Can we really shrink the size of government?

One of the core beliefs of the Tea Party movement is that the government is too big, too powerful, and costs too much money. Of course, this is also a core conservative belief that over the years has not necessarily been championed by the Republican Party. But now, with Republicans poised to make massive gains in Tuesday's elections and Tea Party activists motivated to exert their influence past Election Day, could this be the time when we can actually shrink the size of government?

Let's face it... government is just too big, and the bigger it gets, the less freedom we have as individuals, because more of our money is going to feed the beast. But do we have the stomach to do what is necessary to shrink it? According to a new Rasmussen Reports poll about "one-quarter of Americans say they receive some form of cash benefits from the government, and most are not willing to sacrifice any of that money to help cut the size of the federal budget." Wow... talk about starting behind the eight ball! The poll reports that of those receiving cash benefits, 63% "are not willing to consider any benefit reductions."

The problem is that the left wing philosophy will take us down an unsustainable path. Just look at France. They are having riots because the people are demanding their "free lunch," and the government is realizing there is not enough money to pay for it.

The other problem is that once politicians get to Washington, they forget that is the people's money. They see a pot of cash, and they feel that it's their job to spend it. WRONG. We elect Republicans so that power can be returned to the people. We want a smaller government!

There is nothing that frustrates me more than seeing a Republican legislator go on television and talk about how Republicans took action and "slowed the rate of growth" of government. Are you kidding me? I'm not looking at a first derivative. I don't care about the rate of growth. Slow rate, fast rate, medium rate... it all means that government is growing. It means more money is going into it this year than last year. I want smaller government. Period.

In order for government to shrink, tough choices must be made. Because of the entitlement mentality that has existed for the last 70 years, much of the federal budget is tied up in pay-outs to Americans, whether it be Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid. Now Obama wants to add health care to the mix as well? Cuts will need to be made, but more importantly, a new mindset must begin to take hold. The people of France are rioting in the streets, because they have long become accustomed to the government taking care of them. This, however, is America, and we take care of our own. We need to get that mindset back or we will never have the will to shrink government.

With Republicans in control of the U.S. House, we have the opportunity to put a halt to Obama's big-spending plans. Republicans are already making plans to push spending cuts in the next session.

(Republican leaders, ever more confident of their chances of winning control of the House and possibly even the Senate, have begun plotting a 2011 agenda topped by a push for more than $100 billion in spending cuts, tax reductions and attempts to undo key parts of President Barack Obama's health care and financial regulation laws.

The question is how much of the GOP's government-shrinking, tax-cutting agenda to advance, and how fast.)

If Republicans can make further gains in 2012, we can be in a position to actually reverse the process. But it will take the American people and our elected representatives having the fortitude to do what is right, otherwise this country will crumble under the weight of increasing debt.

Can we do it? Decades of data indicate no. But this is America, and if any country can do it, America can. I just hope it's not too late!