Bush biggest spender since LBJ

Well, well, well, now tell me again, which party is for smaller government?

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/20767.html

 

Both parties share the blame on this. Congress sends Bush the bills. Bush ultimately holds the bag though because he didnt use the veto pen a bit. Shameful really. Just further evidence that very few DC politicians actually give a damn when it comes to any sort of fiscal responsibility or that our tax dollars have actual value to them.

It is quite easy to justify spending someone else's money.

 

Republican congress gave money to military complex even though they had evidence this money was being taken fraudulently....there was never any oversight. They stole from us and continue to do so.

 

I dont disagree, my point, is that both sides participate in it, and look in a different direction when the other side does it.

When you have all the money you can print. It diminishes in its value, both in real terms and theory.

I am a left leaning guy, but my distaste for both parties is equal and high.

 

As is mine. I see nothing praiseworthy about the people in Washington today.

 

How come you cut my quote off?
You totally left out the left leaning part of it

 

Haha, probably because I'm not left-leaning but I do hate both parties an equal amount.

 

What everybody seems to be missing, in blaming both parties, is this, Republican Bush has had a Republican Congress for virtually his entire presidency. Therefore it follows, that this record spending is almost exclusively on the Republicans, the party that markets itself as the party of smaller government. Just another case of, "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it".

 

So now the Democratic Party is blameless simply on merit of having been out of power?

Here's a fact: being in power makes you look bad unless you're perfect. The people with the power make the mistakes. The people out of power aren't in a position to make the mistakes - so they look better.

 

Well put VYO, certainly more blame would fall onto the GOP. Its like the GOP holding the bank up and the Democrats driving the get-away car.
They are both guilty of it.

 

I heartily agree with the stance that no party affiliation matters when it comes to spending. Both parties freely spend our money as they see fit or as they tell us it benefits us best.

Bunz is right - it's easy to spend money when it's not yours.

Although we may soon see a decrease in the defense budget, I hardly see a decrease in overall spending anytime on the horizon. One thing is true, it takes a hell of a lot of money for the government to operate and do the things we expect it to do. The other thing that's probably true, is that there's a lot of money already going to the government that's just being used carelessly or ineffeciently.

Perhaps our government should take it upon itself to "clean house" and work for efficiency first, and then decide what is "enough" to achieve its goals.

 

The Democrats certainly have done their share of spending in the past. However, in this case, it has been the Republicans who are almost exclusively responsible. A Republican president, a Republican Congress, that adds up to Republican responsibility. It also adds up to Republican hypocrisy, as it is they who have continued to claim they're for smaller government.

 

VYO, another agreement from me. It seems to me that, which ever the minority party is, they just sit back and criticize the other. It is much easier to be a back seat driver than steer through the blizzard.
It really drives and encourages aloofness. With the culture of career politicians, many are not worried about being in the minority for a decade, because they safely assume they will still be in office when the tide shifts.

From a casual viewpoint it seems that the change in the ruling party not happens because the other side has better ideas. It is that the majority has screwed up enough for now. Its time to let someone else screw up.

I have seen this from the inside. There is something about signing your name to a check for over $100k and knowing it isnt coming out of your account.