Liberty Maven

So often we hear those associated with the GOP (mostly neocons) complaining about Obama’s big-government policies.  It’s the nature of politics, I suppose, that they can’t see past the blinders of their own party to realize that they’re just as much to blame as the Democrats.  Indeed, the size and scope of the Federal Government has grown every single year since the days of Herbert Hoover (and probably since even as far back as the days of Lincoln when the country created by our forefathers ceased to exist).

Sheldon Richman at the Future of Freedom Foundation explains how the Republicans are disingenuous with regards to their commitment to smaller government and in fact are to blame for our troubles:

If the expansion of intrusive government (a redundancy) gives you the willies — it should; the cost is freedom and prosperity — you may be tempted to direct your anger at Obama and the rest of the Democratic leadership. That would be myopic, however.

Blame the Republicans, beginning with the former president, George W. Bush. (We could go back further, but time and space are limited.)

The reason can be illustrated by an extraordinary moment that occurred just after Obama unveiled his multiyear budget plan. Contemplating the spending blueprint, Republican House leader John Boehner went before the media microphones and declared, “The era of big government is back.”

For Boehner to make such a statement suggests two possibilities, although both could be true: he thinks Americans are morons or he’s been in a coma since January 20, 2001, when Bush took office.

Note that he didn’t say, “Uh oh, government is going to get even bigger than it is now.” No, he said, “The era of big government is back.” Back — as in: returned after having gone away.

When did it go away? And does Boehner really believe that the American people don’t realize how much government grew under Bush?

Read the full piece here.