During the administrations of Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden, how many times did we hear about how Republicans were the answer to those big-spending Democrats who were bankrupting our country with their out-of-control federal spending and debt? Almost continuously! If only American voters would put those fiscally responsible Republicans in charge of both houses of Congress and the presidency, we were repeatedly told, fiscal responsibility would return to the federal government.
What a bunch of hooey. As we learn time and time again, when it comes to big spending and big debt, the Republicans are just as bad as Democrats, if not worse. During President Trump’s first term in office, when Republicans also controlled both houses of Congress, the federal debt increased by almost $8 trillion. That’s trillion, with a “t.”
When Trump took office in 2024, the federal debt stood at around $36 trillion. The Republicans, once again, control both houses of Congress. Two years later, the federal debt stands at more than $39 trillion. Of course, the amount of debt is growing exponentially every day.
Let’s face it: It doesn’t really matter whether Democrats or Republicans are in charge. The big spending and the big debt will continue to grow, whether it’s on welfare, warfare, regulation, or control. There are always projects, programs, wars, conflicts, regulations, and controls on which to spend money. As we have seen, both Republicans and Democrats always find ways to spend and borrow ever-increasing amounts of money.
Oh, I think it’s worth pointing out that the federal government’s debt does not include “unfunded” welfare programs, such as Social Security and Medicare. When one adds those to the federal debt, the total is a staggering $107.9 trillion.
But the fact is that neither Republicans nor Democrats are the root cause of America’s fiscal woes. Instead, the root cause is a systemic one — the welfare-warfare state, regulated-managed economy system, and national-security state system that have come to characterize our nation.
As we have seen ever since America was converted to a welfare state and a national-security state, welfare and warfare are extremely expensive. The same goes for the regulated-managed economy way of life, the never-ending drug war, the massive immigration police state, and foreign aid. It is all very expensive.
The pipe dream of statists, of course, is that it’s possible to make this statist system fiscally sound. Good luck with that! If they haven’t made it fiscally sound after almost 100 years, what are the chances that they’ll make it so today? They’ll never do it. So long as Americans choose to continue this dysfunctional way of life, federal spending and debt will continue to soar, regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans are in charge.
This is where the soul-searching has to take place among the American people. Do Americans want to continue this statist way of life that is leading them to the destruction of their freedom and economic well-being? Or do they want to put America back on the right road — the road built on our nation’s sound founding principles of the free market, voluntary charity, and a limited-government republic — the road to peace, prosperity, and harmony — and, yes, the road to fiscal responsibility?
Reprinted with permission from Future of Freedom Foundation.
