“State governors and legislators are engaged in growing conservative government, but myopic conservatives can only see Washington politics. Conservatives need to devote time and energy to local politics.”
Bravo. You are exactly right. There is another reason why conservatives need to engage at the local and state level: The coming failure of the federal welfare hammock.
For the reasons stated previously - we cannot, at least at the national level, manage to elect leaders (of either party) that will take the steps necessary to rein in deficits, much less repay debt. Fact is, it probably won’t happen - at least to the degree necessary to prevent the failure of the welfare state.
So when the checks don’t show up, it is the state and local governments that are going to have to figure out how to take care of those that are truly needy. That’s going to be a tough job given how dependent we’ve become as a nation on socialist federal entitlements.
But to the subject of the thread - at the national level, the criticism of Romney Ryan is as correct as it is ridiculous in expectation of implementation of actual effective conservative policies at the federal level.
The good news, as you point out, is at the local and state level where the stupidity of overspending is less possible over the long term.
Your entire post is exactly right. But this is the overarching issue here, and in a way really is the subject of the thread. Ryann cannot introduce a plan that would immediately privatize Medicare.
Greater than 50% of our population has come to expect and rely upon govt entitlements. This includes GOP voters. And they all vote. Ryan may envision an incremental approach toward a mkt based system...that's only conjecture on my part. But do we have enough time? As of right now, unless something unforeseen economic upturn, it's dubious.