Bigger, Badder Government
What was wrong with George Bush, by my pal Nick Gillespie, reason.tv editor, in the WSJ. In short, "Bush was a big-government disaster":
In a way that was inconceivable when he took office, Mr. Bush -- the advance man for the "ownership society," smaller and more trustworthy government, and a humble foreign policy -- increased the size and scope of the federal government to unprecedented levels. At the same time, he constantly flashed signs of secrecy, duplicity, ineffectiveness and outright incompetence.Think for a moment about the thousands of Transportation Security Administration screeners -- newly minted government employees all -- who continue to confiscate contact-lens solution and nail clippers while, according to nearly every field test, somehow failing to notice simulated bombs in passenger luggage.
The Opinion Journal WidgetOr schoolchildren struggling under No Child Left Behind, which federalized K-12 education to an unprecedented degree with nothing to show for it other than greater spending tabs. Or the bizarrely structured Medicare prescription-drug benefit, the largest entitlement program created since LBJ. Or the simple reality that taxpayers now guarantee some $8 trillion in inscrutable loans to a financial sector that collapsed from inscrutable loans.
Such programs were not in any way foisted on Mr. Bush, the way that welfare reform had been on Bill Clinton; they were signature projects, designed to create a legacy every bit as monumental and inspiring as Laura Bush's global literacy campaign.
The most basic Bush numbers are damning. If increases in government spending matter, then Mr. Bush is worse than any president in recent history. During his first four years in office -- a period during which his party controlled Congress -- he added a whopping $345 billion (in constant dollars) to the federal budget. The only other presidential term that comes close? Mr. Bush's second term. As of November 2008, he had added at least an additional $287 billion on top of that (and the months since then will add significantly to the bill). To put that in perspective, consider that the spendthrift LBJ added a mere $223 billion in total additional outlays in his one full term.
...Mr. Bush's legacy is thus a bizarro version of Ronald Reagan's. Reagan entered office declaring that government was not the solution to our problems, it was the problem. Ironically, he demonstrated that government could do some important things right -- he helped tame inflation and masterfully drew the Cold War to a nonviolent triumph for the Free World. By contrast, Mr. Bush has massively expanded the government along with the sense that government is incompetent.
That is no small accomplishment -- and its pernicious effects will last long after Mr. Bush has moved back to Texas, and President Obama has announced that his stimulus package, originally tagged at $750 billion and already up to $825 billion, will cost $1 trillion or more. Mr. Bush has cleared the way for President Obama to intervene more and more in the economy and every other aspect of American life.
Here's Nick on the stimulus plan -- uh, as a hole:
Hey, here we go again.
If this guy cannot understand that Congress has 100% of the Constitutional duty to handle Federal spending, why should I believe anything else he says?
This does not depend on who is President!
Radwaste at January 24, 2009 12:13 AM
Raddy, Raddy, Raddy. We need to find you a new obsession.
Crid [cridcridatgmail] at January 24, 2009 1:08 AM
Rad -
First, Bush asked for the spending. That's like asking Teddy Kennedy if he'd like another drink. You know the answer.
Second, Bush never vetoed a single spending bill. If you never discipline your kid, do you expect him to magically start behaving one day?
So yes, I blame Bush. He had the power to kick Congress in the balls and refused. Because of that "new tone" shit.
Fuck the "new tone". We need someone who will tell Congress to go piss up a rope.
brian at January 24, 2009 5:14 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2009/01/24/bigger_badder_g.html#comment-1622880">comment from brianWe need someone who will tell Congress to go piss up a rope.
Well said.
Amy Alkon at January 24, 2009 6:16 AM
We need someone who will tell Congress to go piss up a rope."
Well it sure won't be Obama.
momof3 at January 24, 2009 7:20 AM
No, it won't. Pelosi's already told Obama How Things Are Going To Be.
brian at January 24, 2009 7:38 AM
Hey, it's like this. When your kid asks for everything and you give it to him, you shouldn't be surprised when your checks start to bounce.
Checks and balances.
