I'm No Fan of Jimmy Carter, But....
23 May 2007
Editor, New York Post
To the Editor:
I'm no fan of Jimmy Carter, but conservatives now lathered-up by the former President's criticisms of the current President need a reality check (Letters, May 23).
These conservatives forget that Carter's presidency launched the deregulation of airlines, trucking, and railroads, and that Mr. Carter appointed inflation hawk Paul Volcker as Fed Chairman.
They forget also that Bush II created an obnoxious prescription-drug entitlement program; that he expanded federal control over education; that he shamelessly raises tariffs for blatant political gain; and that he increased discretionary spending faster than did LBJ. And while many conservatives applaud the war in Iraq, not all do. George Will, for example, correctly recognizes that civil society abroad can no more be built by U.S. armed forces than civil society at home can be built by U.S. bureaucrats.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Editor, New York Post
To the Editor:
I'm no fan of Jimmy Carter, but conservatives now lathered-up by the former President's criticisms of the current President need a reality check (Letters, May 23).
These conservatives forget that Carter's presidency launched the deregulation of airlines, trucking, and railroads, and that Mr. Carter appointed inflation hawk Paul Volcker as Fed Chairman.
They forget also that Bush II created an obnoxious prescription-drug entitlement program; that he expanded federal control over education; that he shamelessly raises tariffs for blatant political gain; and that he increased discretionary spending faster than did LBJ. And while many conservatives applaud the war in Iraq, not all do. George Will, for example, correctly recognizes that civil society abroad can no more be built by U.S. armed forces than civil society at home can be built by U.S. bureaucrats.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Saturday January 12, 2008 at 3:08pm