re: "They have no interest in shrinking the size of goverment or cutting spending."
That was a really good post, Nemo.
However, I disagree with its suggestion that "the Republican establishment" is out of touch with how voting Republicans feel about "wars and stealing our freedom."
Au contrair. Most Republicans *do* want wars. They believe "supporting our troops" means being cheerleaders for aggression. They think a good "defense" involves attacking nations that haven't attacked us.
While most Republicans SAY they want more freedom, better Constitutional adherence, less government and less spending, they're paying lip service to beliefs they don't actually hold. They back away quickly from these "core" beliefs as soon as they threaten to even briefly impact their beloved military spending.
It's ironic that while such Republicans often bring up the fact that we're broke, they don't seem to understand that if we don't have the money, we are effectively at the mercy of others (including other NATIONS) who fund us. Just how long do these dolts think we can survive with a system that is way too expensive and potentially threatens the very creditors who sustain it?
And that's ironic indeed. If our nation continues blowing its money in this manner, the purse strings will eventually be tightly closed by forces that are NOT under our control. We will have no money for our defenses even if we truly need it.
Do any of you remember what the United States did to the U.S.S.R.? It effectively tricked the Soviet Union into overspending on its military against a threat that wasn't even real (Star Wars) and bankrupting itself. Twenty years later, we run a real risk of falling for the same trick.
The United States is spending almost as much each year on its "defense" as the rest of the world COMBINED. And there is no real threat! What we're doing is unsustainable. It is the very height of stupidity.
The Paulites are fundamentally different from other Republicans. They understand what "broke" and "less spending" mean and are serious about dealing with the problem. The others . . . just aren't.
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