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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alighieri who wrote (613967)	5/31/2011 5:48:03 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1576826

Why is the focus of conservatives and libertarians alike on spending increases alone? 1 - Because the spending increases have been much larger than even the largest estimates of the lost revenue from the tax cuts. 2 - Because spending is continuing to increase and will continue to increase. The same can't be said about taxes. 3 - Because spending at the levels that the entitlements currently call for in the future is a massive problem, whatever tax rates and whatever tax setup you have. Partially because it might go up to a level that can't be met by any taxes (we have never had taxes equal to that percentage of GDP, not even with 90% tax rates), and partially because that much spending is harmful however its financed. 4 - For libertarians, and "fusionist" libertarian leaning conservatives - Because libertarians believe in smaller government. Tax cuts don't increase the size of government. Spending increases do. As for false impressions projected by the political parties, both of them project the false impression that the Republicans have been restrained (if the comment is comming from Republicans) or draconian cutters (if its the Democrats talking) on domestic spending, when the reality is domestic spending exploded upwards under Bush, and increased under other Republican presidents. Considering congresses instead of presidencies (which many on both sides fail to do), the spending has mostly been out of control under both parties with the exception of few years after the Republicans took full control of congress for the first time in generations. But that didn't last, the Republican congresses lost their taste for spending restraint, becoming spendthrift, then the Democrats took over and continued and expanded on the reckless spending increases. .the data shows that the largest increases in the federal debt occurred under Reagan, Bush I and Bush II Actually under FDR, all time leader among American presidents in deficits compared to the size of the economy, and soon it will be under Obama, as the number two, or perhaps three (after Woodrow Wilson), then you have those three Republican presidents. If you look at it by control of congress rather than by presidency things look even worse for the Dems. If you look at it by who controlled the Oval Office and Congress, when most of the entitlements that are driving out deficit where created, its also mainly on the Dems. You have Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare Parts A and B, and SCHIP vs Medicare Part D (with Part C being mixed and so not included under either party). None of which should be taken to suggest that Republicans have been fiscally responsible, or have been good at restraining spending growth. Far from it, they have been horrible, but considering all the above points, not just who was president, they have been marginally better than the Democrats.