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Now that GOP controls Congress, hold onto your wallet, Libertarians say
lp.org ^ | 11/7/2002 | lp.org staff

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.”


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: borrow; spend
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To: copycat
re: msg #26

...Eliminate just a few programs...

No program eliminations are being proposed.

41 posted on 11/08/2002 7:51:05 PM PST by winner45
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To: general_re
Because the figures cited in the article are in real figures, not as a % of GDP. Both ways of viewing them are correct.
42 posted on 11/08/2002 7:51:11 PM PST by rb22982
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To: Liberty Teeth
re: msg #29 by Liberty Teeth

As for the going along for the ride thing, your proably right.

43 posted on 11/08/2002 7:54:51 PM PST by winner45
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To: rb22982
The first (and most obvious) objection to simply pointing out that the budget will increase by X dollars next year is that such a statement is meaningless unless one adjusts for inflation to obtain a true comparison to last year's budget, or to budgets of ten/twenty/thirty years ago.

There is a method to the madness, here, after all - the way you kill a fire is by starving it of fuel. Cut taxes, and spending cuts will follow along soon enough...

44 posted on 11/08/2002 7:55:58 PM PST by general_re
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To: bray
Depends on what you define as social conservative. The drug war was started by liberals (WW, FDR started; Bill Clinton arrested more people than any other president for drugs). Not all libertarians are pro choice, and anti-border control (including me). As for things like prostitution, that is so way down on the list of things to accomplish I really don't care as long as we aren't spending a fortune on policemen trying to regulate it. Basically the short of it is, as long as you aren't spending a fortune and ignoring the 10th amendment, libertarians would MUCH rather focus on economics.
45 posted on 11/08/2002 7:57:23 PM PST by rb22982
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To: truth_seeker
Harry Browne cost this minor party a lot of credibility.

The Libertarian Party is puting a disclaimer on their Presidential Candidate.

It appears even HE has faults the Libertarians can't tolerate.
I wonder who will be their perfect man

From the link below.

"While Harry Browne supports the Libertarian Party and the American Liberty Foundation, his views are his own and do not represent the official policies of either organization. There are Libertarians who disagree with Harry Browne's position on the "War on Terrorism" and on other topics."

Harry Browne

46 posted on 11/08/2002 7:58:59 PM PST by Spunky
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To: winner45

Moral-cowardice says: "If I be nice to evil, maybe evil will be nice to me."


The French learned the hard way that Chamberlainesque appeasement and toleration of evil doesn't work.

47 posted on 11/08/2002 7:59:13 PM PST by Cultural Jihad
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To: general_re
True, but inflation hasn't been 6-10% in quite a long time.

There is a method to the madness, here, after all - the way you kill a fire is by starving it of fuel. Cut taxes, and spending cuts will follow along soon enough...

I agree, and if we get more tax cuts Ill be right there to applaud. I'd prefer spending cuts right along with them.

48 posted on 11/08/2002 7:59:58 PM PST by rb22982
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Comment #49 Removed by Moderator

To: Aarchaeus
Whiners can only lash out at the 'stupid' winners. LOL!
50 posted on 11/08/2002 8:05:03 PM PST by Cultural Jihad
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To: Hank Kerchief
You git 'em, Hank. Remember what Patrick Henry said:

. . . it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the numbers of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth, to know the worst, and to provide for it."
51 posted on 11/08/2002 8:05:51 PM PST by Iconoclast2
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To: rb22982
True, but inflation hasn't been 6-10% in quite a long time.

True, but the outside world sometimes conspires to require more spending of us than we'd otherwise prefer - we haven't had a pressing need to ramp up defense spending over the last ten years like we have lately, for example.

I agree, and if we get more tax cuts Ill be right there to applaud. I'd prefer spending cuts right along with them.

As would all of us, I am sure. But politics is the art of the possible, as has been noted, and it's much easier to sell tax cuts than it is to sell spending cuts, for obvious reasons. But when you cut taxes, eventually you're faced with the prospect of raising taxes, or cutting spending - and cutting spending is easier to sell than raising taxes ;)

52 posted on 11/08/2002 8:06:06 PM PST by general_re
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To: Roscoe
"The LP offer a solution to budget/government growth problem.

Wave their magic wand?"

Thanks for posting this response. It is a perfect example of what sensible libertarians are up against: So many people, Dems and Repubs alike, are so programmed that they are no longer capable of rational thinking. Thanks for making it so abundantly clear to everyone!

53 posted on 11/08/2002 8:08:59 PM PST by Aarchaeus
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To: sinkspur
re: msg #33 by sinkspur

...sex-drugs-and-rock-n-roll...

SDR&R is not what the LP is about. Here's link to the LP platform.

http://www.lp.org/issues/platform/platform_print.html

sinkspur, you seem to be hung up on ending the war on drugs and legalized prostitution.

Here's a link to the Cato studies on the drug war.

http://www.cato.org/current/drug-war/index.html

As for Legalized prostitution or sex between consenting adults see

http://www.princeton.edu/~progrev/99-00/n1_bl.html

54 posted on 11/08/2002 8:09:08 PM PST by winner45
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To: general_re
True, but the outside world sometimes conspires to require more spending of us than we'd otherwise prefer - we haven't had a pressing need to ramp up defense spending over the last ten years like we have lately, for example.

If it was all defense spending, I wouldn't say a word, but like the DoE got like an 11% increase in spending this year.

As would all of us, I am sure. But politics is the art of the possible, as has been noted, and it's much easier to sell tax cuts than it is to sell spending cuts, for obvious reasons. But when you cut taxes, eventually you're faced with the prospect of raising taxes, or cutting spending - and cutting spending is easier to sell than raising taxes ;)

With all 3 branches, and if the GOP picks up seats in 2004 like I think they will, I will expect spending cuts (or MASSIVE tax cut) or I'll never vote GOP again at the federal level until they do so. So basically they have my vote till 2006, by then they must earn it. I'll vote LP or CP after that if they don't. I hope to be voting GOP in 2006.

55 posted on 11/08/2002 8:10:12 PM PST by rb22982
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To: winner45
...Eliminate just a few programs...

No program eliminations are being proposed.

As far as you know...

56 posted on 11/08/2002 8:12:01 PM PST by copycat
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To: Aarchaeus
You stupid idiot! Totally incapable of thinking, are you?

I can think perfectly.

John Thune would be a Senator today if not for Libertarians.

Libertarians help Democrats.

57 posted on 11/08/2002 8:13:43 PM PST by sinkspur
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To: sinkspur
John Thune will be Senator in three months if the GOP asserts its power righteously, and does not wimp out.
58 posted on 11/08/2002 8:15:17 PM PST by Iconoclast2
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Comment #59 Removed by Moderator

To: Mark
When has ANYONE ever listened to a Liberteen?
60 posted on 11/08/2002 8:17:29 PM PST by Libloather
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