Over 81% Self-Identifying as "Small-Government Republican" Don't Actually Know What that Means

[EEO]

A recent discussion with my cousin, who is a 'limited government' or 'small government' independent - who only votes Republican... (And voted AGAINST Elizabeth Warren) - put me in a position to explain what having a smaller government means. He was bitching about the U.S House of Representatives voting to remove mandatory labeling of GMOs. I told him it was a great example of limited government, and he did not care for that very much.

Anyway, this made me think of that recent discussion...


Over 81% of Americans Self-Identified as "Small-Government Republican" Don't Actually Know What that Means

WASHINGTON (The Nil Admirari): Today, the results of a TNA survey of Americans who self-identified as a "small-government Republican" was released, and found 81.4% of participants did not know what being a "small-government Republican" actually meant. They ignored the real-world consequences to infrastructure, food and drug safety standards, regulations for clean air and water, education, healthcare, and many other government roles they simply took for granted.

And...

Schneider added, "So they overlooked the government's role to keep its citizens safe while demanding it continued to do so for free. Their way of thinking was very much like a child's, in that they want everything their way without giving anything in return. I call it the 'take-and-take mindset.' Adults compromise and work together. These people don't."

[CTyankee]

1. and it is the republicans behind driving that agenda...

this is why Jeb is gonna be in so much trouble unless he walks back his Medicare remarks...

[EEO]

6. He may be more dumb than his brother... And if that is even possible...

[erpowers]

2. Everybody Wants Socialism; Nobody Wants to Pay For the Socialism

The results of this survey are not new. Many people have known this for years. The title of my post came from the comment someone made during a documentary. A part of the documentary addressed what was addressed in this survey; the fact that people want government services, but either do not want to pay for the services, or want small government. As a way to explain that thinking one of the people in the documentary said, everyone wants socialism, but no one wants to pay for it.

I think the real problem with the "small-government Republicans" is that they want government to support them, but do not want government to support anyone else. They want government to be small enough to support them and no one else. These are the people who will claim they are against government healthcare while willingly taking Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. These people will vote against policies that benefit people, but when they need those services and the services are no longer available they get upset. When asked about the seeming disconnect between their policy ideas and their desire for help they respond by saying they, unlike the moochers, deserve the help.

[daybranch]

5. Are you sure you were not a Romney supporter? Jeb is your guy.

Actually most people believe those who benefit most from the peoples labors should pay more. A majority of people in this country even with republicans bravely selling trickle down, believe the rich should pay more more in income taxes and with that the people can have much more of the socialism and its benefits.
Yes, we have people who live on welfare of some sort but they are not as a whole anywhere near the thieves the rich are as they try to take away social programs paid for by employee/employer contribution such as medicare and social security.
Most people want the dignity of being able to pay their own way and those candidates whose views you relate are just another way to divide the people at the behest of the rich.
Most people agree taxes are most burdensome on the poor and we all know children and adults have to eat and be sheltered from the ever more oppressive climate. These needs for food and shelter, no matter how much republicans like to pretend, are not an addiction and a human e society tries to provide a safety net, especially for times such as have occurred where Romney, Bush et al have destroyed home ownership, created loss of family livelihood in wars, and in Bank speculation etc. Maybe we are increasingly building a group of people who see no better way than to take what you feel they do not deserve and whether they do or not is not solved by your or my opinion. The real answer is to provide an economic system which rewards work well enough that workers can adequately provide for their families. Systems operate as those in power want them to operate. I am sure that with additional resources , read auditors, much of the unnecessary socialism could be eliminated and we could remove the stigma that everyone does it. But I am sure that republicans will continue to underfund IRS, Inspector Generals in the VA, Defense Contract Audit Agency, The Office of Management and Budget, and the Governmental Accounting Office as they wish government to fail. Republicans control by their control of the budget control collection of money and that includes hiring trained administrators and auditors to prevent misuse of our tax dollars. But with all their clamoring about misuse and waste, they actually support that misuse and waste because strengthening government requires more taxes from the rich even as it helps the people. The rich do not want smaller government, they want to be the Government and resent any form of democracy restricting their business dealings.
Go Bernie!

[erpowers]

7. You Did Not Address My Points

Instead of addressing my points you just made a straw man and attacked the straw man. It seems that you did not actually read the full post, but just looked at a few words and then decided to make your post. My post addressed the people who claimed to want small government, but did not seem to understand the results of small government. In my post I said that sentiment was nothing new in that it had been talked about for years. I then pointed out that someone interviewed in a documentary one explained people who wanted government services, but small government by saying everyone wants socialism, but no one wants to pay for the socialism. I ended my post by saying the real problem with so called small-government Republicans is that they understand that a small government would cause some services to be cut. The thing is they do not want their services cut. I went on to say small-government Republicans want government to be small enough to provide them with services, but not big enough to provide the same services for other people. I finished by saying small-government Republicans are the people who vote against policies and when the policies are not their for them they get upset. When asked about the seeming contradiction they claim they, unlike the "moochers", deserve the services.

[Clayguy61]

3. Small government versus limited government

I ask my students about government and I always get they want small government. I ask how small? What do you cut? What size? They cannot answer, but it must be small. I will respond, why? The constitution says limited government, which we have. There is no word, small in the constitution. Why do you want small when we are a population of 321 million people, the third largest in world? Why have a big country and small roads, small military, small post office, etc? Does not make any sense.

[raccoon]

8. I figured most of them couldn't explain what "Big government" or "small government" means.

And most of them are undoubtedly in favor of "big government" programs that benefit THEM.

If they believe the program benefits some out-group, fuggetaboutit.