looks like the orange man group making a come back..

[Spongebob]

In practice, no matter what the Republican Party says, “fiscal conservatism” is largely a fantasy. They may use it as a justification for cutting the social safety nets, but theory invariably goes out the window, on a large scale, because they will invariably find a way to increase spending, and if it means borrowing money they can’t get from tax revenue because they cut taxes, then so be it.

I agree.  Modern Republican fiscal conservatism doesn't really exist except where it applies to social services.  I have a long-held view that Republicans are absolute hypocrites because just about everything they espouse is conditional.  They hate big government, except in cases where they don't (DHS).  They hate big spending, except when they like it (military).  They hate government subsidies, except they don't (farmers, oil?).  Even abortion is nonsense.  Many Republicans support women's choice until they seek a high office and the overzealous church lobby forces them to mouth the words in support of banning abortion.  Since Regan (the father of the modern GOP), not a single Republican president, or a Republican controlled congress has acted to significantly reduce national debt.

[Rev. Rye]

Are you familiar with Innuendo Studios’ videos arguing that conservatism is, at its core, about trying to preserve some semblance of the hierarchy created by the monarchy and aristocracy?

Here’s the video that explains the thesis:




And here’s where Ian goes into detail about how the thesis comes not merely from that one time he argued with a conservative ex-friend, but from a pretty exhaustive look into the history of conservatism:




And, to quote Ian Danskin, “if you can point to some paradigm shift in the history of conservatism where the royalist sentiments of Edmund Burke and Joseph DeMaistre were rooted out, I’d love to hear about it, because I’ve listened to the thinkers championed by conservatives throughout the ages and I keep hearing the same thing: that humans are innately unequal and society flourishes when power is doled out to the deserving.”

[Bucky Ball]

If memory serves, I believe Regan and all Republicans since have espoused a philosophy of cutting taxes without necessarily cutting government programs.  A "starve the beast" approach.  Of course at the same time all Republican administrations have signed on to most military budget increases, needed or not.  This philosophy of course causes deficits to increase because spending hasn't dramatically decreased.  Maybe a little here and there, but nothing dramatic.  And this graph illustrates how the great recession and covid recession have furthered the deficit.  The latest military budget was for over $740 Billion.  The green line probably shows where the deficit might have gone if we had kept taxes where they were pre-Regan.  The only reason it dipped during Clinton's era was he increased taxes a smidge.  Bottom line is that as a country, we just spend too much and take in too little in taxes.  Much like the Romans, we are addicted to war.

Ronald Reagan repeatedly kept whining and sermonizing about a "ballanced budget". 
Republicans ate it up. Too bad. 
He never once offered one.

There was a budget surplus during the Clinton Administration.

[Fake Messiah]

Everybody is turning on Donald because he's a loser

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Boru

[Spongebob]

Ronald Reagan repeatedly kept whining and sermonizing about a "ballanced budget". 
Republicans ate it up. Too bad. 
He never once offered one.

There was a budget surplus during the Clinton Administration.

You are correct; Republican presidents talk about balancing the budget but it seems that there is never a real, genuine discussion of what the country needs versus what it can afford.  I'm not sure the population could even accept such a conversation because we are so divided.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I think you lot could probably balance your budget in jig time by selling off a few surplus states. You know - Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, and those little fiddly ones in the upper right. Should be worth a packet.

Boru

[Deesse23]

I am wondering where Drich is and if he is still in denial.
Should be fun to have his latest take on things.

[Angrboda]

I am wondering where Drich is and if he is still in denial.
Should be fun to have his latest take on things.

"But Trump won Florida so that proves I was right!"

[LadyForCamus]

Where’s @Drich ? He got quiet all of a sudden. 😂😂😂