Posted on 11/08/2002 5:55:01 PM PST by winner45
November 7, 2002
Now that GOP controls Congress, hold onto your wallet, Libertarians say
WASHINGTON, DC -- Now that Republicans control both houses of Congress and the presidency, Americans should brace themselves for an era of skyrocketing federal spending and ballooning budget deficits, Libertarians say.
“Our prediction is that with a GOP Congress egging him on, George Bush is going to make Bill Clinton look like a fiscal conservative,” said George Getz, Libertarian Party communications director.
“Even when Republicans controlled only one house of Congress, Bush managed to sign the first $2 trillion-plus federal budget, throw more money at Clinton-era programs and propel the deficit toward outer space. With complete congressional control, expect Bush to go on an absolute spending rampage.”
As GOP officials celebrate their resounding victory in Tuesday’s elections, in which Republicans expanded their House majority and reclaimed control of the Senate, the White House is reportedly planning to “roll out an ambitious legislative agenda.”
Unfortunately for taxpayers, Libertarians say, that agenda won’t include a reduction in government.
“Bush’s $2 trillion budget is already scheduled to expand by 6 percent this year,” Getz said. “Moreover, social welfare programs under Bush have grown by $96 billion in just two years, versus $51 billion under six years of Clinton, according to economist Stephen Moore of the Club for Growth.
“Bush’s budget also includes a number of Clinton-era programs, such as Americorps and the ‘Gore tax’ on telephone service – not to mention more money for socialized medicine, government-run schools and farm welfare.”
Now that Bush has more members of his own party in Congress, Americans should expect the spending binge to continue, Getz said.
“Since no newly elected Republicans have pledged to eliminate any Bush programs, it’s clear that two more years of George Bush equals two more years of bloated federal spending,” he said.
Another predictable result of a Republican-controlled Congress, Libertarians say: higher budget deficits.
According to figures from the Office of Management and Budget, Bush is now running a $106 billion deficit, Getz pointed out.
“Since every government program has to be paid for somehow, the president has simply chosen deficit spending over outright tax increases,” he said. “In either case, taxpayers get stuck with the bill.”
That’s why the only thing that happened on Tuesday is that a few tax-and-spend Democrats were replaced by borrow-and-spend Republicans.
“Now that Republicans have won control over the federal government,” Getz said, “it’s time for Americans to start scrambling to regain control over their own wallets.”
The Libertarians continue to sink into insignificance.
If the republicans grow fed budget/power/intrusion/draconian trampling of the BOR, then the Libertarians may not be so insignificant.
Here is the Libertarian recipe for unhappiness: "If only everyone thought as I do, then I would be happy."
Why would ANYONE get their shorts in a kink over a SPECULATIVE CONCERN FROM A LIBERTARIAN?
I don't know. Why would they? Unless, they know in their hearts that the LP piece, despite being a jab, has the ring of truth to it. After all the truth is a hard thing to take sometimes.
Static analysis again? Bush tax cuts will cause more revenue to flow into the Treasury. Eliminate just a few programs, and voila, no more deficits.
Try not to embarrass yourself.
Talk about a sure thing.
Lots of people want to dump on the Libertarians...it is so easy to do. As a political party, they are hopeless, but I see nobody wants to deny what you claim. Is it because they know it is true, regardless of who says it?
Or just lower your expectations and go along for the ride.
In reality, I hope the best for the RP - hopefully someone within their ranks has the guts and a convincing argument for small government. This is a huge opportunity.
While not taking issue with your msg #8, I'd like to point out that Browne's and the LP positions on 9/11 come from the notion that if the USA was configured in accordance with the LP paradigm then 9/11 would not have happened, for the sepecified isolationist foriegn policy would have prevented the US from recieving the ire of the jihadi-crazies. Further Browne and the LP assume the lack of income taxes and onerous regulation (courtesy of the USFG) would be more than sufficient stimulus to supercharge the ecomonic engine that is the US economy so that waves of imigration would be absorbed. Without a WAR on Drugs, crime related to the drug black market would abate while local govs would be better able to provide police services to their communities, and State budgets would not be strained by massive corrections departments. The resultant aire of LIBERTY and Prosperity would be infectious. Thus benefit to mankind would be disseminated.
There are valid arguments in favor of the LP positions regarding the War on Drugs and Open Imigration. The policy positions are not a waste of time as many Cato studies attest.
A good and relevant post.
Foolishness is drowning oneself in humanist ideology.
It beats the alternative.
Don't kid yourself. Republicans could be caught in a mass orgy on the House floor, and they'd still pull more votes than the sex-drugs-and-rock-n-roll Libertarians.
Under either Republican presidents or Republican Congresses, federal spending as a percentage of GDP has been generally declining since 1985, and is currently at it's lowest level since about 1965 (18.4%). Upon what, exactly, are these predictions of rampant spending increases based, since it's clearly not the historical record?
Federal Outlays, 1962 to 2001 (As a percentage of GDP)
Source: Congressional Budget Office.
Wave their magic wand?
No magic, just hard work.
Oh, did I forget to say that the Libertarian Party is stupidly naive?
Pray for GW and the Truth
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