Let’s stop big-government liberals
September 22, 2006| By Steve Forbes
This is a great time to be an American. The economy is roaring ahead, thanks in large part to the 2003 tax cuts which cut back penalties on hard work and investment. And these tax cuts are due in no small part to the work of The Heritage Foundation, who worked tirelessly to explain the conservative principles of freedom, opportunity and prosperity. These are the ideas that Heritage wants to spread with its American Values Initiative.
Ed Feulner gave me some great news this afternoon. Just today, the Benwood Foundation of Chattanooga, Tenn., made a $10,000 challenge to support and allow us to expand the American Values Initiative. This challenge grant will make your gift worth double, so your $50 will be worth $100, and your $100 will be worth $200.
- Click here to contribute to the American Values Initiative
- Get other conservatives involved! Send information on the American Values Initiative to a colleague or friend
Regrettably, these principles are under attack. From the minute they were proposed, President Bush’s 2003 tax cuts have been favorite targets of the political left. Using outdated ideas about how the economy works, they argue that the tax cuts were somehow irresponsible. And now, in the name of “fiscal responsibility,” liberals have promised to repeal these economy-boosting tax cuts if they retake Congress.
The real fiscal irresponsibility, though, is our government’s out-of control spending, which is backed by liberals and even many who call themselves conservatives. Time and again over the past several years, these faux “conservatives” have teamed up with the big-government left to pass huge increases in federal spending. Spending is up 45 percent since 2001—and much of that spending was not on defense, as many would have you believe. Adjusted for inflation, Congress is now spending more per household than during World War II.
Without reform, the future looks grim indeed. As the Baby Boom generation starts to retire, entitlement spending will skyrocket. In just a few decades, we’ll barely be able to afford Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—and that’s after huge tax hikes and cuts to the military and all other government functions. We must act now to get spending in line.
It’s time the American people got their facts straight: the American Dream works best when government does the least. Lower tax rates will allow families to invest in the future; reduced government spending will keep the private sector vibrant; and fewer regulations will let American ingenuity go to work. These are the important principles we need to promote across the country, the values that the American Values Initiative will help spread.
With your contribution of $100 to support the American Values Initiative, we’ll send you a free copy of Getting America Right, the bestselling book from my good friend Ed Feulner. This book tells you exactly why we need principled conservatives in Washington and around the country.
The conservative movement needs principled allies like you in our fight to get the country back on track. I thank you for your support.
Steve Forbes is a Trustee of The Heritage Foundation.