There is this ongoing myth that the Republican Party is in favor of capitalism and smaller government. In comparison to the Democrats, maybe this is right. But if you compare the policies and actual results, there really isn't much of a difference at all.
Brushing aside foreign policy (where the Republicans are huge advocates of bigger government), the Republican politicians in DC are horrendous, even in comparison to Democrats. The only major difference is in their rhetoric. When it comes to economics, Republican voters are probably quite a bit better than Democrats in advocating capitalism and less government. This is why the Republican politicians talk about smaller government. They are fooling their constituency.
The Republicans took over the majority in the House of Representatives in January 2011. They have had control there for about a year and a half and yet the deficits persist. Sean Hannity will refer to them as the Obama deficits, yet he somehow manages to ignore the fact that Republicans control the House where all spending bills are supposed to originate.
As I mentioned in my last post, the Republicans in the House can try to pass any budget they want. If Obama vetoes it, they don't have to pass anything. They could say that they will only fund Medicare, Social Security, and vital national security projects. Let the rest of the government shut down. Or they can pass a more moderate budget that has many other things, but is balanced.
They had an opportunity to refuse to raise the debt ceiling, but they gave in.
I keep harping on this subject because I know so many Republicans who keep thinking there is some hope with electing Republicans to office. They at least think they are the lesser of the evils, which I'm not even sure is true.
The Bush legacy is a complete disaster. Under Bush, we got No Child Left Behind, a massive Medicare prescription drug bill (that rivals Obamacare), tariffs, the Patriot Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, two major wars, bank bailouts, car company bailouts, and massive debt, just to name some big things.
If Bush had continued as president, don't think that the deficits right now would be much lower, if at all. Other than the ridiculous stimulus plan at the start of his presidency, Obama has not increased government spending (in percentage terms) any more than Bush did. Obama supporters are right in saying that Obama inherited a mess. It really is true. It's just that Obama has continued the problem and made it even worse.
With Ron Paul basically out of the running, the best thing I can recommend is to stay away from politics. The whole system is a disaster. You should spend your time instead reading, writing, speaking, and trying to convince others on the benefits of liberty, without being too pushy or annoying. Stay away from the divisive political stuff. Instead, focus on philosophy. Focus on the moral and pragmatic benefits that come with a more libertarian society.
The whole big empire is actually more fragile right now than most people realize. The Republicans are not going to save us. They are part of the problem. We just have to be prepared to pick up the pieces when things really fall apart. This does not mean ruling over others. It means convincing others that nobody needs to be ruled.