Less Government Means More Bad Things

Less government and lower taxes. We hear that all the time from Republicans. And the Republican planning to run against U.S. Sen. Carl Levin is no exception.

Jack Hoogendyk, a term limited state House member, has the slogan "Less Government, Low Taxes, Individual Responsibility" on his Core Principles blog.

But what do you get more of when you get less government?

You get more toys from China that are coated with lead paint.
You get more pet food that kills our pets.
You get more contaminated meat.
You get fewer police and firefighters to take care of our emergencies.
You get out-of-date equipment for the police and firefighters who are left.
You get potholes that aren't filled, streets that aren't widened, and street lights that are burned out.
You get bigger class sizes for our children.
You get Halliburton to overcharge us for work our military used to do for itself.
You get Blackwater mercenaries who can shoot Iraqi civilians with impunity, winning us friends everywhere in the Arab world.
You get Walter Reed Medical Center Annex, run by private contractors who let our wounded warriors stay in near squalor.
You get CACI private contractors who may have participated in the torture at the Abu Ghraib prison.

You get the picture.