February 14, 2004
What it Means to Be A Republican
I have been a Republican since my sophomore year in High School. My Republican party has a core set of principles and beliefs. We don’t hold these beliefs to get elected. We seek election to put these beliefs into action.
My Republican Party believes that budget deficits are stealing from our children. Further, we recognize that budget deficits are a distortion of the free market. My Republican Party believes that while the government certainly must help insure the stability and integrity of the institutions of the free market, the free market itself tended to do the best job of allocating resources and generating value. My Republican Party believes that free trade is good not only for our economy and the global economy as a whole, but is also a tool of democracy, helping people raise their standards of living and expectations of freedom.
Again, we don’t hold these beliefs to get elected – we hold them because they are prudent and cautious. Because we believe we have an obligation to pass on to our children a sound and healthy country.
Unfortunately, this Administration has abandoned all of these principles. This Administration has doubled farm subsidies, regularly puts up trade barriers, and is running a massive budget deficit. Think about it – we have a Republican House, a Republican Senate and a Republican President, and yet spending beyond homeland security has skyrocketed. By any measure, this Administration has abandoned the prudence and caution that were the hallmarks of my Republican Party.
The President likes to talk about his tax cuts. My Republican Party knows the difference between a tax cut and a tax deferral. The $400 billion of government we didn’t pay for this year, we still have to pay for. My Republican Party knows that the ONLY way to cut taxes is to cut spending. Unfortunately, this Administration is throwing money at any interest group it thinks it has a chance of buying votes from. But government spending doesn’t hurt less just because it is a Republican writing the checks.
I voted for the President, twice – in the primary and general election. I thought I was getting another fiscal conservative, another Eisenhower. I thought I was getting an Eisenhower, but instead I got a Lyndon Johnson. It’s ironic, but this President, our President Bush, will go down in history as the Republican President that most increased the tax burden on U.S. citizens.
You know that what I am saying is true. You know that what has happened in Washington over the past three years is not what we believe in. And you know that we are slowly bankrupting our country. Will you stand up to the President? Do you want this to be your legacy? That you stood by and did nothing while our government was bankrupted, and our principles trashed? Will you be able to look your grandchildren in the eyes? Will you be proud of your stewardship?
Please, be a Republican and stand up for our beliefs, and the future of our country. Do what you can to help. Call your elected officials and let them know how unhappy you are with the Administration. But whatever you do, please do something – this is the future of the United States we are talking about.
While I applaud you’re sensibilities, you must have went to high school pre-Reagan. Reaganomics was from the first deficit balooning administration, remember? There are responsible leaders, they just happen to be alligned with either the Republicans or the Democrats, or as I like to call them collectively the Plutocrats. We have unfortunaley entered the “TV is king” era and “image is everything” value system in America.
That has me a lot more worried than Osama does.
hey, dont forget his huge medicare entitlement package and his plan basically granting amnesty to elligal immigrants. I did not support Bush in the primaries (my guy, Orin Hatch, got less than 1%- but he would have made a damn good president- too bad he didnt “look presidential”), and I reluctantly voted for Bush in 2000 vs Gore. Bush has proved completely unprincipled on the domestic front- not only on the issues you mentioned, but also on issues like abortion. the only thing he has done against abortion is to sign a bill banning a procedure that 80% of the american people, including half of democrats, oppose. He mentioned steroids more than he mentioned abortion in his last state of the union. Probably cause Rove let him know its not a “winning” issue, like gay marriage.
As for Reagan- he was working with a Democrat congress that gave him his way on tax cuts, but refused to pass his budget on social spending. had they done so, there would not have been a deficiet. Bush has no such excuse.
Posted by: Misha Tseytlin at February 14, 2004 11:08 PMBlake, There’s more to it but you are locked on target.
Bush is a bigger spender than Reagan in his second term and he is’nt even fighting an empire such as was communism. He is at war with a group of splinter cell organizations utilizing the crudest of means by which to attack our nation. I am not judging the means by which we fight it, I find it irresponsible to tack on top of that debt more big spending much of which you have mentioned.
What I find interesting is Rumsfeld calling to rebuild our military, ofcourse we require a strong military presense but is’nt this administration atleast to some extent feathering their own nest? Could such things be considered crony capitalism? Or media deregulation measures brought forth under this administrations FCC new set of guidelines, does this not garner more campaign contributions from say, Clearchannel and Viacom?
