Flada Blog

What’s wrong with our American two party system? Really there’s only one thing wrong with it, there’s precious little difference between the two parties.

Find me an issue where they are completely opposed and I’ll stand corrected. But finding that elusive issue will prove difficult. The most obvious ones are social issues like gay marriage and abortion, or military issues. And I’ll grant you this–there are extremists involved in both parties that are very different in their views. But the extremists are never the ones who win primaries or elections. That’s probably the one good thing about the current system. It tends towards the “middle ground” on most issues. The problem with this is that these same moderates seem to all be supporters of big government. Big government stinks for those of us who just want to live our lives, take care of our families, and be left alone.

A Few of Bush’s Accomplishments

So I took a little time to make a short list of some things that sets the current tenant of the White House apart from his immediate predecessor (that’s Clinton for those of you who can’t translate Flada-ese).

Sadly my list became very short because I couldn’t really think of anything. Policy-wise, it’s still spend, spend, spend and grow, grow, grow for the federal government. Quick quiz: which of the two major parties wants to increase spending on Education; Unemployment Insurance; Social Security; Medicare; Housing; Peace Corps? If you answered “the Democrats” then you are correct. If you answered “the Republicans” then you are likewise correct.

Main difference

The main policy difference that they still have involves tax cuts. Most Republicans want tax cuts, most Democrats don’t. As much as I’m in favor of tax cuts, it is imperative that government spending must also be cut in order to avoid future deficit spending. How can you increase spending while reducing taxes and still expect to stay in the black? In fat economic times this is possible because of the fact that reduced tax rates will actually lead to more growth which leads to more revenue in the long run–to state it in simple terms, 15% of $100 ($15) is equal to 20% of $75 ($15). This was called voodoo economics or Reaganomics in the 80’s, but it’s pretty much been proven to work.

All of this is beside the point, though, when one realizes that most of the programs that this money is being spent on is not within the purview of the government in the first place. The federal government has a charter which we call the Constitution of the united states of America. In a nutshell, if it’s not listed in the Constitution then the Federal government doesn’t have the authority to do it. So look at that previous list again: Education, Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, Medicare, Housing, Peace Corps. Where are any of those things in the Constitution? Hint: they aren’t.

The Republicans, however, seem to be a tad more hypocritical than the Democrats because at least the Democrats have never even claimed to be interested in smaller government. So, here are just a few of George Bush’s accomplishments since taking the Presidency:

The short list

• Huge education spending bill (i.e. Federal Local School Board Bribery Act) which liberal Democrats love that doesn’t mention a word about choice or local control.
• Food stamps for immigrants.
• Largest spending bill in American History. The first to exceed 2 trillion dollars.
• The Airport Security Bill that completely federalized over 28,000 jobs. Now it seems that screeners don’t even have to be high school graduates either.
• The Orwellian “Patriot Act” that gave Federal authorities carte blanche to rifle through all of your digital communications and essentially, rob your house without notice.
• 71.5 billion over 10 years for government health care.

Just seems like more of the same ol’ same ol’ to me.

There is still hope

Recently I left a note on an entry at one of my favorite blogs, Why I Am No Longer A Republican and Never Was A Democrat at steve-olson.com.

I just wanted to add that perhaps the best hope right now is for libertarians and other freedom loving folks to support Ron Paul in the Republican primary. There are so many of us that would like to see this country returned to one with limited government that abides by its charter. Dividing ourselves into a multitude of “third” parties may not be the best way to go. Backing someone with the record that Rep. Paul has in the primaries would be a good way to direct our energies. If he doesn’t get the nomination, though, then it’s back to third parties since there’s no way in hell a liberty-conscious individual could ever pull the lever for McCain (who hates free speech) or Giuliani (who loves gun control).

So, that’s my plea. Let’s stop dividing ourselves over minor things and let’s focus on what’s important to all of us–reversing the trend toward ever larger and more controlling central government.

I’ve recently heard someone say it’s too late to work within the system and too early to shoot the bastards. For the record, I disagree.