BrooklynBlue

I get the excessive taxation argument in principle, but:

1. The Bush administration, in many different ways, has decimated the Federal budget. Cut taxes + spend way the fuck more. In what world does that kind of math work?
2. What's with the obsession over welfare, food stamps, medicaid, etc? Sure something is more than nothing, so if you're against it in principle, ok. But these are such small parts of the Federal budget (especially after Clinton's welfare reforms) it's kind of silly to keep harping on it if the argument is really levels of gov't efficiency. Defense spending is like 2/3 of the Federal budget. The bulk of the remainder is Medicare & Social Security.
3. The biggest drains on government spending are the defense/national security black hole and Medicare. Medicare spending is spiraling not because of gov't largesse (they actually keep cutting benefits & payment levels) but only mirrors what is going on in the health care industry at large

Besides what about things like publicly regulated utilities, roads, the Internet, a monetary system that doesn't require exchange of a physical medium, that are the result of *ba dum dum* ... big government?

Disclaimer: No, I'm not in college, and yes, I make very good money (off-line).