The American Myth: Republicans favor small government

One often hears that the Republicans support smaller government, lower taxes etc.;however, as the Bush tax policy makes very clear, what they really support are tax breaks for families making over $200K per year, which is hardly the middle class. They are brilliant in their assessment of the average American as someone who cannot analyze much more than a simple bumper sticker, so they get the typical blue collar guy thinking that the Republicans are really looking out for their best interests.
For instance, my representative, one John Campbell, mailed me a beautiful brochure, at taxpayers' expense, bragging about HIS new tax bill that he wrote along with another GOP fraud: The policy would be very simple: a 10% tax rate for families who make under $100K per year and a 25% tax rate for families who make over $100K per year. Think about that: A family, such as mine, who is over 100K but by no means rich pays the same rate as a family making 1million or more. Somehow, I think that that 25% will hit a middle class family making 101K a year much harder than it will hit a family making a million. And does it really make sense to have a family making 99K a year paying 10%, while a family making 2,ooo a year more is paying 25%? That 15% difference is a huge tax burden, nearly $10,000. Is that the way to treat middle class families? Where I live, in Orange County, as Mr. Campbell knows very well, $100K will not even get you into the middle class. My family makes much more than that and still lives in a condo in a county where $1,000,000 will get you a basic 3 bedroom house that would sell for $200K in most parts of the country. These politicans know all this, but they are trying to help folks making 2million a year and they have nothing but derision for the family making $102K. In fact, they want that family to subsidize the tax breaks for the top 1%. That, in essence, is the Bush policy and it has increased the gap between the rich and poor faster than any president in history.
This is the kind of idiocy that characterizes the Congress and the President. It is really common sense. Supporters of the Republicans say that it is the Congress that actually spends the money. True enough, but if you paid attention in 2007 you saw the power of the veto when the Dems wanted to get out of Iraq, which makes it very clear that the President has the power to prevent any spending or legislation he opposes as long as the rival power does not have the super majority(60+) in the Senate. Remember, it was the REPUBLICANS who introduced out of control budget deficits and the expansion of the welfare state. Let's look at a few facts:
Between World War II and the time Reagan took office, the largest budget deficit in history was around $70 Billion, in 1943 and 1977. Reagan's policy of cutting taxes AND increasing spending. most notably on defense, led to budget deficits over $70 billion EVERY YEAR he was president, including deficits well over $200 billion in 1984, 1986, and 1987. In fact, it was Reagan who had more billions in budget deficits than the all the other presidents in this country's history COMBINED. As he used to say, "Facts are stubborn things." (SOURCE: Federal Budget: Office of Management and Budget) Bush has taken Reagan's and his father's budget irresponsibility to a new level. Take a wild guess what the budget deficit will be this year...
How about Welfare? AFDC(Aid to Families with Dependent Children): When Reagan took office there were 11,079,117 individuals receiving welfare, and by the end of the 12 years of Reagan and Bush I, that number had increased to 14,205,484, when Bill Clinton took office and actually developed a welfare-to-work policy. By 2001, the welfare rolls had dropped to 5,362,700(a 67% decline!), in a country where the population increased over those 8 years.(SOURCE: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families) Moreover, feel free to look at the Clinton budgets and compare them with the fiscal criminal in the White House now, the one whose same idiotic tax policies are leading to the recession that will dominate 2008. His hapless speech on Friday sent the markets tumbling.The collapse of the dollar, the ominous opening days of the stock market, the oil futures trading at over $100 and the continuing financial meltdown related to the mortgage mess are clear indications that this last year of the Bush presidency will be more of the same incompetence that has characterized his entire political career. If his name wasn't Bush, he would be cleaning out cattle stalls in Texas, which would at least be honest work.
Yes, facts are stubborn things...