What is a Republican these days???

 

 

 

"Is the Grand Old Party still Grand?"

 

There sure has been quite a bit of chatter as of late concerning the Republican Party. It seems to me the party has become somewhat bifurcated - the "Tea Party" faction which wants the party to get back to its roots, and the "RINO" faction which long for the not so old days of "reaching across the aisle" and back room dealings. Many on the "RINO" side think the "Tea Party" folks are a bunch of wackos - by the same token, many on the "Tea Party" side think the "RINOs" are just a bunch of Democrat "light", "Rockefeller" Republicans. What a mess.

I am now going to say something very, very unpopular. There are very few Republicans today that can wow my socks off. There are many fine people - however, I use one measuring stick when I judge someone's politics. And that yardstick is the size and cost of government.

The measuring stick that makes the most sense to me is the National Debt Clock. Until this clock stops spinning forward, we are still in trouble. Even "gut wrenching" budgets proposed by the likes of Paul Ryan and Rand Paul, let the Debt Clock continue to spin forward (albeit not as fast). I am still waiting for someone to come forward with a budget which shows a five year projection with the Debt Clock becoming smaller than it is today.

Now the Democrats will say the only reason the Debt Clock continues to grow is a shortfall of revenue (dog whistle talk for not taxed enough). This is why I say a TRUE conservative will "right size" the government in accordance with our founding principles. We need to rediscover states rights with the Federal Government responsible primarily for the defense of the union. Once the Federal Government is "right sized", doing only what the Federal Government is suppose to do, the cost of government (our Debt Clock), will stopping spinning forward, and then start spinning in reverse.

The bottom line is this - I don't give a damn about Republicans and Democrats who are so similar in behavior, only the initial behind their names separate them. As a conservative, I will vote for whichever party most closely reflects the conservative principles I believe in. Please don't try and pull at my heartstrings, I am a big believer in compassion - just not performed by the Federal Government.

This next election season, when a candidate knocks at my door, that person needs to be prepared for tough questions. Unlike the press, I will not ask what the favorite color is or what kind of under ware is preferred. My question will be very simple - how will YOU do your part in "right sizing" our government - whether it is federal, state or local. A true conservative will know exactly how to answer this question - lets hope Republicans do also.