The Rebirth of the Republican Party (Cheney, Republicans, conservative, president)
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Nice set up guys, but I could say the same for the Democratic party being taken over by the EXTREME left lunatic fringe. Now can we hear someone who really understands conservatism?
To partly address your concerns, in 1910 the total fed/state/local government spending was about 8% of total US GDP - today it is about 36%. So today's government is about 4.5 time larger than it was 100 years ago. Of course many of the programs in place today (social security, Medicare, etc) represent a tectonic shift in the way that our government interacts with the governed, and our use of the military to play world policeman is totally different today, so this GDP comparison has kind of an apples/oranges look to it.
Matching the size of government to the size of GDP (which is a surrogate marker for population growth) is a reasonable way of looking at it, but it is an incomplete approach. Many things have changed over the last 200 years, not just the increase in population. Qualitative changes in lifestyle have also occurred. An example is that people are living longer due to advances in science and technology. In the 1700s and 1800s, it was uncommon for people to live beyond 60 years old. Today, it is very common to see people live to their 90s. These are people who are no longer economically productive, hence are totally dependent on family, government, or both for sustenance. And since Americans are having fewer and fewer children, many old people have no children to speak of that will support them. That leaves the government as the only safety net they have.
I have yet to see small government conservatives address these issues intelligently besides launching into boilerplate attacks against "big government"- loving socialistic Democrats.
Matching the size of government to the size of GDP (which is a surrogate marker for population growth) is a reasonable way of looking at it, but it is an incomplete approach. Many things have changed over the last 200 years, not just the increase in population. Qualitative changes in lifestyle have also occurred. An example is that people are living longer due to advances in science and technology. In the 1700s and 1800s, it was uncommon for people to live beyond 60 years old. Today, it is very common to see people live to their 90s. These are people who are no longer economically productive, hence are totally dependent on family, government, or both for sustenance. And since Americans are having fewer and fewer children, many old people have no children to speak of that will support them. That leaves the government as the only safety net they have.
I have yet to see small government conservatives address these issues intelligently besides launching into boilerplate attacks against "big government"- loving socialistic Democrats.
This sounds more like an argument for social security and social responsibility than for the progression of greater government.
However, those who favor smaller government often do so because when the sovereign (the people) cede to the government greater responsibility for social and behavioral safety nets, the sovereign is then at the whim of the quality of its government and its own lessened liberties to decide for the individual self in exchange. What happens when one allows a government to control the manner in which all aspects of society are managed and that government fails to preform or execute its duty on behalf of the people because it is corrupt?
The continual urbanization of America is killing the Republican Party. If you look at an election map; this phenomena is clearly evident. The whole state will be red except for a few counties, yet it goes Democratic. I do not see this trend changing. Also, increasing Hispanic migration to America will put the nail in the coffin. They control everything now-the presidency, the congress, the lower and middle courts, the media, most of the big foundations, Hollywood, and of course the bureaucracy.
There is a psychological reason for this. Moderate and conservative people are not generally drawn to public service. They generally work, raise families, mind their business, and do not worry about politics and social issues. People on the Left are quite the opposite. They suffer from a psychological condition in which they think the world must be perfect or function as they see it. They are therefore more likely to be drawn into advocacy groups, legal professions, politics, etc. etc. They dominate the public sector disproportionate to their numbers, and usually out of step with the majority of the population. It is the "we got to do something about this" personality. There is government solution to every problem. Perpetual do-gooders. This is why government is inherently bad and malicious. This is why free democratic societies are vulnerable to left-wing dictatorship. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I urge you to read Eric Hoffer; he touches on this topic.
I am sure I will be flamed like no ones business for this post. Before you do just realize that I am one of these psychologically warped people. I am a super idealist who thinks the world should be exactly like I think. It gives me great depression if it is not. I see a political message in EVERYTHING. The only difference is that I recognize this flaw, and can therefore deal with it. That is why I am a Libertarian. Government must be kept to a minimum. Left wing ideals can not compete in the free market of ideas. That is why they must be crept in through government mandates and court action. Most people who vote Democratic have no idea how left-wing and fascist the party has become. Mobocracy rules the day. Quit calling them liberals. We are the true liberals. There is nothing liberal about a leftist!!
