Fiscal Conservatives?

 The republican candidates for the presidential nomination take pride in labeling themselves as fiscal conservatives. They all have, at one time or another, accused the present administration of wasteful spending. Each of the candidates has promised to do a better job of “guarding the taxpayers money” if selected as the nominee and eventually elected President of the United States. However, it is one thing to “talk the talk” and another to “walk the walk”. Let’s look at how these fiscal conservatives managed to “eke” out a campaign in the recent South Carolina primary election.

Candidate	Votes	Spent Last      Wk	PAC	Total Spent	Cost/Vote
Gingrich	243153	$491,000.00	$2,900,000.00	$3,391,000.00	$13.95
Romney	167279	$1,800,000.00	$3,000,000.00	$4,800,000.00	$28.69
Santorum	102056	$1,000,000.00	$2,000,000.00	$3,000,000.00	$29.40
Paul	77993	$1,500,000.00	$3,400,000.00	$4,900,000.00	$62.83
Perry	2494	$580,000.00	$1,800,000.00	$2,380,000.00	$954.29

As can be seen from the above table, Gingrich was not only the winner in terms of number of votes, but only spent $13.95 for each of his winning votes. Mitt spent $28.69 per vote, Rick spent $29.40 per vote, and the voice of fiscal responsibility, Ron Paul spent $62.83 per vote. While Perry dropped out of the race (for obvious reasons) his voice of fiscal sanity ended up spending a whopping $954.29 for each of his 2494 votes. Looking at the way these people are blowing through money for a single state’s primary election, what should be expected from any of them if they ever get their hands on the nation’s checkbook. Just to jog your memory, George Bush claimed to be fiscally responsible yet he somehow managed to run up the largest debt in the history of the country, gave tax cuts to his wealthy friends, started and fought trwo wars without paying the costs of these wars or providing a means to pay for the future costs of these wars, and signed legislation for a prescription drug program that guaranteed that the US Government would pay pharmaceutical companies their highest asking prices. When Republicans “walk the walk” they appear from all evidence to run at the mouth but fail to close the spending flood gates they so favor to blame on others.