Republican Party’s claim to support “small government” is a fraud

[Billo_Really]

One of the most widely advertised but falsest claims in American politics is that the modern Republican Party stands for “small government.”

They say they believe in small government when it comes to "...taxes on the wealthy, limiting regulation of big business, gutting environmental regulations, weakening legal protections for workers and racial minorities, and slashing government funding for public education, public health, and social welfare services." But when it comes to other government services and programs, they sing a different tune.

Here's a short list of what the republicans consider "small government":

• post-9/11 U.S. government policies of widespread surveillance
• indefinite detention without trial
• torture and extraordinary rendition
• government subsidies for religious institutions
• free passage across international boundaries
• government denial of collective bargaining rights for public sector workers
• government attacks on public use of public space (for example, the violent police assaults on the Occupy movement)
• government interference with women’s right to abortion and doctors’ right to perform it
• government interference with the right of same-sex couples to marry
• government provision of extraordinarily lengthy imprisonment for drug possession (for example, in the “war on drugs&#8221 and numerous other nonviolent offenses
• government attacks on public use of public space (for example, the violent police assaults on the Occupy movement)
• government interference with voting rights (such as “voter suppression” laws)
• government restrictions on freedom of information

"Then, there is the largest national military machine in world history. A Republican Party that wanted to limit government would be eager to cut funding for this bloated giant. But the reality is that the modern GOP has consistently supported a vast U.S. military buildup."

Small government my ass!

They also claim to believe in freedom. That to, is a big lie! Someone who actually believes in freedom, would be supporting organizations that go to bat for American's, defending their civil liberties, like the ACLU. But we all know how the GOP treats them.

Where...is the Republican outrage at the U.S. government’s crackdown on people like Bradley Manning who expose government misconduct, or on whistle-blowing operations like WikiLeaks and its leading light, Julian Assange?

If they cared about freedom, they'd be outraged over his treatment.

So if the republican party doesn't support small government, personal freedoms for American's and the health and welfare of this country, what do they support?

Here it is in a nutshell...

there is a common denominator to this kind of small government action. It is all designed to serve the interests of the wealthy and powerful at the expense of everyone else. Thus, the Republican Party opposes government alleviation of hunger through the distribution of food stamps, but supports government subsidies to corporations.

 

[Billo_Really]

The thread no one on the right wants to touch.

I'll consider this point proven!

 

[Avatar4321]

you post a silly thread between 5-6am and wonder why no one is responding to it?

One of the few legitimate roles of the Federal government as granted by the Constitution is national defense. When we talk about limited government and following the Constitution, we are defacto supporting the Federal government in it's legitimate roles. Doing so does not make us big government. It makes us pro good government. Which is exactly what limited government conservatives are advocating. We need to follow our Constitution and not empower the Federal government in areas where it has no authority.

Common sense.

Rest of your list is nonsense as they arent accurate depictions of what conservatives stand for.

 

[Wiseacre]

There are some threads that should be allowed to die a quick and ignominious death. This is one of them.

 

[Oddball]

There are some threads that should be allowed to die a quick and ignominious death. This is one of them.

pfffft.

OP is right.

GOP hates liberty every bit as much as the communistic DNC.

 

[lukelk]

you post a silly thread between 5-6am and wonder why no one is responding to it?

One of the few legitimate roles of the Federal government as granted by the Constitution is national defense. When we talk about limited government and following the Constitution, we are defacto supporting the Federal government in it's legitimate roles. Doing so does not make us big government. It makes us pro good government. Which is exactly what limited government conservatives are advocating. We need to follow our Constitution and not empower the Federal government in areas where it has no authority.

Common sense.

Rest of your list is nonsense as they arent accurate depictions of what conservatives stand for.

I love how conservatives cling to the military thing when they don't realize it's a socialist program that you vol. Join into, just like teachers,police,firefighters

 

[Billo_Really]

One of the few legitimate roles of the Federal government as granted by the Constitution is national defense.

That has to do with protecting this country, not creating an obscene defense budget that takes a quarter of every tax dollar, just so we can go around and attack countries that didn't threaten us. The Constitution did not tell us to put over 800 bases around the world, which leads me to ask, "How the fuck can our military protect this country, when they're not physically in the country they're defending?"

When we talk about limited government and following the Constitution, we are defacto supporting the Federal government in it's legitimate roles. Doing so does not make us big government. It makes us pro good government. Which is exactly what limited government conservatives are advocating. We need to follow our Constitution and not empower the Federal government in areas where it has no authority.

The Constitution gave us the Bill of Rights; you're trying to take that away.

Rest of your list is nonsense as they arent accurate depictions of what conservatives stand for.

So you don't support:

- illegal wiretaps or surveillance on people who have committed no crimes
- indefinite detention without trial
- torture and extraordinary rendition
- government subsidies for religious institutions
- restrictions on freedom of information​

And you do support:

- women’s right to abortion and doctors’ right to perform it
- the right of same-sex couples to marry​

Is that the non-sense and inaccuracy you were referring to?

 

[Billo_Really]

pfffft.

OP is right.

GOP hates liberty every bit as much as the communistic DNC.

I'll give you that!

I don't think there's much of a difference between the two groups.

They're flip-sides of the same coin.

 

[Billo_Really]

There are some threads that should be allowed to die a quick and ignominious death. This is one of them.

The truth hurts, doesn't it?