I am a great believer in the need for at least two credible political parties. I have been tremendously saddened these past years watching the once proud Republican Party reduced to the direct opposite of what it once believed. There was a time when Republicans stood for less government and keeping government out of people's private lives. They also stood for no intervention in foreign affairs except in times of national emergency and the necessity of keeping American business providing American jobs.
Then the Neo Cons took over the party and gave us the largest growth of government in our history. They began intruding in people's private lives and trying to legislate people's private lives. They became the all war all of the time party. They began providing tax incentives to companies that took American jobs out of the country. Instead of the party of steady growth and planning they became all about short term profit and no planning. They have not only destroyed the Republican Party, they have destroyed the country.
But I see light at the end of the tunnel. As the intelligent, responsible, honorable members of the Republican Party have begun to speak out in droves against what has become of their party, it appears that, at long last, the grown ups are ready to take over the GOP once again. I hope they do. I do not always agree with the Republicans....nor do I always agree with the Democrats. I think that different times in history call for the strengths of the Republicans and other times in history call for the strengths of the Democrats. We need both to be robust and viable. I think the only place for the neo cons in history is on the ash heap. They can serve as an object lesson to future generations of what can happen to a great country when meaness and greed is encouraged to flourish.
I've was a Republican from the Nixon days up til 2003. Bush lying us into that unnecessary quagmire in Iraq was the last straw.
I will not under any circumstances even consider voting Republican again unless and until the totally divets the party of the braindead "religious right." The radical religious element has ruined the GOP.
I've was a Republican from the Nixon days up til 2003. Bush lying us into that unnecessary quagmire in Iraq was the last straw.
I will not under any circumstances even consider voting Republican again unless and until the totally divets the party of the braindead "religious right." The radical religious element has ruined the GOP.
To expand on my comment above:
While most Republicans revere Reagan and consider his election to be the rebirth of the Republican party his glaring flaw, which has been slavishly repeated by Republicans ever since, is a love of deficit spending and trickle-down economics. Both are farcial failures and anathema to true conservatism. Add to that the fact that the fascist neo-cons and the religious right ‘we want to control your life’ idiots have pretty much dictated policy ever since, culminating in the disastrous Bush II reign, and you can see why the Republican party is heading out to the political woodshed for an extended stay. If they are stupid enough to run Palin in ’12 they will stay out there for quite a bit longer.
Handle money responsibly, keep the peace, limit the size of government and stay out of people’s lives. This is what the Republican party should be about, not what it has been about since 1980.
The continual urbanization of America is killing the Republican Party. If you look at an election map; this phenomena is clearly evident. The whole state will be red except for a few counties, yet it goes Democratic. I do not see this trend changing. Also, increasing Hispanic migration to America will put the nail in the coffin. They control everything now-the presidency, the congress, the lower and middle courts, the media, most of the big foundations, Hollywood, and of course the bureaucracy.
There is a psychological reason for this. Moderate and conservative people are not generally drawn to public service. They generally work, raise families, mind their business, and do not worry about politics and social issues. People on the Left are quite the opposite. They suffer from a psychological condition in which they think the world must be perfect or function as they see it. They are therefore more likely to be drawn into advocacy groups, legal professions, politics, etc. etc. They dominate the public sector disproportionate to their numbers, and usually out of step with the majority of the population. It is the "we got to do something about this" personality. There is government solution to every problem. Perpetual do-gooders. This is why government is inherently bad and malicious. This is why free democratic societies are vulnerable to left-wing dictatorship. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I urge you to read Eric Hoffer; he touches on this topic.
I am sure I will be flamed like no ones business for this post. Before you do just realize that I am one of these psychologically warped people. I am a super idealist who thinks the world should be exactly like I think. It gives me great depression if it is not. I see a political message in EVERYTHING. The only difference is that I recognize this flaw, and can therefore deal with it. That is why I am a Libertarian. Government must be kept to a minimum. Left wing ideals can not compete in the free market of ideas. That is why they must be crept in through government mandates and court action. Most people who vote Democratic have no idea how left-wing and fascist the party has become. Mobocracy rules the day. Quit calling them liberals. We are the true liberals. There is nothing liberal about a leftist!!
