Fiscal Conservatism Back Again, Check It to Record and Let's Begin

The pretend return of fiscal conservatism to the GOP began roughly around Jan. 2007 when the new Democratic Congressional majority was sworn in. The urge for Republicans to endlessly talk about budgets, deficits and spending suddenly reappeared in their vocabulary. It was like magic. Then in Jan. 2009, when the Democratic majorities were expanded and Barack Obama took over the White House, a full fledged return to so-called principles of fiscal conservatism entailed.

Today we see the manifestation of this Republican metamorphosis in Eric Cantor's new website gimmickry that will supposedly allow Patriotic Americans to go online and vote what programs they want to cut the most.  Then next week, House Republicans will Patriotically force a vote to cut the program that gets the most votes.  It's like interactive democracy or an American Idol transformation of democracy.  Well except for the fact that the GOP has decided what programs will be up for vote.  Only five items totaling a whopping $13.5 billion and you only get to pick one.

Since they are in the minority, House Republicans can't do much of anything when it comes to trimming budgets.  They know this.  This is merely a way for Republicans to keep the focus on their faux concerns for fiscal conservatism.  It's all for pretend.  They are like children playing house.  As proof look at what Republicans did when they were in the majority and had total control over government-- you know the time period when they had the perfect opportunity to showcase their conservatism.  It seems during this period, they had not a care in the world about budgets, deficits or cutting programs.

In 2002, the first year Republicans can take credit for the implementation of the budget, a completely controlled Republican government took a budget surplus and turned it into a $157 billion deficit.  Now keep in mind, these are "fiscal conservatives" doing this.  The same people who today are whining about deficits.  As a percentage, Republicans increased the deficit in their first year by 233%.  Compare that to 9% for President Obama and his party's now control of government.

I guess the facts really shouldn't surprise any of us.  After all, these self-labeled "fiscal conservatives" are also the ones who produced an alternative numberless budget last year.  And how can we forget their budget busting alternative plan that proposed to cut $5 billion a year from the budget versus the Obama administration's puny $17 billion a year.  In their world 5 is greater than 17.  What a bunch of wienies.