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Originally Posted by pinky lee
Also, you were talking about local elections- the Republicans gained control of a majority of state legislatures for the first time since the Civil War. Despite losses, they still lead in Governorships. They control all 3 branches of the Federal Government and look to expand that advantage next election, by even Dem estimates- also, they performed a historical first when they picked up seats in an off-year elections in both Houses of Congress. It can only get batter.
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What I was referring to was an overall level of national, state, county, and local seats that were won. The trend at the top levels was not reflective on the local levels for the most part.....
And following your logic, I'd say it can only get
worse if the Republicans gain more and more seats. They can't hold it all forever, right?
The "terrible burden"?? Such as?? Such as social security, which has benefited millions of retired Americans? Maybe workfare programs that employed our great grandparents, including my own...? Granted, the New Deal was not perfect, but public policy never is.
The article was an interesting read, but I cringe at the selective use of history and information used by the libertarian extremists at the Cato Institute.
I'll have to read through it again, but here's one part that caught me: "New Deal relief programs were steered away from the South, the nation's poorest region. ''A reported 15,654 people were forced from their homes to make way for dams,'' Powell writes. ''Farm owners received cash settlements for their condemned property, but the thousands of black tenant farmers got nothing.''
And what the author neglects to mention is that it was racist southern Democrats who pushed to prevent the New Deal from extending too far into their own constituencies, because it would've provided blacks with work. Had FDR not yielded on this, the welfare policies may never have reached fruition in the first place. This was undoubtedly an unfortunate compromise, but certainly not FDR's intent, or his "folly."
In providing social nets and expanding government programs, FDR just may have saved us from the popularity of Communism and Socialst revolution that often resulted when countrires went into economic distress. I'm sure our friends at the Cato Institute wouldn't believe that....
And just how is President Bush contracting the size of government, by expanding medicare to cover elderly prescription plans?? This is a big government conservative if I have ever seen one....
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