And is it good for the country that this has such sway with our executive branch?
Another person I’ve started looking at within this administration is John Snow recently appointed to the treasury department. It appears that this man has had a string of companies that he has run into the ground (I’m still looking into this). What makes George W. think this man might be really good with figures?
The appointment of John Poindexter to a new bureau of information awareness(Poindexter spent five years in federal prison for his part in the Iran Contra scandal) He was removed after it was found that he had created a lottery on whether or not a terror attack would happen again by years end, which Tom Daschle and other Dems put a stop to. An appointee to help us watch out for terror was setting up a betting ring to wager on it happening? I’ll mosey back on over to spending issues.
Spending is outrageous and what’s funnier (not haha)is Sen. John McCain, whom I like though not sure where his affinities actually lie, going around right now with this anti-pork barrel chip. Now I am for the removal of wasteful spending where needed, But he is railing against small stuff on the hill. And yes there are some funny ones, measuring cow flatulence and its effect I think on the Ozone and other stuff rather scoff worthy atleast from the descriptions. But here’s what is bizarre, that spending is actually the stuff we can pay off with relative ease ($10,0000 here $15,000 there and so on)in contrast to other spending that is far more burdensome. There are many bigger windmills to joust here especially the tab that will be coming home to roost in 2017 which hopefully Kerry can lessen if he gets in. But shovelling the ”it downhill is’nt a viable policy and I can’t see who it benefits other than big business. If I’m not mistaken should’nt G.W. be pandering to the voters and not corporations that are funding his campaign. Is he that sure his party will be there for him come November that he can “Mis-underestimate” voters?
What the heck is this man doing ?! when anyone asks for a response he gives off some smirky semi-meaningless jibberish but yet in his state of the union (2003)called on congress to reduce spending? Huh?
Posted by: Hoobrungya at February 15, 2004 07:31 AM
One other thing, there is a site that I think you will find interesting regarding spending and economy. Go to google and type in ‘Economic Policy Institute’ the information there I personally find invaluable. It is really quite head on.
or http//epinet.org
Blake Ashby, your argument for the economic policies of your Republican Party vs. that of this Republican Party, draws my immense respect as does McCain on the issue of campaign finance reform.
I was a Democrat until Congress granted Bush the power to determine whom is our enemy and the power to attack preemptively whereever the Executive deems there is a terrorist threat. I instantly became an Independent and this move by Congress was the impetus I needed to quit flirting with the Green Party and begin to support it.
That said, I have always believed that social programs to assist those who cannot assist themselves can only be as viable as the health of our economy and solvency of our government will allow. On the government’s management of our tax dollars, you have won me over.
Too bad I am not a Republican, eh?
It’s refreshing to find an honest and principled voice from your party, that owns up to the mockery the Bush administration has made of your closely held beliefs.
As a Democrat, your honesty goes a long way towards lowering the level of cynicism and disdain we have for your party - but, then Ann Coulter or Tom Delay will say something stupid to piss us off, all over again.
The Republican Party has too few John McCains’ and too many Dick Cheneys’. It was easier when you were the minority party to stick to principles and rage on about smaller govt, tax cuts and civil liberties.
Then you abandoned those principles to win in California. And like Bush’s win in 2000, the bait worked - you just forgot to make the switch!
To me, your Republican playbook wins as a McCain adminstration and something I could vote for. Unfortunately, Bush is the QB, Rove is calling the plays and they both hate John McCain.
Posted by: thatcoloredfella at February 16, 2004 01:00 AMI suppose the best compliment I can pay you is that you seem like the kind of conservative I discovered while up at Baylor, the kind who actually goes through the trouble of articulating their ideas, instead of insisting on them without explanation.
Welcome aboard.
Posted by: Stephen Daugherty at February 16, 2004 03:13 PMI love George Bush!!
I don’t care if I’m a poor person. A woman even.
He is a great great man.
I’m highly intelligent. Check out my IQ score.
People who hate him…obviously idiots. There are so many of them out there. I’ve seen alot…I know alot. I’m not bragging. Just telling the truth.
