Posted on 09/24/2008 7:12:34 PM PDT by ikeonic
"To a true fiscal conservative, tax cuts don't matter much, and neither does the national debt. That is because the real problem is spending. Even the best and most necessary public spending comes with a harrowing price: the percentage of a nation's goods and services controlled by its government is the percentage of freedom and independence taken from individuals and given to politicians. Currently, just at the federal level, that's about 18 percent of your life. " [note: it was 18 percent in 2000 when O'Rourke wrote this.. now it's more like 19.5 percent and climbing]
"Government spending diverts wealth from the brilliant, if somewhat erratic, intelligence of the free market to the absolutely reliable stupidity of the political arena. But while politicians may be stupid about spending, they are very sharp about how to finance their expenditures. Government can pay its bills with tax money, run up a budget deficit or print more cash, creating inflation. Inflation hurts the saver, deficits hurt the investor, taxes hurt the earner, and all three are usually the same person: you. "
(Excerpt) Read more at modernconservative.com ...
Ba-dum-bump! Thanks, everybody, I'll be here all week. Try the veal.
McCain has very good record on cutting spending. Have you been hitting the bong tonight?
When Hell freezes over. Obama a "fiscal conservative?" universal health care, billions of U.S. tax dollars to Africa? I don't think so.
Go stir the pot at KOS where you belong.
McLiberal is to the left of Bush. The one party cartel wins no matter who wins.
get lost junior.
If you liked Jimmy Carter, you'd love Obama.
Heaven help us all!
mccain supports reforming all the entitlements. He was against the medicare expansion when many of the ‘conservatives’ were for it. He has even gone after wasteful projects in the defense budget.
While he talks a lot about earmarks, don’t be fooled into thinking he just wants to cut a few million around the edges.
I say this not because I’m on mccain’s rara! team but because his record on spending is just so clear.
McCain has very good record on cutting spending. Have you been hitting the bong tonight?
I agree with you but you're preaching to the choir. The question is, how do we convince fiscally conservative Democrats that McCain isn't another supply sider who spends money like it grows on trees... you know, Bush! Deficit hawks who supported Clinton think Bush is proof that the GOP if full of it on controlling spending. This article tries to make the case... but I want to know what else could we argue to make the case that McCain is NOT Bush when it comes to spending. Or would someone care to defend Bush's spending record? :)
mccain supports reforming all the entitlements. He was against the medicare expansion when many of the ‘conservatives’ were for it. He has even gone after wasteful projects in the defense budget. ... I say this not because I’m on mccain’s rara! team but because his record on spending is just so clear.Bingo! My thoughts exactly. This is what McCain must hammer over and over again. Obama can dazzle everyone with his BS about a middle class tax cut (still waiting for Clinton's middle class tax cut) but when it comes to spending, McCain has an actual record he can brag about. But he has to sell, sell, sell and get people to believe he's the only one serious about reining in spending.
I think that PJ is wrong, politicians want to spend. The amount they can spend is the sum of whatever they can borrow + whatever they can tax.
The financial markets will ultimately disciple the borrowing; and it’s up to fiscal conservatives to say no to new taxes.
Obama is already on the record supporting multiple big tax increases - which will only get larger once they get into the congressional process. I’d say he’s not the choice for fiscal conservatives.
Do you take the liberal in box #1 are do you take the liberal in box #2 ?????
McCain has my vote locked up but 18 percent of likely voters are still undecided or uncommitted according to a recent AP-Yahoo News poll.
18 percent. Those are people McCain has to convince that he’ll spend less than Obama, tax them less and defend our country better... not to mention prevent the Great Depression Part Deux. They are the swing voters.
mccain only talks about the popular spending cuts in the abstract. Once you get specific and talk about cutting popular programs, all the special interests go nuts and gang up on you. That’s why it’s so hard to be a conservative. you have to say no to everyone and somehow win an election.
He knows that tax cuts have to be paid for with spending cuts. He knows that expecting the Laffer Curve to give us increased federal revenues when you cut the top marginal tax rate from 40% to 35% is the stuff of fools.
Tax revenues grew after the Bush tax cuts but they would have grown anyway. The true reason to cut taxes is not because you believe you will get more revenue, but because we should not take more from hard-working taxpayers than is absolutely necessary to fund the operations of the government.
So with the exception of “Bush fought for entitlement reform”, would anyone care to defend Bush’s record on spending? Or should we just throw Bush under the bus at this point and promote McCain’s record on spending?
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