Oh yeah, the neocons have got to go!! Let them go ruin the Democratic party.
I am a great believer in the need for at least two credible political parties. I have been tremendously saddened these past years watching the once proud Republican Party reduced to the direct opposite of what it once believed. There was a time when Republicans stood for less government and keeping government out of people's private lives. They also stood for no intervention in foreign affairs except in times of national emergency and the necessity of keeping American business providing American jobs.
Then the Neo Cons took over the party and gave us the largest growth of government in our history. They began intruding in people's private lives and trying to legislate people's private lives. They became the all war all of the time party. They began providing tax incentives to companies that took American jobs out of the country. Instead of the party of steady growth and planning they became all about short term profit and no planning. They have not only destroyed the Republican Party, they have destroyed the country.
But I see light at the end of the tunnel. As the intelligent, responsible, honorable members of the Republican Party have begun to speak out in droves against what has become of their party, it appears that, at long last, the grown ups are ready to take over the GOP once again. I hope they do. I do not always agree with the Republicans....nor do I always agree with the Democrats. I think that different times in history call for the strengths of the Republicans and other times in history call for the strengths of the Democrats. We need both to be robust and viable. I think the only place for the neo cons in history is on the ash heap. They can serve as an object lesson to future generations of what can happen to a great country when meaness and greed is encouraged to flourish.
LML thanks for reiterating what I've been saying for months. I'll add we also need 3rd party candidates with a real shot at the brass ring. The more statesmen debating the more likely the issues will have diverse solutions.
We NEED old school republicans desperately to balance the scales but from every which way I looked they appear to be extinct. I tried to mention this in numerous threads to get republicans to wake up only to be attacked by said neocons drunken on I ME MINE, trash talk, hatred, and self righteous ignorance. When I look at them I see the american version of terrorists operating within our political spectrum. They thrive in climates of misinformation and fear and they only mean to perpetuate it indefinitely. Such is the state of right wing media not beholden to telling the truth about the merits of their position vs what we see on FOX news or NRA slogans having god sort em out. Do these media outlets and organizations represent the republican party? For all intents and purposes they ARE the republican party for the past decade.
I tested out to be a centrist. I think all sides have valid points but forcing one philosophy or religious practice on the whole nation that contradicts our constitution (the same piece of paper that allows these groups to exist at all) is akin to deleting your operating system. This nonsense, our nation held hostage by loudmouth extremism, WILL end. If they cannot be respectful to allow room at the table for all to co exist peacefully then they've lost their right to be at the table. Go sit by your dish!
Centrists tend to be fiscal conservatives (AKA tightwads). This does not mean, however, that I mean to see SSI insolvent. Neocons are fiscal liberals using both credit card policies and elevating taxes on the middle class to subsidize corporate welfare. The most ironic part of the bigger picture going on is corporations don't pay taxes because they simply shift the new cost of doing business to the consumer directly. This would include their golden parachutes when they rush to market defective product and get rewarded for bankrupting a company. Eroding consumer protections is good for the economy? Long enough to cash the check maybe.
That said, the difference between dem tax plan and republican tax plan came down to how many times over I'd have to pay the same CEO. Once for dems with consumers eating elevated prices, or 4 x's with republicans by eating the elevated prices PLUS no consumer protections (voided warranty) PLUS corporate welfare PLUS compounding interest on the national debt. How many generations are americans willing to sell down the river with short sighted fiscal incompetence? Every inch of ground gained paying off that debt during clinton years was squandered and then some during 'low taxation years' of republicans (which were factually higher for me!). Tax and spend republicans???? Since Reagan, yes indeed they are. Republicans, the time to stop lying to yourselves is now.
Own a home only if you can buy it outright when the prevailing rules of real estate, property tax valuations and finance are a forced march to indentured servitude. The illegal immigrant plan made more sense than anything republicans were offering. The american dream is now possible only if you're skilled enough at dodging charlatans from every direction backed up by toothless enforcement agencies after the embrace of deregulation to it's extreme.
