How Fiscal Conservatism Works

Republicans followed the lead of Grover Norquist's and Newt Gingrich's nutty ideas of making government small enough to drown in a bathtub. Gingrich claimed that eliminating the Department of Education would save taxpayers money from wasteful spending. The truth is Republicans aimed their contempt of teachers' unions at the department. They have no problem throwing more money for defense contracts. The Congressional Budget Office reported that 25 percent of Defense Department funds can not be accounted for. Republican presidential candidates talk about spending more money. I have yet to hear a GOP candidate talk about reforming the Pentagon.

On Sept 10, 2001, Donald Rumsfeld publicly announced that $2.3 trillion was unaccounted.



Marco Rubio supports using tax dollars to build the Florida Marlins a new stadium. Studies shown taxpayers financially lose on sports venues. Rubio's idea to save the taxpayers money is "agency eliminations." Sen. Al Lawson said, "That's really an insane approach by the speaker." Senate President Ken Pruitt didn't even want to touch Rubio's latest brainstorm. Who can blame him.

"We love our partners in the House," said Pruitt. "Anything that comes over, we will thoughtfully take up and consider."

Rubio is an economic illiterate. He is a slave to economic principles of Dick Armey and Donna Arduin. Rubio doesn't need to know math, not when he has truthiness on his side.