It's a sad day for conservatives when their conscience on big-government spending is the Washington Post.

My conservative friends tell me that deficits don't matter.

They only matter if the Democrats are in power.

Are you implying that the WashPost is in some way biased?

Deficits DO matter along with many other issues like President Bush being the 1st president during a time of war to cut taxes NOT raise them, therefore blowing the surplus into a, that's correct, a deficit.

If the deficit is decreasing, then good. We can maybe work ourselves back towards some fiscal responsibility by balancing budgets again as well.

It was "Republicans" who said deficits don't matter. It was not "Conservatives" who said that. There is a difference between a "Conservative" and a "Republican."

Actually, I think it's the supply-siders who think deficits don't matter.

Most folks don't understand basic economics nor do they know what supply economics is--they equate it to the 1980s and draw a non-existent correlation with that and gov't deficits. The deliberate ignorance is sad.

Supply side economics worked in the 1980s as the treasury took in increased revenue EVERY year, excepting the 1982 recession. In 1980 tax revenues to our treasury were 500 billion, when Reagan left office tax revenue was 909 billion--nearly double. The Congress had MORE $$ to spend, they did so and MORE, running deficits through the roof.

When the President has the balls to veto, as Reagan did, then the only other culprit has to be the Congress, as they control the purse strings; always have and always will.

The question is, where's all the public outrage toward deficits and our Congress? Aren't we to blame, too?

That's why a Kerry presidency might've been better. Republicans -- acting out of partisanship -- would try and stonewall his "big government" agenda. However, with a Republican in the White House making excuses for "big government" is the new "conservative" motif.

Eric,

Check out my quote in Time magazine (following last summer's National Conservative Student conference):
It's about halfway down this blogger's entry.

And with regard to Dan's post... Yes, this is quite sad.

Aakash,

Thanks. I used to read your blog quite regularly until it seemed it was never updated. But I did enjoy the page you made devoted to anti-war conservatives and libertarians.

Perhaps the time has come to split the defintion of "conservative" into fiscal, social, or "in name only."

Be well,

Sponge

by the way, I hate to say this, but I really think this country ran best (budget-wise) with a conservative congress and a democrat president.

Defecits certainly matter, but they are also certainly made out to be much more dangerous than they are by Washington politicking.

Before anyone leaps down my throat, the Bush Defecit is of course quite large enough to be dangerous.