so you're saying its okay that the country's debt and deficit increases, american lives are lost in the war, and the poor and middle class are squeezed even more by inflation and gasoline costs and have their tax dollars go somewhere else other than their basic needs as long as the big crony corporations profit from the war and energy crisis and get their tax cuts..
Just because the spending is non-essential doesn't mean it is not worth spending. It is the government's duty to invest in itself to make the country more wealthy. Once again, the merits of the spending really depends on how the "Pork" money is being spent.
Agree with basso on this one. To claim that anyone in Congress is a 'fiscal conservative' (which is a BIG sticking point for me as a voter) is a joke! As for Tom Delay, I can't remember the last time I despised a politician as much as I do him. The guy is an absolute joke and an embarassment for Houston and Texas at large. I am longing for the day I see more Republicans like Graham, Hagel, and Lugar. Actually, I am longing for fiscal conservatism no matter what party it is.
The biggest "joke" of all is that Bush hasn't vetoed anything during his entire presidency. I think it's a modern record. All this pork, and he can't find one thing, during all his years in office, to strike out with his pen. Amazing and disgusting. Keep D&D Civil!!
Sadly, I will have to agree with you. Bush has set a new standard for 'big spending, big government' that liberals can aspire to.
That's not fiscally conservative. If subsidizing business was fiscal conservitism then FDR would be one of the greatest fiscal conservatives ever.
Subsidizing business itself is not a bad spending. However, I will say that the subsidies for dying business (e.g. airline industry) are not good spending. I believe the focus should be on up and coming businesses and reducing cost of business (continue to lower taxes). FDR spent a lot of his budget on government-ran programs (not privately owned), and that equates to Socialism. Another thing is, America have to spend money. For the long term, a surplus would lead to deflation on our currency.
He also spent a lot of money subsidizing private businesses particularly in industry. The PWA worked closely with industry.
I concede on that one, you're probably right. Still, I think a fiscally conservative government doesn't necessarily have to spend less money. I think they spend the money in better ways or reduce taxes. I have to say that some subsidies are bad ways to spend money, but not all subsidies are bad. If it can successfully provide a spurt in the economy, then it is a good investment. The thing about tax cuts is that it generally favors the bigger corporations. That is why I think subsidies are necessary to help the smaller businesses.