Government keeps getting bigger under GOP rule
by James Simpson

Potomac News
Friday, November 28, 2003

In a letter to the editor this week, someone once again stated that Republican principles stand for "smaller government" and "lower taxes." I just don't get it. Do folks just tout the party line without checking their facts? Or is it just that people are cognizant of the facts but just don't care.

Before I go any further, I will apologize to those few Republicans who are truly fighting for smaller government. Unfortunately they are the minority these days.

The following are some facts. (Those who blindly chant the Republican mantra will want to ignore these as they may cause "a psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs held simultaneously" - aka: Cognitive Dissonance.)

- According to a report by the Cato Institute in July, the Federal Register is the longest in history. A record number of new regulations were added to it over the past year.
- The current budget deficit of $525,000,000,000 is the largest in U.S. history. According to Ron Paul (R-Texas), "At this rate, the Treasury will face single-year deficits of one trillion dollars by the end of the decade."
- Of the $87,000,000,000 spending bill for additional troop support, $20,000,000,000 of our tax dollars are being given to Iraq for foreign aid. Numerous attempts to change this "grant" into a "loan" were defeated by our Republican controlled congress.
- The number of non-defense government employee's, increase more significantly during Republican administrations then Democratic administrations.
- And finally, our Republican controlled congress just passed a $400,000,000,000 Medicare prescription drug bill that is the largest social welfare expansion since the introduction of the failed Great Society programs of the 60s.

At the local level, the 37% increase in real property taxes over the past four years was courtesy of the Republican controlled Board of Supervisors.


To add to that… at the state level, Republicans are about to consider re-writing the tax code. Many of them are undoubtedly going to support Governor Warner's tax increase proposals.

Neither party wants to risk losing power by making suggestions of where to cut the budget. Try to nail down a politician, who claims he or she is in favor of reducing taxes, as to where they would cut the budget. You will get a pretty entertaining song and dance. They don't want to lose any of the votes they have worked so hard to purchase with their never-ending promises of government subsidies.

Those who would willingly do so, such as Libertarian candidates, have to face heinous attacks in a battle that is already difficult - convincing citizens that they are better stewards of their money then the government.

Jeff Schapiro pointed out in this past Tuesday's edition of the Potomac News, that many Republicans are considering bonds to fund state projects. This is one way around raising taxes… just heap all the debt onto future generations to deal with. Of course, Schapiro doesn't have all his facts straight. He actually believes that Senator Chichester is "one of the few moderate Republicans left at the Capitol." He obviously hasn't been reading the same voting records I have. This is the same Republican controlled legislature that continues to vote against our Second Amendment rights and voted in favor of putting the half cent sales tax referendum on the ballot.

Many politicians are redirecting attention from deficits by pointing out that if revenues increase the money necessary for schools and roads will be available. This of course only works as long as people continue to shop above their standard of living, and the real estate bubble doesn't burst. Two things that I personally wouldn't want to count on.

It amuses me to watch news and finance channels whose investment pundits make recommendations on stocks based on a number of different factors, but rarely include the corporation's debt or its P/E ratio. Many of these stocks have P/E ratios that would have been unacceptable to investors of yesteryear, but I digress.

If you are one of the folks who considers themselves a Republican and is upset with what I have written,,, contact your federal, state, and local representatives to demand that they stop their tax and spend policies! Once you have done that, I will be more then happy to read your comments.

On a side note: Some brilliant VDOT executive decided Tuesday night (a very busy evening for holiday travel) to close three right lanes for construction on 95 South beyond the Springfield interchange. At the same time, the express lanes were closed for road work. This was absolutely absurd. It is obvious to me that there are still people working at VDOT who do not deserve to keep their jobs. When is this ever going to be fixed?!?

James Simpson is a member of the Libertarian Party and Vice Chair of the Prince William Taxpayers Alliance.