Three cheers for bail outs after they've dined well all these years. Laissez faire policies only apply when its the OTHER guys neck in a noose? The 'blue' states you'd rather see drown by flood or drown by bogus utility rates? Try to remember who your brothers are next time around. This remains ONE COUNTRY despite your haughty attitudes and blatant disrespect for the constitution.
LML thanks for reiterating what I've been saying for months. I'll add we also need 3rd party candidates with a real shot at the brass ring. The more statesmen debating the more likely the issues will have diverse solutions.
We NEED old school republicans desperately to balance the scales but from every which way I looked they appear to be extinct. I tried to mention this in numerous threads to get republicans to wake up only to be attacked by said neocons drunken on I ME MINE, trash talk, hatred, and self righteous ignorance. When I look at them I see the american version of terrorists operating within our political spectrum. They thrive in climates of misinformation and fear and they only mean to perpetuate it indefinitely. Such is the state of right wing media not beholden to telling the truth about the merits of their position vs what we see on FOX news or NRA slogans having god sort em out. Do these media outlets and organizations represent the republican party? For all intents and purposes they ARE the republican party for the past decade.
I tested out to be a centrist. I think all sides have valid points but forcing one philosophy or religious practice on the whole nation that contradicts our constitution (the same piece of paper that allows these groups to exist at all) is akin to deleting your operating system. This nonsense, our nation held hostage by loudmouth extremism, WILL end. If they cannot be respectful to allow room at the table for all to co exist peacefully then they've lost their right to be at the table. Go sit by your dish!
Centrists tend to be fiscal conservatives (AKA tightwads). This does not mean, however, that I mean to see SSI insolvent. Neocons are fiscal liberals using both credit card policies and elevating taxes on the middle class to subsidize corporate welfare. The most ironic part of the bigger picture going on is corporations don't pay taxes because they simply shift the new cost of doing business to the consumer directly. This would include their golden parachutes when they rush to market defective product and get rewarded for bankrupting a company. Eroding consumer protections is good for the economy? Long enough to cash the check maybe.
That said, the difference between dem tax plan and republican tax plan came down to how many times over I'd have to pay the same CEO. Once for dems with consumers eating elevated prices, or 4 x's with republicans by eating the elevated prices PLUS no consumer protections (voided warranty) PLUS corporate welfare PLUS compounding interest on the national debt. How many generations are americans willing to sell down the river with short sighted fiscal incompetence? Every inch of ground gained paying off that debt during clinton years was squandered and then some during 'low taxation years' of republicans (which were factually higher for me!). Tax and spend republicans???? Since Reagan, yes indeed they are. Republicans, the time to stop lying to yourselves is now.
Own a home only if you can buy it outright when the prevailing rules of real estate, property tax valuations and finance are a forced march to indentured servitude. The illegal immigrant plan made more sense than anything republicans were offering. The american dream is now possible only if you're skilled enough at dodging charlatans from every direction backed up by toothless enforcement agencies after the embrace of deregulation to it's extreme.
Three cheers for bail outs after they've dined well all these years. Laissez faire policies only apply when its the OTHER guys neck in a noose? The 'blue' states you'd rather see drown by flood or drown by bogus utility rates? Try to remember who your brothers are next time around. This remains ONE COUNTRY despite your haughty attitudes and blatant disrespect for the constitution.
The continual urbanization of America is killing the Republican Party. If you look at an election map; this phenomena is clearly evident. The whole state will be red except for a few counties, yet it goes Democratic. I do not see this trend changing. Also, increasing Hispanic migration to America will put the nail in the coffin. They control everything now-the presidency, the congress, the lower and middle courts, the media, most of the big foundations, Hollywood, and of course the bureaucracy.
There is a psychological reason for this. Moderate and conservative people are not generally drawn to public service. They generally work, raise families, mind their business, and do not worry about politics and social issues. People on the Left are quite the opposite. They suffer from a psychological condition in which they think the world must be perfect or function as they see it. They are therefore more likely to be drawn into advocacy groups, legal professions, politics, etc. etc. They dominate the public sector disproportionate to their numbers, and usually out of step with the majority of the population. It is the "we got to do something about this" personality. There is government solution to every problem. Perpetual do-gooders. This is why government is inherently bad and malicious. This is why free democratic societies are vulnerable to left-wing dictatorship. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I urge you to read Eric Hoffer; he touches on this topic.
