Conservatives who bemoan big government don’t seem to understand that they’re not helping their case to complain so vociferously about how the automatic defense budget cuts triggered by the sequester plan will negatively impact the economy.
“Virginia will be particularly hard hit because of our proximity to Washington, D.C., and our status as home to more military installations and private-sector military partners than almost any other state. Multiple studies show that approximately 130,000 to over 200,000 Virginia jobs could be lost because of these arbitrary cuts,” Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, said in a statement today.
So government spending does spur economic activity, then? Interesting point there, Mr. Governor.
Oh, sure, McDonnell and other Republicans try half-heartedly to couch their criticisms as, you know, ahem, also having a negative impact on our national defense. But even in doing so, what they’re really talking about is money, money, money, money.
“A projected $600 billion of sequester defense cuts over 10 years, on top of the $487 billion in cuts already in place, is an unsustainable burden on our military in an unstable and volatile world,” McDonnell said today, illustrating that point.
Got it. The criticisms about government spending aren’t really about government spending, or getting government out of the way of business.
Money spent on more guns, more fighter jets, more bombs – good. Money spent on health care, public schools and hands up to people in temporary distress – bad.
Column by Chris Graham
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