How's that small government workin' out for ya?

I heard Sarah Palin repeat the old Reagan era mantra, "We need to reduce the size and scope of government." Like Bill Clinton pointed out in his convention speech, the Republicans fully enacted the policies they have talked about since 1980. Apart from government spending, all of Reagan's wildest dreams came to pass. There are the ones we know about like cutting taxes for the wealthy in every way imaginable, and the behind the scenes moves of dismantling worker safety regulations and consumer product inspections so expertly documented in "The Book on Bush", a must read. This is the Golden Age of small government, and what you get is what we've got.

Bush's reaction to the financial meltdown is indicative of his philosophy. He's still saying the govnerment should only be involved when there's a crisis, not aware of how that strategy played a role in the cause of said crisis. As a Katrina survivor, I know first hand the flaw in that kind of thinking. Waiting until things are out of hand before taking action seems to end up costing more. If you wait until a problem hits the news, it looks like all you're doing is saving face, hardly a booster of confidence or a sign of leadership.

This seems obvious, but I feel compelled to point it out: WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT. Making government small makes you small. The government is the nuts and bolts of what we want to see done in our society. We pool our money, and enact laws that that reinforce our values and desires, not to mention the creation and management of infrastructure. I can't personally ensure that toys aren't laden with lead, but I sure as hell can vote for someone who is in a position to get the job done.

I am not for a huge, wasteful government unchecked by common sense. I am not for some of the things Republicans talk about like excessive regulation, burdensome taxation, and frivolous lawsuits. The difference is a matter of degree. To them, ALL regulation is excessive, ALL taxation is burdensome, and ALL lawsuits are frivolous.

All of this leads me to my other obvious point. The Republican party is all about making the rich richer, nothing more. Everything else they do or say is about getting elected enough to achieve this goal. With reality making it obvious that they're wrong, they will distract and distort while trying to make the argument that more of the same will lead to different results.

Enough already.