You complained about the kid and his BB gun shooting up the neighbors. Who bought him the BB gun? Who had to give him permission to leave the yard?
Just admit it. You don't know who your Congressmen are, don't correspond with them and don't want to because you're the sort of person who thinks they're so important that you have to talk to the manager because your fries are cold.
Maybe you voted for the new kid because of what he said. Now, look at what he's doing - it'll take time - and see what you get. (I couldn't help but notice that kid Burris has better creds, too. Funny how popularity contests go around here.)
Until people - not just a President! - push Congress, this mess will NOT be cleaned up. The Mint can print money 24/7. You can get "bailed out" for every dumbass mistake you've ever made. When you're done, simple algebra, giving everybody the same thing, will make the dollar worth less, just as it has with "Hope" scholarships in Georgia and programs like that.
We are still sick. We have not even seen a cure yet, and we have not changed the way we act about money for that cure. Hack, spit!
Radwaste at January 24, 2009 8:58 AM
Damn, will you stop it already, you're depressing me. I've argued till I'm blue in the face with people at work about protest votes. They just tell me that it won't do any good and vote for the Democrat or Republican that disgusts them the least. I don't care that the guys I vote for won't win - if they got even 10% of the vote the prevailing parties would notice. If they got 20%, they would start to change their ways.
I wish the line item veto would have been made into law. I think that if we had that, then a lot of pork could be wiped out, and maybe the habit of bundling so many unrelated things together in one bill would be changed. Of course, that would take a president who actually wanted to get rid of crap legislation.
William (wbhicks@hotmail.com) at January 24, 2009 9:46 AM
Again, Raddy, nobody's saying you're wrong... It's just kind of begging the question.
Can we talk about this now?
And BTW, has anyone seen Eric? Was he smiling? Was it pretty?
Crid [cridcridatgmail] at January 24, 2009 12:24 PM
Monday's the big day Crid! 3 1/2 hours in the chair. I've never had nitrous oxide before, so it should be interesting. I am told I can bring movies or cd's during the experience, so I am thinking of what goes best in a semi-dream\moments of excruciating agony state... I think I may bring one of my favorite films, "The Stunt Man"...
http://www.amazon.com/Stunt-Man-Limited-Peter-OToole/dp/B00005OCK7
Eric at January 24, 2009 2:24 PM
PS- I' the prettiest man on earth right after Leon Spinx.
http://www.aahceleb.com/pic/10085247.html
Eric at January 24, 2009 2:25 PM
As I have said to people all my life Democracy is a participation sport. You can't sit blindly on the sidelines and merely criticize the players. We ARE the players! And putting a bumper sticker on your car doesn't cut it. Write your Senator(s), write your Congresspeople, and hold their feet to the fire. I'd like you to get mad as hell and not take it anymore. Sorry to sound so self rightous, but the only significant birthday I ever had was turning 18 and getting to vote. A long time ago a friend said to me "Everybody wants to know why you're so angry" and I said "Because they're not". Collectively we have enormous power to make a difference. Suit up, show up, and bring a sack lunch 'cause we'll be very busy.
jon at January 24, 2009 2:37 PM
Jon -
I've written to them. They've all told me the same thing: "Sorry, you're wrong, here's why I need to spend more of your money on shit that won't work".
I wrote to my state rep, tried to convince him that the idea of government-funded campaigns was a Very Bad Thing. He told me "we've got to do something to get money out of politics".
I wrote to my senators on multiple occasions. Dodd's office replied to a mythical "Ms. Brian Corbino", thanking me for supporting his position on "this important legislation" (I was against it, vehemently). Lieberman at least got the gender right, and acknowledged that I was against him, but gently informed me that I was wrong, and he was going to vote his way anyhow.
So tell me, what the fuck options do I have? I live in a state full of ignoramuses that keep putting Dodd and Lieberman back, partly because they don't know better, and partly because the only opposition these cockholsters have ever seen was even worse than they were. I mean Ned Lamont? Really?
Collectively, we have no power, because we'll never have the financial clout of a Pfizer to get an entire neighborhood condemned.
