Posted on 04/25/2006 9:49:30 AM PDT by Reagan Man
Why is it sad that incompetent and harmful people are removed from positions where they do harm?
How in the world could you forget that there is a war going on? Well, so have many Congressman who continued to spend as if a ton of money wasn't needed for the WOT. Even Bush seemed to forget it for six months last year. But to give the devil his due, IF it were not the expenses associated with the war in Southwest Asia, we would have a balanced budget.
The difference between Newt and Bill is that Newt grew up on one side of the Mississippi and Bill on the other.
the American people WILL demote them back to minority status.
Sad, but true.
Why is it sad that incompetent and harmful people are removed from positions where they do harm?
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Good point on my statement. I suppose the sad and true part for me is they failed to rise to the challenge of leading this country.
The Republican Party is a coalition of liberals and conservatives. Unhappily without the votes of the liberal Republicans north of the Mason Dixon line, the party does not control House of Senate.
Well, the RINOS have managed to give it back to the RATS in short order. As of late, I can't tell the difference, so why bother.
Newt, the Contract With America was a BRILLIANT idea...should be repeated....and STOP making nice with Hillary!
Contract with American can not be repeated because of the "fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice shame on me"
Uh, you forgot the /S. /S
Maybe, some of you should actually visit the border before piping in. There are miles of fences now. There are very dedicated Border Patrol agents at work night and day covering thousands of miles of border.
Right. Reagan didn't reduce the overall size of the federal government. Reagan worked on a set of policy priorities that shifted federal spending from welfare entitlements to national defense. Not only did Reagan reduce the welfare state, he significantly reduced discretionary spending. Especially in his first term. Reagan did all this with a Democrat controlled House. Bush has a GOP controlled House, yet he can't reduce the welfare state like Reagan did. Bush did promote and signoff on the largest welfare entitlement program since Medicare itself was signed into law by LBJ. The new Bush trillion dollar Prescription Drug Program joins Social Security and Medicare, as the biggest boondoggles in the history of the federal bureaucracy. In keeping with Bush`s liberal spending habits, expansive government and no vetoes. Bush has shown he has no idea what fiscal responsibility is all about. Not to mention, Bush is no conservative.
The best way to make the RINOS irrelevant is to elect more conservatives. With three more senators from other states, New England could be allowed to secede and join Canada.
Bush has cut taxes, as Reagan did.
But, unlike Reagan, he has never raised taxes once, much less twice.
Pardon me for butting in here, but the current call to pragmatism among Republican loyalists is, in this case, profoundly unpragmatic.
It's simply a fact that the party has, with the illegal immigration issue, piled on the straw that has finally broken the base's back.
A personal anecdote: every two years, my Republican club opens a headquarters for GOTV and various pre-election turnout type tasks. This year, what we, and others in the area are hearing is "No thanks. Not this year. The President and the liberals in the party have gone too far, and I'm not only staying home for GOTV, I'm staying home, period." Now, you might disagree with that, but it's a fact the party has to either deal with, or lose big.
Right now, it looks like the plan is to lose big. Personally, I think this will result in More Bad Things than if the Republicans stayed in power, but politics is the art of the possible, not the ideal. The president has a tin ear on immigration, and the party, and the nation, will suffer for it.
I've always liked Newt, but he doesn't place the emphasis where I think it belongs.
The key to smaller government is lower taxes.
Not because the government will have less to spend -- they've ignored deficits before and they'll continue doing so -- but because high taxes engender a feeling of entitlement. If taxes were low, people wouldn't expect so much from government.
Taxes at all levels of government total 30% of GDP. For the largest group of taxpayers, they notice taxes in little bites and their reaction is different from the minority of high-earners that see their taxes go in huge bites. I think the constant stream of small taxes spread over everyday activities -- small state sales taxes, property taxes paid through escrow accounts, paycheck witholdings, etc. -- is just enough of an irritant to most people to actually make them think, "I'd better get something back for all these taxes."
The smaller group, that sees the bulk of their tax dollars going out in large chunks -- via quarterly income tax payments, or large percentages of their pay withheld. These are the people that see the taxes as more than an irritant, but they are too few to get taxes lowered.
If the tax burden shifts to the larger group, we'll get smaller government and lower taxes.
Taxes should be regressive, with the highest rate applying up to the average income, then dropping to a lower rate above the average. With no deductions at all.
At the Federal level:
20% up to the average income for household size
10% on any income above the average
Apply the same logic to property taxes at the state and local level. One tax rate up to average property value, then a lower rate on the portion that is above the average.
Having the majority feel the highest burden is the one sure way to ensure a majority screams for lower taxes, less spending, and smaller government.
I would not use those exact words but I also get tired of the "I have a hang nail, must be the fault of illegal aliens" crowd.
Or the "have a headache ? Then kick out two illegal aliens and call me in the morning"
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