August 11, 2003

The Difference Between Democrats and the Bush GOP

Lots of ink, airtime and web pixels have been expended on bemoaning the fact that the current Bush administration has repeatedly assisted the Democrats in expanding all manner of entitlements, even helping add a $400 billion "free" prescription drug benefit to Medicare. Some pundits worry that the cost of winning the all-important War on Terror - which we risking losing if we don't re-elect Bush - will be paid for by Bush repeatedly buying off the Democrats by agreeing to give them most of what they want in various domestic policies. And these days it does appear to be that Bush is not exactly against Big Government.

But of course, there is a difference between Bush and the Democrats. Bush and too many Republicans in Congress are indeed for Big Government. But Democrats are for BIGGER Government - as in BIGGER than whatever the Republicans propose or agree to. For the Bigger Government Democrats, government is always too small.

You'll notice, if you're paying attention, that that even when the GOP compromises on something like that abominable $400 billion "free" drugs plan, Democrats will call the new entitlement "an important first step." And that is exactly what they mean - it is only the first step toward their larger policy agenda of "free" healthcare for all.

They do not view $400 billion to give "free" drugs to old people to be a crowning achievement, a completed task. They mean they will be back for more later - within one election cycle they will be back to demand the benefit be enlarged, the recipients' cost by lowered, the pool of eligible people increased, and the taxes raised to pay for it all.

Meanwhile, the suckers in the GOP think the $400 billion plan they compromised on represents the final program.

If the GOP were to propose tomorrow a $50 billion program to provide free bicycles to kids living in abject poverty, the Democrats - even though they have never proposed such a thing - would immediately call it a cold-hearted plan that "doesn't go far enough" to help kids in lower-income families to get bicycles, because some poor kids are in families that are not quite poor enough to qualify for the GOP's plan. It wouldn't matter where the GOP plan set the income limit - $6,000 a year, $12,000 a year, $24,000 a year - Democrats would focus on those just above that line, complain they were being "left out" by the cold-hearted Republicans (who, no doubt, were planning to use the "savings" to give a tax cut to the rich.)

Then the Democrats would request $100 billion. Plus $25 billion a year for ongoing bicycle maintenance and $10 billion a year to fund bicycle riding lessons. And Republicans, fearing being called insensitive to the poor or uncaring about the bicycle-less, would compromise at $75 billion plus $20 billion a year for maintenance and riding lessons, and the Democrats would call it "a good first step" - and be back before the next election demanding more money, plus funding for skateboards.

That's the ratchet effect of trying to compromise with the Bigger Government Democrats. Republicans think that by compromising with Democrats they are lowering the cost of a government program but they are wrong. Instead, they are merely helping Democrats increase the cost and set the stage for the inevitable next round of proposals, negotiations and ever more costly "compromises."

One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.