Until people get clueful and start turning the incumbents out after one or two terms no matter how good or bad they are, nothing will get better.
brian at January 24, 2009 3:13 PM
"Collectively, we have no power, because we'll never have the financial clout of a Pfizer to get an entire neighborhood condemned."
"Until people get clueful and start turning the incumbents out after one or two terms no matter how good or bad they are, nothing will get better."
But don't these two statements contridict each other? Collectively we have enormous power to make a difference. We ended the war in Vietnam. Civil rights? Human rights? These are all things that were changed because people stood up together. These f!@#ers thrive on our being discouraged. Freedom does take constant vigilance. It has always been thus. But, believe me, I know how you feel. Don't give up, my brother. And know you aren't alone. In the very least going down fighting helps me sleep well at night.
Jon at January 24, 2009 4:19 PM
Yeah, with a little help from the Soviets and their sycophants in DC.
These are things that would have been in place from the get go if people weren't stupid. Jefferson, et. al. had to keep a certain number of stupids happy or the whole Revolution thing would never have gotten off the ground.
And "people standing up together" isn't what got it done anyhow. It was one man, by sheer force of personality that pushed civil rights. And it earned him a bullet in the brain. (ok, two men, and they both got dead for it).
I've been voting against Lieberman and Dodd for as long as I've been voting. Apparently, I'm in the minority, because they keep winning.
brian at January 24, 2009 4:26 PM
> I may bring one of my
> favorite films
Not a bad choice. Favorite lines / moments:
1. Eli in a conventionally framed close-up popping a gum bubble after Railsback describes his friend trapped on a Bouncing Betty.
2. Eli chewing out the crew member: "What I CANNOT do in 22 seconds is stop you from fucking up my film!"
3. The stunt co-ordinator saying "They're clangin' too loud."
4. (Multiple scenes) "Come here to me!"
Crid [cridcridatgmail] at January 24, 2009 4:26 PM
I've never had nitrous oxide before, so it should be interesting.
I would say either A Clockwork Orange and/or Pink Floyd -- The Wall.
Jim P. at January 24, 2009 10:07 PM
You want limited government, and so do I, and there are another twelve people who feel the same way. Beyond that, the vast majority of Americans think the government is supposed provide them with security and solve their problems. It's easy to blame the people in government, and most of them are scumbags, it's true. But who put them there? The majority of people. It's not just a few fiscally irresponsible, crooked bureaucrats you need to fight, it's the will of most Americans. The people of this country already have exactly the kind of government they want.
Pirate Jo at January 25, 2009 6:54 AM
Jo -
Where does that leave those of us who got the government we DON'T want?
I mean, where else on Earth is there for us to go now? The last, best hope for freedom is dying, and the vast majority of the "subjects" of the United States are cheering for more.
brian at January 25, 2009 7:26 AM
Jim- I was a The Wall fanatic when it came out. I can still recite the first 5 or 10 lines from A Clockwork Orange. Nowdays they just depress me too much.
Crid -that's so cool you know the film The Stunt Man So well. Steve Railsback, like Sam Rockwell, is one of the great background actors ever. And Barbara Hershey- Zounds! was she hot in that movie! And a Ducenburg! I think you cemented my choice.
PS- If you haven't seen it, get The Sinister Saga of the Making of The Stunt Man. It's almost as fascinating as the movie with all the deleted scenes shown and discussed.
Best Line: "So close your eyes, relax, and enjoy."
And check this out Crid-
http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/the-stuntman.pdf
Eric at January 25, 2009 8:29 AM
"where else on earth is there for us to go now?"
I'm almost tempted to say "come to Canada". It's definitely not a paradise of liberty up here, but for the first time in modern history, the US has a much more liberal & statist government than Canada. The world turned upside down! If Stephen Harper stays in office up here while Obama & Pelosi actually carry out their sinister agenda, the difference will be even more pronounced 4 years from now. The economy is also in better shape here. No one is talking about nationalizing banks. On the other hand, if the Liberals win the next election, everything will go straight to hell, so you're probably better off staying where you are.
