Strike The Root: Revolution? What Revolution?

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February 16, 2005

Revolution? What Revolution?

If the history of the Republican revolution were being written today, a single overarching question would have to be answered: Whatever happened to the promise of smaller government?

That question was asked again last week, when President Bush unveiled a $2.57 trillion budget for 2006, the largest in the nation's history. The cuts he called for, in areas like veterans' medical care, farm subsidies and vocational training, were met in Washington with doubts that they would ever get through the Republican Congress. . . .

"The era of big government being over is over," declared Marshall Wittmann, a senior fellow at the Democratic Leadership Council, a centrist Democratic research organization. That would certainly seem to be borne out in the record of the Republican revolutionaries, known as the "Class of 1994" for the year they were elected. Of the 30 who are still in the House of Representatives, 28 hsponsored bills in the last Congress that would have increased government spending overall, according to the National Taxpayers Union, an antitax group.

Read the whole story here. It might be a good one to send to your conservative friends who still think the GOP is on their side. (Of course, the war on Iraq probably trumps all with them, but it's worth a shot.)

Here's a good graphic that demonstrates the failed Republican Revolution even more vividly. (Thanks to the Mises.org blog for this link.)

Posted by Mike Tennant at February 16, 2005 10:05 AM

Comments

The standard argument from them is the old "lesser of two evils" cannard. "Yeah, that's true, but..if the Liberal Democrats were in charge then ...." kind of thing. What do you tell 'em then Mike? Just askin'
:)

Posted by: Ali_Massoud at February 16, 2005 12:42 PM

Tell them, "Evil is evil, regardless of degree."

Posted by: Roger Young at February 16, 2005 03:01 PM

Also, one could mention the following: (1) The budget has grown by 1/3 in the last 4 years, when the GOP controlled both Congress and the White House. (2) Spending under Bush and a GOP Congress has risen at twice the rate it did under Clinton and a GOP Congress. (3) Spending under Bush and a GOP Congress has risen at rates not seen since LBJ was the prez. Not even Carter and Clinton, when they had Democrat-controlled Congresses, could spend as much as the Republicans have spent under Bush. Of course, I still maintain that none of this will get through the skulls full of mush who think Limbaugh and Hannity are great Americans who stick to their principles, especially as long as the GOP continues to make war on defenseless, nonthreatening foreign countries. I still think it's worth a try just the same.

Posted by: Mike Tennant at February 16, 2005 03:52 PM

February 16, 2005

Revolution? What Revolution?

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