Libertarianism and Conservatism vs. Liberalism and Progressivism

Name a government program you don't like.

Better yet, name three.

 

That'll probably take you a few days to answer. No biggie.

In the meantime, I have a serious question that nobody seems to be able to answer:

What are we supposedly progressing toward? In other words, when is it a finished work.

As near as I can tell, it's spending more and more money on bigger and bigger government. Over the last 10 years, the feds have gone from spending 20% of GDP to spending 33% of it - at some point you can't spend 101% of it for very long.

 

That aint hard to do. Not crazy about farm subsidies. Not crazy about multi-zillion dollar airplanes for the pentagon (that's actually several programs right there). Not crazy about the war in Iraq.

barfo

 

I think you named two (military, farm subsidies) - which is why I asked you to name 3.

 

the military is more than one program. There are parts of the military I support. There are parts I don't.

I don't approve of giving away mineral rights on public lands. Does that count as a program? There is certainly a government bureaucracy in charge of it.

I don't approve of the border fence.

I don't approve of the way we handle immigration generally.

I don't approve of the entire tax code, by any means.

I'm sure I could come up with more if I thought about it hard enough - but you know what? I don't sit around thinking about what I hate about the government all the time, because I'm not obsessed with the government the way you are.

barfo

 

Border fence isn't a program, it's INS or whoever (that's the program).

Tax code isn't a govt. program, either.

Think 3 letter agencies. Like EPA, CDC, IRS, INS, FDR, etc.

 

I'll come up with at least 3 things I like that government does.

VHA, GI Bill, Military, the mint, post office, patent office, courts system, highway system (many libertarians think those should be private toll roads), etc. Basically things that are actually listed in the constitution, or consistent with those things (infrastructure).

 

I'm sorry, next time make your question more clear. Different people mean different things by the phrase "government program".

Am I in favor of abolishing any three-letter government agency? I'll have to go look at the list to see.

What's FDR? Was he president so long that he turned into a federal agency?

barfo

 

Oh, I'm sorry, but some of those aren't "programs", so they don't count.

barfo

 

Yep, I am pretty sure FDR is seen by many as a federal agency if not a deity.

 

I didn't call them programs. I don't like a single government "program."

 

So you get to name "things government does" that you like, but I have to name government "programs" that I don't like? Some sort of a double standard here. I'm calling a technical foul and ejecting you from the thread.

barfo

 

You listed things the government does that you don't like, so I followed in kind.

 

I didn't want to invade Iraq, I wanted to take out Saddam. Like mafia hit. It was the only way I could see to end the interference that was ongoing - in a reasonable manner.

To be at war with a country like Iraq would mean being at war with all of Iraq, including it's citizens.

Not even Bush or anyone in that administration wanted that kind of action.