Martin at January 25, 2009 9:32 AM
Brian, I think pain is the only thing that will teach these idiots anything, if even that works. People want the government to guarantee them their jobs and their healthcare and pay their bills for them - most of them really don't want freedom, because they are afraid of the responsibility it entails. Someday another beacon of freedom may exist in the world, but then ancient Greece had an advanced civilization that eventually crumbled and gave way to the Dark Ages. It could happen that way again, or maybe not - I just don't know.
We are surrounded by a tide of stupidity, and there doesn't seem to be any way to change that. I am probably only going to be on this planet for another fifty years and don't want to waste that time beating my head against a wall. There are too many beautiful days outside. I'm glad I don't have kids, though - let this mess be cleaned up by the people who helped make it. At least I'm not part of the problem.
Pirate Jo at January 25, 2009 2:48 PM
> And Barbara Hershey- Zounds!
I saw her on the street in West LA a few years ago, and she'd hit the wall pretty hard.... Not just getting old, but fighting it with surgery, which almost never ages well. But in the 70's I thought she was extremely pretty, in a 1960's and 1970's kind of way. Perpetual college sophomore girl.Crid [cridcridatgmail]
That was a weird day, because a few minutes later I saw Larry King on the street in Beverly Hills, and he looked old old old, like Pleisticine, like ancient. That would have been a great year to run into Britney or Scarlett Johanson, but Noooooooooo......
Anyway, O'Toole made middle age look like fun in that movie.
Crid [cridcridatgmail] at January 25, 2009 11:24 PM
Pirate Jo
Democracy does not produce "beacons of freedom". It is possibly one of the worst forms of government there is. I think it was Ben Franklin in reply to what the Continental Congress produced to guide the infant United States who said "A Republic if you can keep it." We are well on our way toward implementing democracy and throwing away our freedoms while not even considering there are responsibilities that go along with them. Read Victor Davis Hansen's "A War Like No Other" for a good view of democracy during the war between Athens, the beacon of freedom and Sparta. Note the role of Pericles.
Richard Cook at January 26, 2009 3:58 AM
>> O'Toole made middle age look like fun in that movie.
Line o' the day.
Eric at January 26, 2009 7:49 AM
>> O'Toole made middle age look like fun in that movie.
Line o' the day.
Eric at January 26, 2009 7:53 AM
Richard Cook, you are preaching to the choir - I don't disagree with you in the least! Consider the following list of things:
- educating your kids
- educating yourself
- raising your kids
- taking care of your health
- paying for doctor visits
- financial planning for your old age
- living within your means
- being prepared in case you lose your job
How many people really have the stomach for self-sufficiency in these areas? The vast majority of people want the government to pay for all of these things. They would rather put up with boondoggles like Social Security, Medicare, government schools, and all kinds of welfare and various bailouts than assume an iota of personal responsibility in paying for any of these things themselves.
Pirate Jo at January 26, 2009 8:20 AM
I consider myself a conservative of the libertarian pursuation. I voted for Bush both times. Yet, I can't dispute a word of what Nick wrote. It was a Faustian bargain.
Cousin Dave at January 26, 2009 8:35 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2009/01/24/bigger_badder_g.html#comment-1623220">comment from Cousin DaveAgree. And not because I'm high on the Democrats, either. But people, when voting, largely see their choices as Coke or Pepsi. And it's partly the fault of the libertarians that their candidates aren't more viable -- because they keep putting up such unelectable nitwits.
Amy Alkon at January 26, 2009 9:05 AM
Pirate Jo
Noted that I am preaching to the choir. I just see so many instances of the electorate babbling on about rights, and, when you mention responsibilities they look at you like "huh?". In writings about the Constitution you frequently see the word "virtue". Without a constitution linked to the people by virtue you will have rule of the mob. This is as the forgotten member of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Fisher Ames foresaw. Reading him today is like listening to someone who could see into the future.
Richard Cook at January 26, 2009 11:01 AM
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