Why Do People Who Hate Government Want To Be Part of.....Government?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

I've wondered this for a long time and I have yet to hear anybody on our our side really ever challenge the Republicans on this.

Starting primarily in 1980 with Ronald Reagan's election and continuing to the present day, Republicans have practically adopted obsessive hatred of government as one of their key platforms yet they almost seem blind to the sheer hypocrisy of running for public office while shamelessly exploiting their unbridled contempt for government and its ability to help people.

Likewise, despite their blinding hatred and animosity to any sort of national health care coverage, they seem perfectly content to accept their government-provided health care coverage (Obama made a point about this during his rally here in Indy today). It would seem to me that if they think private insurance is superior, then they should eschew their government benefits and obtain their own private insurance (which would save us some money too). Also, since they profess to not believing in programs like Social Security should they not refuse to accept them when they become eligible for those benefits (this would also save us some money and may even resolve the Social Security "crisis" they keep bleating about). In fact, given their hatred of taxation together, perhaps they should eschew ANY kind of taxpayer funded services and then see how great their lives would be without all of those taxpayer-funded "amenities" that our taxes help pay for.

However, back to my original question, why do people who loathe government want to be a part of it? The only rational explanation that I've been able to come up with so far is that most, if not all of them, simply want the power and status of elected office, as well the ability to enrich themselves and their friends and cronies. That's it and that's all IMHO. But I still do not understand why Democrats, who generally want to use government as an instrument to help people better themselves and their communities, don't call their Republican opponents out on this point? I don't think that I've ever heard anybody stand up and ask these cretins why they want to serve in government if not to simply dismantle government piece by piece (yet still somehow be able to maintain their position and status) while busily sending the spoils of their destruction to their friends and cronies in the corporate arena.

:crazy:

What does everybody else think?

[TahitiNut]

1. They're like carpetbaggers or market representatives.

They DON'T 'govern' and have no demonstrated aptitude for organization or administration. They're there SOLELY to cut purchase orders on the taxpayer's dime to parcel out the federal pie to privateers. Those privateers don't want them on board their frigates because they're loose cannons and can't crew. They go into government believing in their own ignorance - projecting that incompetence and having but a single 'solution': Hire a privateer to do the job.

They're the ULTIMATE in the incompetent homeowner that pays others to do every damned thing under the sun because they're both too fucking lazy and too fucking stupid to do it themselves. That makes them "useful idiots" to the privateers.

They're the "businessman" who brags "I don't need to know anything about ___! If I want that knowledge, I'll HIRE it!"

It's the plantation owner who wouldn't be able to pick cotton to save his life ... and even has slaves to cook his food and do his laundry.

They're the LAST people you'd want to have around if you were stranded on a desert island. They'd try to lay claim to the coconut trees and make you pick THEIRS (and remove the husks) to get any for yourself.

[librechik]

2. so they can drag a bunch of their cronies in to loot things

and give govt as bad a reputation as they can in order to poison the well for those wanting reform.

[2speak]

3. Double speak. Those who do this make their words empty.

[B Calm]

4. It explains why they can't govern. . . .

[Redbear]

5. Because they don't really hate government

It's always been a purely cynical ploy by Republicans.

George W. Bush has increased the size of government. He didn't suddenly change his mind.

Even Ronald Reagan didn't shrink government. He just moved spending from social services to defense.