Filling in for Commander Hood, JLF’s Becki Gray has a message for Republican leadership in the up coming General Assembly: Don’t be like ‘them’:
True fiscal conservatives would not continue the programs Democrats have created — only spending less money. Instead, Republicans should vow to end the unsustainable growth of government, the pet projects, and the nanny-state mentality. Republicans must change the fundamental role of government in North Carolina and prove that they are not “them.”
“They” used shenanigans and tricks to balance the budget while growing government. Well, the party’s over. You can’t gimmick your way out of decades of fiscal irresponsibility. “They” have dug a $3.7 billion budget hole by overspending. There are no more savings accounts and trust funds to raid. There are no more shell games you can play by taxing services and calling it “tax reform,” using lottery money to pay teachers, or taxing Internet sales. You can’t shift the costs of paying for government to cities and counties.
Allow me to take take Becki’s message and apply it on a national scale. Although they appear to be backtracking now, liberals will continue to leverage the tragic shootings in Tuscon as a means of claiming the higher moral ground, hoping Republicans will flinch as they address the problems facing our country. With that in mind, conservatives need to be constantly reminded that they’re not ‘them.’