imaginative conservative budgetBelow is an excerpt from a NY Times article (7/20/10) on the new British Prime Minister’s plan to cut government spending 25% and shrink government bureaucracy (I added a few comments in all caps). Tough economic times are the only reason such a plan has a chance. Wait a minute, aren’t we having tough economic times in this country? Maybe we can have a plan like this. Do you think President Obama…no probably not. How about a new contract with America for the mid term elections? Just a thought. I am confident the American people would be bigger if the national government was smaller.

Britain’s Leader Carves Identity as Budget Cutter by JOHN F. BURNS

…with a relentless battery of policy announcements, Mr. Cameron and his coalition of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have proposed to couple the deep deficit cuts (LET’S START NOW) the conservatives sketched out during the May general election campaign with a wider effort to break the mold of big government (AND GRIND IT TO DUST) in Britain that, despite Lady Thatcher’s best efforts, has largely prevailed since World War II.

In so doing, they have charted an economic course of almost savage austerity, an approach that contrasts starkly with the policies of Mr. Obama (REALLY?), who wrote to Mr. Cameron and other leaders last month warning against premature cuts in government spending that might drive the world into a double-dip recession (DEAR DAVID, YOU IDIOT, NEVER CUT SPENDING, YOURS BARAK).

Mr. Obama has chosen a different path for the United States (THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS & LUNACY), deferring the kind of sharp budget cuts now being rolled out across Europe, and at his meeting with Mr. Cameron the two leaders, in effect, agreed to disagree (DAVID, DON’T LISTEN TO THIS GUY, HE IS A RAVING SOCIALIST).

…A budget last month proposed an austerity campaign of extraordinary severity, setting across-the-board cuts over the next five years of 25 percent and more (PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE CAN WE HAVE ONE TOO?). But that has proved to be only the scene-setter for an ambitious — and politically risky — bid to dismantle Britain’s sprawling bureaucracy (HOLY MOLY BATMAN, IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?, PRAYERS ARE NEEDED). If successful, it will lift what the new leaders say is the state’s heavy hand on public life, restricting its reach into schools and hospitals, slashing welfare benefits and reviewing intrusive law-and-order Labour programs that have alarmed advocates for civil liberties. (THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC WATCHES IN JEALOUS HOPEFULNESS.)

Read complete article

Books on the topic in this essay may be found in The Imaginative Conservative BookstoreThe Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politics—we approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.

All comments are moderated and must be civil, concise, and constructive to the conversation. Comments that are critical of an essay may be approved, but comments containing ad hominem criticism of the author will not be published. Also, comments containing web links or block quotations are unlikely to be approved. Keep in mind that essays represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Imaginative Conservative or its editor or publisher.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email