Good Ol' Republican Ideals

Up until two years ago I was Republican and I still support the ideals they continue to preach. I want smaller government and less government involvement in our personal lives. I want the federal government to allow states to regulate state issues where the federal government has no place and I want more streamlined and efficient beaurocracies.

Instead we have an unprecedented budget deficit, new and larger federal agencies (Dep't of Homeland Security, Intelligence Czar, etc.), The Partiot Act and other intrusions into our personal lives including Federal government involved in State law issues, and beaurocracies functioning as FEMA, FBI, CIA, and Homeland Security do.

FBI admits to having wasted approximately $104 million on a computer system eventually scrapped (worth $170 million) (see http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/02/03/fbi.computers/).

I don't need to tell what is wrong with FEMA (nor will I address the matter that more funds are being spent destroying Iraq than rebuilding New Orleans).

Homeland Security has been created, determined to be inefficient and ineffective, and ultimatley restructured all within 3 years (see http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=1497). I'll remind you that Bush originally opposed the Dep't of Homeland Security, the 9/11 Commission, and the Intelligence Czar, only to later take credit for the creation of each. Let's ensure that he gets credit for their management as well.

Is anyone else beginning to question the conventional wisdom that Republicans are the party opposed to red tape and ineffective and inefficient beaurocracy?

And lastly, you have the Federal Government seeking to regulate who can be issued a marriage license as well as who is the next of kin when it comes to making private medical decisions (e.g., the Schiavo case), both unquestionably issues regulated solely by the states.

I still support the ideals I did two years ago, only now, I have come to realize that the Republicans never really did.