I am sure I will be flamed like no ones business for this post. Before you do just realize that I am one of these psychologically warped people. I am a super idealist who thinks the world should be exactly like I think. It gives me great depression if it is not. I see a political message in EVERYTHING. The only difference is that I recognize this flaw, and can therefore deal with it. That is why I am a Libertarian. Government must be kept to a minimum. Left wing ideals can not compete in the free market of ideas. That is why they must be crept in through government mandates and court action. Most people who vote Democratic have no idea how left-wing and fascist the party has become. Mobocracy rules the day. Quit calling them liberals. We are the true liberals. There is nothing liberal about a leftist!!
I see a symptom of a greater problem in your statement. I see the problem because I've had the privilege of being invited to every community out there- urban, suburban, and rural. Rich and poor. Privileged class, working class, and muddled class.
I see the problem because I'm a centrist open to all sides of the political spectrum. I personally agree with much of what libertarians have to offer, but what matters more is that all political parties remember that all positions in the spectrum exist to address a single angle of a problem. The most cost effective solutions happen when we all put our two cents in from all directions and come up with solutions that cover the most ground without undermining the constitution. Just because you can't see where they're coming from doesn't make THEM ignorant. It's quite the opposite.
Religious right concerned with who's holier than thou, and now libertarians concerned with who's more liberal! What's the point of standing rigid as a tombstone entrenched in self righteousness? Do try to remember this is one american family, and there is no single right way that's appropriate for all. This means that citified solutions don't work for rural communities and vice versa. This means there's a time to listen to religious right and left wing, but don't presume they've got the best proposal to everything.
The best of both worlds is government solutions having a consistent goal of enabling people to be as self sufficient as possible and move away from welfare systems that only encourage compliance with futility. Muddled class I'll have you know exists in every social strata out there. They're addicts (sometimes living off a family annuity quite well), they're plagued with other forms of mental illness, often lacking formal education, they live in crime ridden neighborhoods and don't believe the law is there for them so they're more likely to take the law into their own hands wrongfully. Generational poverty that offers them no alternatives in a nation of abundance. Which parties add or remove ladders giving them a way up or at least shuts down their excuses? Not the libertarian party.
I agree with republicans on some issues, dems on other issues, and libertarians quite often. The reason I'm not registered libertarian is because they're intent on the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law. Our founders could not have imagined cities the size we've made them, putting a man on the moon, a diversity and a digital age beyond their wildest imagination. We have to use the same documents and apply them current tense. Freedom of speech is protected, but not when you're yelling fire in a crowded movie theater causing a stampede. The right to bear arms to defend yourself is guaranteed, but they could not predict the mass arsenals a single human being is capable of now. Abuses of eminent domain, I'm with y'all 100%.
The documents were meant to breathe and grow to serve us all, not to become another shackle placed upon us all begrudgingly. Libertarian party is a bit too hard core on tradition, and I believe we can honor our traditions and heritage without suppression of innovation or expounded interpretations.
Your own language, very first sentence, laments civilization. That same civilization afforded you with the ability to post your words in a blog for millions to read. There's a price, a compromise, for all things. Spend your dime wisely and your laments will be few. Complaining that others embrace civilization fully isn't very libertarian of you. I don't have a problem with idealism as much as I have a problem with people stuck in that stage. To manifest a dream you have to take the crucial next steps of investing yourself in solutions and following through with pragmatism. Aiming for perfection furthers excellence, but expecting perfection always seems to defeat the best of intentions before they ever get off the ground.
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I don't have a problem with idealism as much as I have a problem with people stuck in that stage. To manifest a dream you have to take the crucial next steps of investing yourself in solutions and following through with pragmatism. Aiming for perfection furthers excellence, but expecting perfection always seems to defeat the best of intentions before they ever get off the ground.
