Cato’s David Boaz takes a scalpel to the idea that many Democrats (particularly Ned Lamont) are trying to push that they are “fiscal conservatives.” While a lot of Republicans have shown that they are quite fond of the mega-state and are happy to see it grow, the Democrats are almost uniformly worse. You can read what Boaz has to say here.
The crucial point to keep in mind is this: The more government spends, the more it impedes the ability of individuals and voluntary organizations (both non-profit and for-profit) to accomplish their goals. That’s the political trade-off. I guess that most politicians would agree, if pressed on this, that there is some point at which government would be too big and that things would be better if it shrank and people were allowed more freedom to spend their money. Unfortunately, most of them evidently believe that we are not yet close that that point and further growth of the government is desirable.
