{"id":4255,"date":"2026-07-16T04:07:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T04:07:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4255"},"modified":"2026-07-16T04:07:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T04:07:28","slug":"government-just-keeps-spending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4255","title":{"rendered":"Government just keeps spending"},"content":{"rendered":"
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OPINION:<\/strong><\/p>\n

French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr knew what he was talking about when, in 1849, he coined the phrase \u201cPlus ca change, plus c\u2019est la meme chose\u201d (\u201cThe more things change, the more they stay the same\u201d).<\/p>\n

Read more DNI nominee Jay Clayton sheds Democrats\u2019 support by not saying Biden won 2020 election<\/a><\/p>\n

It has been repeated and attributed to various people, but Karr appears to have said it first.<\/p>\n

The quote is especially true in modern politics.<\/p>\n

I recently found an April 1976 interview I conducted with Ron Paul, the father of Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican. I was a reporter for the local NBC station in Houston, and Mr. Paul appeared to have won a primary runoff election for a House seat.<\/p>\n

Regardless, the final ballot count was delayed. Would you care to guess why? It was because of a malfunctioning vote-counting computer in Brazoria County.<\/p>\n

A Ron Paul campaign billboard I have never forgotten depicted an overweight \u201cUncle Sam\u201d with the caption \u201cPut big government on a diet.\u201d If only.<\/p>\n

A much younger me asked Mr. Paul what he felt was his greatest strength in the race. He replied: \u201cI think one thing was clear cut. Government is too big, and the people are fed up with it. The usual politicians will not [get us] out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the problems with overthrowing the establishment, I said, is that you then become the establishment (take note, Democratic Socialists of America). What is to prevent somebody from running against you in two years and saying, \u201cThrow that politician out of office\u201d?<\/p>\n

He offered this defense: \u201cWe\u2019re going to stop spending and stop the taxation and stop the controlling of people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

How is that going?<\/p>\n

I asked Mr. Paul to identify the greatest source of fat in government. \u201cThe biggest is [the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare]. But it\u2019s big everywhere \u2014 every agency, everywhere you can think of. We\u2019re spending too much money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Maryland attorney general defends sanctuary immigration law against federal challenge<\/a><\/p>\n

He was right then, but what would he think now? In 1976, the federal debt was approximately $629 billion. Today, it is $39 trillion and counting. In 1976, the defense budget was $90.5 billion. Today, it is $838.5 billion. Welfare spending 50 years ago amounted to $331 billion. Today, it is $1.82 trillion, including federal, state and local spending.<\/p>\n

Yes, inflation is part of it, but not all of it.<\/p>\n

A quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin \u2014 though there is no clear proof he ever said it \u2014 warned that unlimited spending and debt had led other countries and could lead ours to the end of the republic: \u201cWhen the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.\u201d<\/p>\n

At play here is the darker side of human nature, driven by the political promotion of envy toward what others have earned \u2014 wealth that some now claim a \u201cright\u201d to share.<\/p>\n

In that long-ago interview, Mr. Paul was onto something. His son has tried to carry on his father\u2019s economic legacy.<\/p>\n

Although Ron Paul encountered resistance from the establishment of his day, Rand Paul has faced far greater resistance. There are so many entrenched interests, along with the spirit of entitlement promoted by the left, that many politicians will not even address the rate of spending growth, much less make real cuts.<\/p>\n

It is because they fear the wrath of their political opponents, who will accuse them of starving grandma.<\/p>\n

Perhaps Vice President J.D. Vance\u2019s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud will deliver tangible, lasting results. Given past efforts and Congress\u2019 desire to keep spending, I would not count on it.<\/p>\n

Plus ca change, plus c\u2019est la meme chose.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas\u2019 latest book, \u201cA Watchman in the Night: What I\u2019ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America\u201d (Humanix Books).<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Trump announces $10 billion for defense projects in Pennsylvania<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr knew what he was talking about when, in 1849, he coined the phrase “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,30],"tags":[2518,449,2517],"class_list":["post-4255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-opinion","tag-jean-baptiste-alphonse-karr","tag-rand-paul","tag-ron-paul"],"yoast_head":"\nGovernment just keeps spending - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4255\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Government just keeps spending - 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