alibi . march 3 – 9, 2005
The Death of Fiscal Conservatism
Republicans can cut taxes. They just can’t stop spending.
By Greg Payne

The first three years of the Bush administration saw a 21 percent increase in non-defense spending — and that’s before the costs of the prescription drug benefit kick in. By contrast, Ronald Reagan oversaw a 6.8 percent increase during his first three years in office while that liberal scoundrel Bill Clinton had federal spending decrease 0.7 percent during a similar time frame. …

There was a time once—at least I think there was—when the Republican Party honestly considered itself a political force for limited government and fiscal restraint. That’s what folks like Ronald Reagan said the party stood for, anyway. …

The era of fiscal conservatism is over—political bullshit … aside. Some might think that’s great news. But who would’ve thought a conservative approach to spending would be the one thing Republicans could actually manage to cut out of government?