Posted on 12/09/2003 8:46:30 AM PST by Ron H.
Running for president in 1968, the late Alabama Gov. George Wallace liked to say "There's not a dime's worth of difference between the Democrats and Republicans." Today's Republicans have proved him right. But there is a good deal more than a dime involved.
Turns out Republicans are spending just as much or more than the traditional tax-and-spend Democrats did during their best years, as evidenced by the House's approval Monday of a $373 billion omnibus spending package, that would finance most government domestic programs. It spends, spends and spends.
The facts speak for themselves.
Total federal spending has grown a whopping 16 percent since 2001, with 55 percent of that additional spending unrelated to the Sep. 11 terrorists attacks and the war on terrorism, according to Brian M. Riedl, a research fellow with the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Riedl reports federal spending has increased over the last four years from $16,000 per household to $20,000 per household, the highest level since World War II.
Pork projects have ballooned from under 2,000 five years ago to 9,362 in the 2003 budget, amounting to more than $23 billion, Riedl concludes. This includes $725,000 for the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, $200,000 for the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, $80,000 for the Hot Springs Bike Trail in Arkansas and $180,000 for work on the Farmers Market in Dallas.
And the pork funding has taken a new twist. Instead of Congress funding grant programs for federal agencies, governors and mayors, who would in turn make federal fund awards based on need, Congress now is more likely to bypass the agencies and governors and specifically earmark funds for local projects. People seeking federal grants can no longer simply file grant proposals to unbiased agencies. Now it is best for them to hire a Washington lobbyist to get funding.
Conservatives have a point. Republicans generally have not proved to be better watchdogs over the tax dollars of hard-working taxpayers, and in a time of ballooning deficits.
The House spending package now goes to the Senate, where it will probably meet a lot of opposition -- not for less spending, but in reordering what to spend tax dollars on.
Meanwhile, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic and arguing about where they should be put.
It's worse than sad.
Hey, buddy, I'm getting worried about you. Your comments on this thread are even more weak than usual with no significant refutation of the statements, just criticism of the source. Debating with you on this one isn't even fun....JMO.
How did conservos say "screw you" in '92?
And are you saying the GOP wasn't conservo back then?
No they aren't. However at least with opposite parties occupying Congress and the White House they may not be as free to spend my grandchildren's money, and their grandchildren's money. Of course I wait expectantly to hear how a waste of $400 billion is conservative
That's the Democrat field and only one of them will get the nomination.
There are many differences, but none of them in fundamental philosophy of governance.
Which is of course, not my point. My point is we should be striving for a real choice and I will not vote if I have to choose between two people who represent precisely the opposite of what I believe should happen.
Get back to me when either the name of hitler or stalin are on the ballot.
The thing I can state, IMO, is that Dean is closer to stalin or hitler than Bush is.
I hear ya loud and clear man. What pisses me off the most is listening to people our age claim how great "free" medical care is and how dare we even consider privitizing S.S. Wonder what tune they'll be singing 30 years from now.
And giving ted kennedy his way is?
Through the 'education' bill? Now which Republican President signed that?
Perhaps, but they do not acknowledge that they suck. But they do sell two things to people depending on who the people are.
If you are a Democratic voter normally, they try to out Democrat the Democrats.
And if you are normally a Republican voters, they try to scare you into staying on the reservation. Both work on people who don't think things out.
And why is the NEA having fits over the bill Bush signed.
The SBA budget has been slashed pretty heftily. They have laid off employees. New loans have been put on hold. Absolutely no purchases of new equipment or office furniture.
As to the 'lots' others, I'm sure the original poster of that statement will get back to you on what he/she meant. I was only speaking from personal experience.
Just because you can doesn't mean you should, Rep or Dem it is still stealing my income.
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