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If Republicans Hate Big Government, why such big congressional staffs? (MET)

Fergasun

By Fergasun
in The Tailgate

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Fergasun

Fergasun

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Okay. So Republicans are apparently the party against "big government", how come they have Congressional staffers and chief's of staff? One would think they that they would intentionally set up their staffing structure to be inefficient, or have low bandwidth; hence they don't have the time to support twenty different legislative actions.

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Midnight Judges

Midnight Judges

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Big Government or small government, a congressman needs 18 staffers IMO. These people are supposed to be expert enough to write and vote on legislation that could touch on just about any subject matter-from environmental issues to macroeconomics to drug regulation.

The Republican party and conservativism do not square with small Government mentality in the least, but this isn't part of the reason why.

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Burgold

Burgold

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It's a con. Pure and simple. I think almost everyone knows it. When the Republicans controlled all three branches of government, did they shrink it? No, they massively expanded it. Did they eliminate their favorite whipping boys: Dept of Education, National Endowment for the Arts, or Dept of Agriculture. No, and again, they expanded their powers esp. the Dept. of Ed.

No one who's honest or has ever looked at the Republican party objectively believes that they have ever believed in cutting spending or in a small government. I think the last elected politicians who truly believed in a limited government died in the early 1800's.

I think that the second biggest con after that is that elected Republicans are anti-abortion. Again, for six years the conservatives had majority control of all three branches of government. Were abortion laws ever addressed, weakened, anything? They love to bring it up because folks will rally against the evil lib baby killers, but when push comes to shove they have barely so much as officially addressed the issue.

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Burgold

Burgold

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Nope, I think there is a wide variance amongst the population, from the people who want the government to do all their thinking and acting for them to people who wouldn't want to give the government the power to unlock the doors of their own homes.

There are quite a few citizens who honestly believe that government power has become too expansive and needs to be contained or shrunk. If this is your core issue though, you should never vote Republican.

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Burgold

Burgold

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Its has been proved to be true...Hard to get elected and cut spending...

This is why many Republicans are now the tea party!

Which sadly, also seems to be a con game a total shill for the GOP. It is being run through a GOP PR firm anyway and it's leaders are major voices in the GOP.

I actually do think it's a shame that the TP couldn't even last 6 months before it was co-opted and taken over. Who knows though they may be able to win it back.

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SkinsHokieFan

SkinsHokieFan

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The party of big business or the party of big government.

Those are the choices we have today

Somewhere out in "real America" there are the tea-o-cons (love that terms SS)

So, just bend over and take it in 4 years when we have double digit inflation along with tax rates hovering at 30 percent for those who makes less then 75k per year

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Fergasun

Fergasun

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Big Government or small government, a congressman needs 18 staffers IMO. These people are supposed to be expert enough to write and vote on legislation that could touch on just about any subject matter-from environmental issues to macroeconomics to drug regulation.

The Republican party and conservativism do not square with small Government mentality in the least, but this isn't part of the reason why.

Don't you want someone smart enough they don't have to rely on all those staffers? What major legislation in 2009 was so complicated that staffers had to be relied on? Health care was debated for 2 years ahead of the vote... I'm not sure that legislation was much of a surprise. Furthermore, doesn't each party have key members on the committees that can communicate? They bring in subject matter experts on nearly every subject through the committees.
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Midnight Judges

Midnight Judges

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If we must be honest...Dems are even bigger Goverment...

I'm not sure how you would come to that conclusion. Does big Government = increased spending? Because I'm pretty sure spending has rarely increased more than it did under the Republicans from 2001-2006.

Does big Government = big deficits and big debt? Because again, you'd have to go back a long way to find a time when we incurred more debt than under the Republicans when they had complete control from 2002-2006.

Or perhaps big Government is defined by social issues. Seeing as how Republicans want Government in your marriage, Government in your Church, Government in your vagina, and Govermment in your choice of substances, again, I don't see it.

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cedk

cedk

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Oh sure, but they're honest about it. Dems believe that government is there to help the little guy and claim to want a herculean government.

Exactly!!! and exactly what the communist wanted to do...

sounds good but just did not work

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Burgold

Burgold

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Exactly!!! and exactly what the communist wanted to do...

sounds good but just did not work

Which is why people like me want the Republicans to be an honest counter-weight (which they are not). For the government to serve its people, it must protect them from the bullies whether they are terrorists, a foreign army, or abusive monopolits, rapists or murderers.

But everything needs its check. Republicans have abdicated their role as the checkers of compassion and justice. Republicans are supposed to be anti-justice, anti-freedom, anti-little guy and for the most part they still try to be, but somehow they are anti-freedom, little guy, and justice and pro-HUGE government.

It's like the worst of all possible worlds!

Try to pull the silly dem = commie card on me. I can out-hyperbolize you.

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Fergasun

Fergasun

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Oh sure, but they're honest about it. Dems believe that government is there to help the little guy and claim to want a herculean government.
Comon dude, put on some non-partisan glasses. The Treasury is helping big business loot the taxpayers, headed up by Geithner a Democrat appointee as well as Bernanke (with a "close" reappointment).

The Democrats for the little man of old have been marginalized, and I doubt exist in the Senate. I'm not talking simply about the liberal dream of health care, but concern over things like TARP, and the home foreclosure crises. Dodd (chairman of the Senate Banking committee) is clearly not in this type of mold; I'd consider it something like "economic populism". Folks like Kaptur, Kucinich, even Maxine Waters of the House have exhibited this in some form. Please show me who in the Senate is sticking up for the little guy for the Democrats. The vote on TARP was particularly revealing in this regard. Personally I think Congress has a Senator problem.

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