDP. SPENDING ORIGINATES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Unfortunately, Bush the Younger didn’t want to keep the brakes on, won on promises to spend (No Child Left Behind, Medicare Prescription benefits), and finally felt obliged to spend a lot on restructuring large chunks of the government after 9/11, and of course the wars, which requires spending if you are going to do it at all. Finally, the autumn financial crisis scared him again, and spending money and making financial commitments was the fastest and easiest (though not best) way to address that.
Up until Bush the Younger, who was given a couple of pretty tough challenges, you see LESS spending, and more responsibility from the Republican Congress, Reagan and even Bush the Elder (save the S&L debacle, which I believe was due to the ill conceived TEFRA act.)
Throw all career politicians out.
Ron Paul knew where the press and money was. He was an RINO. Libertarian running as a Republican.
Meanwhile the Libertarians ran Bob Barr as their candidate. How well did he do?
Whew.....
.....Do you feel better now?
Can’t spell Reagan. for one thing...
This guy is going to make Carter look like Barry Goldwater. In a race for worst president in half a century he’s starting to leave Jimmy Carter in his tail lights.
And to think we used to listen to this guy every night. Can’t abide him or his pal Jon Stewart. They’ll be stuck in the Comedy Central universe for the rest of their careers, hopefully.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.