I just got this press release from the Libertarian party, and am reproducing nearly all of it verbatim.
Money quote:
“It’s a spending bill that will result in discretionary spending of $1.356 trillion this year. That’s higher than last year’s $1.349 trillion. When did higher spending become a cut?”
Calling a budget a spending cut when it’s lower than an earlier estimate, but still higher than the current budget, is inaccurate. Such phony spending cuts mislead the public, which of course is exactly the idea.
Republican Wall of Shame - From Libertarian Party
UPDATE – I just added this graphic of the Republican Wall of Shame. Check out ex-Gov. Schwarzenegger’s description — so apt.
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WASHINGTON – The mainstream press is falsely crediting Republicans for proposing “deep cuts” in federal spending. To fight back, the Libertarian Party is promoting its “Republican Wall of Shame” with an online ad in the Washington Post.
Libertarian Party Chair Mark Hinkle said, “I can’t believe the press is saying Republicans are making deep cuts. It’s just false.”
On February 20, the Associated Press wrote, “The Republican-led House has approved a spending bill with deep cuts that Democrats call unacceptable.”
On February 21, the New York Times wrote, “…the Republicans’ fervor for the deep cuts adopted by the House.”
On March 5, an NPR caption read, “The House was debating the continuing resolution (HR 1) that contained Republican-proposed deep cuts in the budget.”
On March 8, the Los Angeles Times really went overboard: “For some, the House-passed GOP budget plan, with the deepest spending cuts in generations, goes too far in slashing jobs and programs.”
Hinkle continued, “This phrase, ‘deep cuts,’ keeps appearing. But it’s just comical to describe the Republican budget plan as ‘deep cuts.’ It would be more accurate to say ‘microscopic cuts,’ or even ‘no cuts.’ It’s a spending bill that will result in discretionary spending of $1.356 trillion this year. That’s higher than last year’s $1.349 trillion. When did higher spending become a cut?”
Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict said, “Sure, Republicans want to attack a handful of Democratic pet projects. That’s such a narrow sliver of the budget that it doesn’t matter. It’s political game-playing. It won’t do anything to address our large-scale fiscal disaster.”
Benedict continued, “Republicans and Democrats constantly try to pretend that they’re on opposite sides of a huge chasm. Unfortunately, the mainstream press cooperates and hypes up that false notion. In fact, there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between them.”
Overall federal spending is expected to be 7 percent higher this year than last year, even with all of the Republican “cuts” in HR 1.
To help set the record straight, the Libertarian Party is promoting its “Republican Wall of Shame.” The Libertarian Party has purchased online ad space in the Washington Post, to help inform the public that Republican rhetoric about “cutting government” is hypocrisy.
Benedict continued, “One of my pet peeves is hearing all this nonsense about Republican House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan being a budget-cutter. Paul Ryan is a typical big-government Republican. He supported the giant Medicare expansion in 2003, the hugely expensive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the expensive No Child Left Behind Act, the TARP bailouts, and on and on. Paul Ryan is one of the prominent Republicans featured on our Wall of Shame.”
The LP is America’s third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at our website.
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(DISCLAIMER: This is my opinion, and not necessarily that of my employer, the North County Times).
Comments 4
One of many places to try cracking this nut would be the rate of inflation over the last year http://www.tradingeconomics.com/economics/inflation-cpi.aspx?Symbol=USD
Last year Republicans in San Diego worked with, and funded, a coalition with Libertarians to defeat the Proposition D sales tax hike. It was a fine victiory for all concerned.
Your ‘Thank You’ for that has been for you to peronally villify the Republican Chairman (Tony Krvaric) who helped make that possible, to baselessly question his integrity, and to reprint anti-Republican broadsides like this one.
At the present time, we are only able to read anti-Republican junk in the MSM, on TV, in Movies, major magazines, in Universities and throughout the popular culture. That ought to be enough.
Take a look in the Mirror and ask yourself why Libertarians never win elections (or even come close), and why other folks in poltiics don’t trust you. And don’t tell me your answer to those questions, please, instead tell yourself.
What does the local GOP doing the right thing on Prop D, from the Libertarian perspective, have to do with whether any Republicans at the state and national levels should be called out for being RINOs? Nothing.
Tony Krvaric, by the way, is the first to criticize Arnold for his stellar performance as a “Republican” governor.
As far as the Libertarians don’t win elections questions, no argument there…but, we could spend pages on the reasons.
Author
O Anonymous Critic of Libertarians,
No, I haven’t done anything to “personally vilify” Tony Krvaric. I commented on some troubling allegations and the inadequate way (IMO) they’re being handled. But your hypersensitivity is revealing.
BTW, if you happened to actually read the shame list, you’ll notice the conspicuous absence of national GOP leaders such as Sarah Palin, Chris Christie and Mitch Daniels, who are true fiscal conservatives.
Libertarians generally don’t win elections themselves, but in a close race, we just might make the difference in who else does win. Stay tuned.