The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 2 of 14)

Tom Dykers br> Goochland, Virginia /p>

The premise of Mr. Tanner's column is incorrect.

He states "Republicans have been increasingly split between traditional small-government conservatives in the Reagan and Goldwater molds and a new breed of big-government conservatives who believe in using an activist government to achieve conservative ends -- even if it means increasing the size, cost, and power of government in the process."

By definition, big-government types are not conservatives. As soon as you become a big-government "anything," you are no longer a conservative. True conservatives know that the mantle of "small-government" starts with the 17 specifically enumerated Congressional powers permitted by the Constitution in Article 1, Section 8, and ends with the 10th Amendment.

It remains to be seen whether Fred has the same outlook. His previous votes on NCLB and McCain-Feingold campaign finance means that the jury is still out on his supposed small-government conservatism. Lots of convincing needs to happen on the stump -- maybe another Contract with America is in his immediate future. If only we could be so graced which such a document.

By the way, there is one more incorrect premise in the column. Being a hawk on national security is a conservative position -- almost half of those previously discussed enumerated powers deal with the subject. In fact, if I were king for the day, it would be the only issue funded by the taxpayer at the federal level (besides the courts). Everything else would be a state responsibility.

p>Long live Federalism. br> -- Owen H. Carneal /p>

We already have the genuine article, Ron Paul, running for the Republican nomination. Why should we turn toward a handpicked false alternative? Your article's premise of empire-building and the big-government war machine is right on. Thompson seems to be only echoing the "let's go beat up on the rest of the world" moniker of the other non-Paul candidates. Do you hear Thompson challenging the power of the IRS or the privately-owned Federal Reserve money machine. No, and you won't hear him address these issues.

p>The growing issue of the war in the Middle East will turn from the question of its morality on its face to "How can our children and grandchildren afford the wars?" and pay for their parents retirement through Social Security? This is why Paul's candidacy resonates so well with younger people. I'm 60 and it resonates with me. Paul's strength is grassroots and currently below the media radar (but this seems to be changing rapidly). Thompson's strength is an embarrassed Republican Party conservative hierarchy (especially in southern states) who knows that Rudy McRomney is a dead ticket at the gate. Why? It won't fail because conservative Republicans and Independents will vote for the Democratic socialist ticket. They will "stay home" on the presidential election or vote Republican for local and state candidates only. br> ---

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