The National Republican Party used to be the party of fiscal responsibility. They preach cutting spending but then their actions do not match their speech. They are hypocrites. They swindle the people with false promises. Shame on them and shame on us for falling for it over and over.

Let’s look at Republican hero Ronald Reagan: In 1980, Jimmy Carter’s last year as president, the federal government spent a whopping 27.9 percet of “national income” (an obnoxious term for the private wealth produced by the American people). Reagan assaulted the free-spending Carter administration throughout his campaign in 1980. At the end of the first quarter of 1988, federal spending accounted for 28.7 percent of “national income.” Even Ford and Carter did a better job at cutting government. Their combined presidential terms account for an increase of 1.4 percetn – compared with Reagan’s 3 percent – in the government’s take of “national income.” And in nominal terms, there has been a 60 percent increase in government spending, thanks mainly to Reagan’s requested budgets, which were only marginally smaller than the spending Congress voted.

The budget for the Department of Education, which candidate Reagan promised to abolish along with the Department of Energy, has more than doubled to $22.7 billion, Social Security spending has risen from $179 billion in 1981 to $269 billion in 1986. The price of farm programs went from $21.4 billion in 1981 to $51.4 billion in 1987, a 140 percent increase. And this doesn’t count the recently signed $4 billion “drought-relief” measure. Medicare spending in 1981 was $43.5 billion; in 1987 it hit $80 billion. Federal entitlements cost $197.1 billion in 1981 — and $477 billion in 1987. Foreign aid has also risen, from $10 billion to $22 billion. Every year, Reagan asked for more foreign-aid money than the Congress was willing to spend. He also pushed through Congress an $8.4 billion increase in the U.S. “contribution” to the International Monetary Fund.

During Reagan’s tenure as president the US became the largest debtor nation in the world.

George W. Bush was even worse than Reagan in this regard. He preached being a fiscal conservative and even tried to sell us a few bad deals but lets look at his record. President Bush seems intent on making entitlement spending even more overgrown. While Bush had proposed some reforms for Medicare, that was pushed aside in favor of adding a huge unfunded $400 billion prescription drug plan. It would be the largest expansion of Medicare since its inception in 1965. Many analysts are projecting that the $400 billion cost over 10 years will be and understantment… According to published reports during his administration, discretionary outlays rose a stunning 16.9 percent in FY2003, having risen 13.1 percent in FY2002. Defense outlays rose rapidly, but so have nondefense discretionary outlays, with a 12.7 percent increase in FY2003 and a 12.2 percent increase in FY2002.

So Bush, another person from the “fiscally responsible” Republican Party decreases taxes once again and increases spending. When will the insanity stop? If you want to cut taxes cut spending.

Republicans, we already have national health coverage. It is called you can’t turn someone away from ER. Not only is it expensive, ineffecient, and poor but it also takes away from the quality of ERs and causes major delays in them. But instead of addressing issues like this and seeking to fix the problem in a way that is fiscally sound, economically productive, and beneficial to society the National Republican Party during its time in power never did much of anything to reform health care but will fight against health care reform tooth and nail. Come on Republicans!!! Are we no longer a party who is pragmatic, sees problems, and then comes up with intellectual and common sense solutions? Are we a party who does not care about our common man?

We have been let down and swindled by Republicans in office. They have used the idea of fiscal responsibilty as a vote-getter and then turned away once they have our vote. Let’s hold them accountable and take back out party. So here me National Republican Party, give me back my party or GET OUT!!!!!

Bart Wallace