How big is big government and why, as a conservative, am I obliged to oppose it? American conservatives protest what they describe as “big government” and yet at the same time, they tell me that I am supposed to “support the troops” – even thought our military is the largest portion of our massive government.
As I wrestle with this duplicity I wonder why American conservatives oppose big government at all? Is the size of government of any concern to conservative values, and if so, what Goldilocks yardstick is used to correctly measure whether government is “too big”, “too small” or “just right”.
If a massive government provides the vast majority of the people it governs with life, liberty, and pursuits of happiness, is that a bad government because of its size? If a small government robs the masses of their rights and caters to the demands of a small but powerful minority, is that a government that a conservative ought to embrace? Denmark has a huge government, relative to the size of its citizenry and, somehow, the Danes have the distinction of being the happiest people in the world. North Korea has a tiny government. His name is Kim Jong II. Is it wise to judge government on size rather than result?
OR...
Is the term “Big Government” newspeak for something that the American conservatives and Tea Party deliberately make ambiguous and contradictory to mislead and manipulate the public? What do they mean when they oppose “Big Government”?
Let's examine the "walk" of their "talk".
They oppose welfare, banking regulation, business regulation in general, labor unions, and a progressive tax code. They do not oppose military buildups, wars, government subsidies to business, and tax loopholes to the ultra wealthy.
Ah HA!
It is clear, when one removes the bumper sticker slogans of America’s angry right, that what they oppose are those actions of a big government that support and protect the labor, family, community, and the rights of free men to join together to fight oppression. What they support are the actions of a big government that support and protect the self serving interests of the wealthy and powerful in the exploitation of their fellow citizens and humanity across the globe.
I wonder if they are aware of this?
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old new lefty
Kerry Lauerman
grif -
Peter Breschard
DanielKronlid
Saturn Smith
Salon.com
Comments
as in:
I oppose YOUR ('big') government
and
I support MY ('small') government
But they can't say "my" and "your", so they invented the big vs small myth
George W. Bush put in $17,000,000 to fight welfare fraud, and this effort snagged a mighty $11,000! We all know that the biggest source of US government corruption is in the Defense Department. Major weapons systems, anyone? Or how about that $8B in cold cash that went missing in Iraq?
Lezlie
Military spending, especially the kind engaged in by the US government since the early 1950s, has been self defeating. Countless consumer-manufacturing industries have lost funding, and gone under, as banks switched to finance military-industrial manufacturing companies. These companies get rich from making and selling military hardware to the government, or through the government, to other countries.
The problem with this, is (1) little to no economic externalities exist, such that very few jobs are created once the government buys the missile or the gun, or the tank. (2) many of these items are "sold" overseas, at a loss, so as to "bolster the defenses of our allies," which is a funny way of saying, we will subsidize the defense industry of other nations, provided they keep lending us money. (3) the more we artificially bolster the military industrial complex, the more banks will only invest in them, and the less likely they will invest in many consumer industries. (4) there are no economic returns once you own a tank. Unlike a bond, a stock, education, welfare/ssi spending money, no money is generated back into the economy as a result.
Our economy will be in shambles, as long as we repeat the mistakes of the Soviet Union, and focus ever increasing shares of our GDP and national budget, on National Defense.
"If a massive government provides the vast majority of the people it governs with life, liberty, and pursuits of happiness, is that a bad government because of its size? "
That is the real question. Why is it so ignored?
"If a massive government provides the vast majority of the people it governs with life, liberty, and pursuits of happiness, is that a bad government because of its size? "
That is the real question. Why is it so ignored?
One motive of the conservative in decrying big government is to encourage privatization of government functions. Bush did it. He "outsourced" thousands of government tasks (jobs) to private companies. Think Blackwater.
The military-industrial complex has held sway in our government since before the Cold War -- despite President Eisenhower's warning against it in his 1961 farewell address. If you haven't read it, you should look it up. He was remarkably prescient in terms of today's events.
Where has our vaunted military prowess brought us? Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan. The first two against a questionable communist threat (the domino effect) and the latter two for planting democracy in the theocratic mid-East.
Now we have Operation Enduring Freedom (2001) Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003) and Operation Dawn (2010). Since 2001, these "operations" have cost us $948 billion, 4,236 killed in action, and 17,095 wounded in action (not returned to duty in 72 hours).
The Washington Post details these figures. The article identifies the age groups of the KIA. I calculated that 58% of the KIA were between the ages of 18 and 25 years old.
I just went to a Tea Party and had a sign that said "Want Small Government? End The War-Fare State." I didn't make a lot of friends.
Big Gov idea comes from the government doing what the private sector should be doing. Buying a controlling amount of stock in GM and then firing and hiring people is over the line.
We are not Europeans, we don't like being told what's what by a central power. Many immigrants came here to be free from large governments. Just ask anyone from Russia, China or Cuba.
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If we Americans do not like being dictated to by a central power, please explain the rise of corporations like Walmart and Monsanto who dictate to us each & every day.
In Europe, the governments represent the people, not the corporations, a concept that I, as a conservative, place much value upon.
In Europe, the people are not dictated to by Walmart and Monsanto and corporations like Xe Blackwater.
In Europe, the people enjoy more freedom.
And you oppose this?
Well, I guess this makes you that odd variation of conservatism called "American Conservative" - newspeak for the core belief that corporations and their growth must trump all human needs.
Monsanto? Never heard of it.
Xe, those are mercs for hire. Again, no affect, accept they do things our soldiers are not allowed to do.
Have you ever been pulled over to pay your radio tax? You will in Italy.
Do you think there are no large corps in EU? Don't be foolish. The world needs biz, both large and small.
You're free to call yourself whatever you like. You can call yourself and evolved monkey. Doesn't mean you are one.
Monsanto, the company that owns the rights to 82% of the corn and 93% of the soybeans that are the very foundation of the foods we all eat each day.
Yeah, you can choose to not shop at Walmart and you can decide to grow your own food in the fields...but to think that they are not having a direct and powerful influence on your life is simple delusion. As they say, "Ignorance is Bliss".
"Jobs" have been the primary rationale for most of the pork authorized by Congress.. There is a lot of pork in the DoD budget. I spent forty years in top secret military R&D, and I have seen a number of pork barrels. If I must see pork in federal spending, I would rather see it in infrastucture improvement.
Maybe you should rent George Clooney's "The Men Who Stare at Goats". I am curious. What do you consider your primary source of political news? Caution: phrases like "evolved monkey" could lead to another OS dustup.
@feral conservative. Mr. Two Thumbs comments contradict your adage "ignorance is bliss". Mr. Two Thumbs comments indicate one but not the other.
I am for reducing the spending but we need to be careful. We could start by reducing sales to allies who might become aggressors. It will take a long time, but in the interim, I am glad that I live here. After all, could you have a Tea Party in North Korea?