Is there any empirical evidence that ANY tenet of "conservatism"

[leftofthedial]

actually works? Has any example of:

smaller government
lower taxes
privatization
deregulation
reduction of civil liberties

EVER yielded a positive result for the country? Have standard of living, median wage, employment rate, GDP, the budget deficit/surplus EVER been shown to improve as a result of conservative policies?

[ThomCat]

1. Of course not.

If the concervatives actually looked for evidence they might possibly have to admit they are wrong. That's why they constantly attack academics (who might do the research). Attack the very people who might be able to document the truth and you never have to worry about the truth being beleived.

They live in a world where you form conclusions based on whatever will line your own pocket, and then make up the justifications for it.

[leftofthedial]

3. and they continually politicize and recalibrate

official economic measures to the point that they are virtually meaningless

two clear examples are "productivity" and "unemployment"

[ThomCat]

4. True. If they can change the meanings of

all the indicators, without ever letting people know for sure what those indicators mean, then they can taylor the evidence to say whatever they want it too. Instant propaganda.

[Democrats_win]

2. Empiricism? For Conservatives? LOL! It's ALL anecdotal!

[quiet.american]

5. I've been asking this for years. Thanks for bringing it up. n/t

[geek tragedy]

6. Well, it depends. Smaller than what? Lower than what?

State-owned telephone companies, for instance, have traditionally offered some of the worst service in the history of mankind.

The real question is striking a balance--what level of government/private works and what doesn't work.

[leftofthedial]

7. in other words, you're saying liberalism works

conservatism doesn't

conservatives gleefully embrace "smaller" to mean small enough to drown in a bathtub

conservatives apparently believe lower means zero, when it comes to taxes (at least for the uberwealthy)

[geek tragedy]

9. The Grover Norquist model is an obvious failure.

Certainly the Republican party has had very poor results when they've implemented their ideas.

[GeorgeGist]

8. Ironically...

Conservation works... but naturally the conservatives abandoned that long ago.

[SharonAnn]

10. Quote I read once said "Conservatism is an attempt to justify greed"

or something like that.