PUBLISHED in the Wall Street Journal, 2/1/06
http://online.wsj.com/opinion/letters?mod=2_0048

Re "Party of Limited Government
Our record of accomplishment speaks for itself."
(Rep. Roy Blunt in the Wall Street Journal, 1/19/06)
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110007830

To the Editor:

Rep. Roy Blunt’s claim that the Republicans have done a good job limiting government is the most laughable political statement since Tom DeLay’s claim that the GOP has “pared it [the size of government] down pretty good” and is the best reason yet not to support Blunt’s run for the position of Majority Leader.

Yes, the House has gotten tax rate reduction through, but (among other major errors) they also voted for the single largest increase in entitlements ever through the Medicare drug benefit and approved the truly repugnant $286 billion transportation bill, saddling taxpayers with billions of dollars of pork-barrel debt.

Blunt’s suggestions for modifying the earmark process is simply putting lipstick on the pig. It represents Blunt’s position as an agent of business-as-usual and demonstrates with blinding clarity the importance of a clean sweep of GOP leadership to be replaced by new blood, including real reformers such as John Shadegg who believe in limited government.