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View Full Version : "Republican Party Owes America An Apology" - LP




Matt Collins
09-24-2010, 03:58 PM
Just released today:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 24, 2010

Contact: Wes Benedict, Executive Director
E-mail: wes.benedict@lp.org
Phone: 202-333-0008 ext. 222

Libertarians say Republicans owe apology, not pledge, to America

WASHINGTON - In response to the recent Republican "Pledge to America," Libertarian Party executive director Wes Benedict released the following statement:


Instead of a "Pledge to America," the Republicans should have written an "Apology to America." It should have gone something like this:

"We're sorry, America. Sorry we grew the federal government budget from $1.7 trillion to over $3 trillion. Sorry we added $5 trillion to the federal debt. Sorry we doubled the size of the Department of Education. Sorry we started two incredibly costly foreign wars. Sorry we supported the absurd and costly TARP bailouts. Sorry we created a huge and costly new Medicare entitlement. Sorry we did nothing to end the costly and destructive War on Drugs. Sorry we did nothing to reform the federal government's near-prohibition on immigration. But hey, at least we helped you by shifting a lot of your tax burden onto your children and grandchildren."

There are so many lies, distortions, hypocrisies, and idiocy in this document that it's hard to know where to start.

It is deeply insulting to see the Republicans refer to "America's founding values" on their cover. The Republican Party has no understanding whatsoever of America's founding values. They have proven and re-proven that for decades.

The document talks a lot about "tax cuts." Unfortunately, the Republican "tax cut" proposals would really do nothing to cut taxes. All their proposals achieve is to defer taxes, pushing the burden onto our children and grandchildren. The only real way to cut taxes is to cut government spending, and the Republican document does almost nothing in that regard.

The Republicans say they want to "roll back government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels." In other words, to re-create the situation near the end of the Bush administration, after Republicans had massively increased federal spending on almost everything.

Republicans must love it when Democrats expand government, because it gives them the opportunity to propose small "cuts," while still ending up with huge government.

One shocking aspect of the document is that it actually includes subtle Republican proposals to increase government spending.

The Republicans offer no plan whatsoever to reduce military spending, America's foreign wars and nation building, or our military defense of rich foriegn nations. On the contrary, the Republicans apparently want to increase military spending, promising to "provide the resources, authority, and support our deployed military requires, fully fund missile defense, and enforce sanctions against Iran."

The Republicans also appear to want to increase government spending on border control. They say "We will ensure that the Border Patrol has the tools and authorities to establish operational control at the border," a costly proposition.

Furthermore, as expected, the document complains about "massive Medicare cuts," implying that Republicans want to make sure Medicare is kept gigantic.

The bulk of federal spending is in three places: Social Security, Medicare, and the military. The Republicans propose absolutely nothing to reduce spending on these three things, or even to slow down their growth.

There must be a typo in the document where it says "Undeterred by dismal results, Washington Democrats continue to double-down on their job-killing policies." That probably should read "Washington Democrats continue to double-down on Republican job-killing policies."

The best way to restore American prosperity would be to implement the straightforward 28 planks of the Libertarian Party platform, or even just follow the Constitution. I mean the actual Constitution, not the Republican re-write that allows for every federal government program imaginable.

I suppose the one positive aspect of the document is that it finally dispels any illusion that Republicans want to shrink government in any meaningful way.

Apparently the Republicans are hoping they can "fool some of the people all of the time." The Libertarian Party is ready to point out Republican lies and hypocrisy to American voters, and we hope that Americans who actually want small and constitutional government, not just hypocrisy and worthless rhetoric, will vote Libertarian this November.

HOLLYWOOD
09-24-2010, 04:10 PM
Apology?

How about returning the money they steal out of our pockets each week?

Pennsylvania
09-24-2010, 04:17 PM
When the LP apologizes to Mary Ruwart, then they can start pointing fingers.

Kludge
09-24-2010, 04:18 PM
I can't work out my feelings on this release.

He's right and it's good for these truths to get out, but not every GOP member (Ron/Rand Paul, Justin Amash, etc.) is the stereotype he's promoting. He seems to be trying to bring the libertarian-conservatives over to the LP which would be utterly ridiculous for a serious political party trying to change government.

Matt Collins
09-24-2010, 04:25 PM
WOW!

CNN picked up the press release:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/24/libertarian-leader-republicans-should-apologize-not-pledge/



I think this might be the first time that the LP has ever had their press release picked up by a major news source.

DamianTV
09-24-2010, 04:49 PM
I think the whole GOP owes Ron Paul an apology, for their dirty underhanded "Lets shut down the Convention to keep Ron Paul from getting any Delegates" politcs.

Rael
09-24-2010, 05:17 PM
both parties go to hell

Bruno
09-24-2010, 05:19 PM
WOW!

CNN picked up the press release:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/24/libertarian-leader-republicans-should-apologize-not-pledge/



I think this might be the first time that the LP has ever had their press release picked up by a major news source.

encouraging comments

Stary Hickory
09-24-2010, 05:20 PM
GOP did not support the tarp bailouts get the facts straight. It was only the GOP who resisted the idea. Bush /= GOP he was a pretty progressive er..."compassionate conservative" president.