This is why I say I'm ashamed of the republican party of today. The GOP of old really believed in lower government spending. The only remaining true conservative in congress is Ron Paul.The idea that Republicans will reduce or prevent government spending is completely false. They'll happily spend it just the same. Just in different ways.
Since the democrats controlled both houses of congress during Reagan's entire 8 year run and therefore controlled our country's purse strings, I'm not sure why people call it Reaganomics? The only thing that proves is the democrats long track record of spending more money than our country can afford.Deficit spending, our debt and the fiscal policies of The United States switching from a creditor nation to a debtor nation began in the 80's and was instigated by the great conservative himself Ronald Reagan. Remember Reaganomics?
While those on the left give Clinton all the credit for the surpluses during his administration, the truth is he was handcuffed by a republican controlled congress that refused to allow him to overspend. To be fair, the republicans knew that Clinton wouldn't allow them to spend money on what they wanted either so he deserves some (but certainly not all) of the credit.
As far as public education, I certainly wouldn't call that our country's crowning achievement. Private schools spend about half as much as public schools per student and deliver a much better product. Without question, our educational system would be far more productive if it was run privately rather than publicly.
As far as police, firemen, etc, I wouldn't call them highly socialized institutions. Everyone benefits from their presence and the costs are shared by all. If only the poor had access to these emergency services, then I would agree in calling them highly socialized institutions. I don't believe the republican party has ever come out and said these services should be eliminated.
Public Road system - Once again this is something that is paid for by everyone but everyone uses it. I bet the democrats would be strongly opposed to more "toll roads" but they would lessen traffic across the country. Charging motorists a toll would also cut down on joy riding, decrease fuel consumption and help the environment. However, the democrats would most certainly call this "an attack on the poor".
I would most certainly prefer to pay a nominal fee when using public parks as the upkeep would be better and people would have more respect when visiting them. I believe this would lead to a much safer setting for my children.
What it all boils down to is I am a big believer in "personal responsibility". I strongly oppose the "it takes a village to raise a family" mentality.
I agree with you completely that both parties are broken and need to be removed.
My preference would be for a Ron Paul type of party.
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