a pathetic betrayal By Cal Thomas, Los Angeles Times Syndicate

The time when the Republican Party stood for something worth standing for is over. The ”G” in GOP might as well stand for government. Smaller, less intrusive government with less spending and lower taxes is the stuff of history books and fond memories for a party that once had a purpose.

But Republicans, having tasted power, are now drunk with it. …

It is a pathetic betrayal of the faith many had put in the Republican Party to reduce the size and role of government in our lives.

This very harsh upbraiding of the Republican Party is particularly noteworthy because it comes from calcified Cal Thomas; it’s hard to find someone more conservative than Cal. Not only does he say some important things here, he also gives us the joy of seeing the Radical Right eat their own. Happy Thanksgiving! mjh

This Republican Congress, in addition to increasing spending on entitlements and expanding big government – like the Democrats they once criticized – also dished out $95 billion in tax breaks and pork-barrel projects.

[M]andatory government spending will reach 11.1 percent of GDP this year, a record high, and non-defense discretionary spending in 2003 will amount to 3.9 percent of GDP for the first time since 1985. [T]axes will inevitably have to be raised to pay for it all. …

Smaller government and less spending? That’s a joke. …

Now that Republicans are doing precisely what Democrats did when they were in the majority, what shall we call these overspending Republicans? Hypocrites? Liars?

The Wall Street Journal editorialized on Monday: “The Republican Congress is turning into something of an embarassment, if not a crackup.” Who is going to pay for all this stuff? …

We are moving rapidly, under Republican “leadership”, past the nanny state and the welfare state to what might be called the state as family. The government will be our keeper….