Reagan's GOP officially dies

Tom Delay proudly claims that federal spending can't be cut anymore, in a must read article. I have a good friend who claims to be an independent but always votes Republican because he feels that he has the best chance of seeing a shrinkage of government with the GOP. Since House leader Delay believes there is no fat in the federal budget, and that all that spending is crucial to the economy (including, I imagine, the $231mm bridge to a small island in Alaska named after SITTING Senator Don Young). At what point does the illusion that there is any better chance for fiscal responsibility under the GOP give way. Over the last 11 years the budget has exploded, and we've added $2 trillion in debt since 2000. Reagan once vetoed a bill with 167 "pork" items, and the last budget had over 6000. In true Orwellian fashion, the GOP has taken the Reagan dream of less government, promoted it endlessly during campaigns, but has acted in exactly the opposite manner at every opportunity. The country has had six years of total GOP control, and has not moved one inch closer to Reagan's vision for the country. Reagan has been characterized as a "tax cuts only" visionary, but that's only part of the story. He wanted less government, and saw tax cuts as a method to that end. The current GOP makes FDR look like Scrooge. It keeps the tax cuts (good) but endlessly ramps up spending (bad). I just don't see how long GOP loyalists can continue to buy into the illusion that the GOP is for fiscal restraint and less government. The proof is in their actions, and the actions are very, very clear. Now that the head of the GOP congress says that there is no fat in the budget, all GOP voters have to confront that real statement with the election cycle hype.