The other night I viewed a C-Span program that was very interesting and worth sharing. It was an interview session with Andrew Sullivan, author of “The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back.”

In this book, Sullivan argues that conservatives are no longer the party that supports limited government and balanced budgets. The author claims that evangelical Christians within the party are using religious ideologies to support laws that encourage government intrusion and threaten civil liberties. (Source: C-Span)

In the C-Span 2 Book TV program that aired on 10/03/06, Sullivan says that American policy over the past six years has tried to cover up the financial picture by inflating, taxing, and borrowing the debt away. He describes how the Republican leadership governs with a sense of irony in their promise to lower taxes. In fact, these policies and events will likely lead to future tax hikes to pay down the debts and promises they have made to the American public.

Sullivan states the facts. The United States debt has doubled in the past six years from 20 trillion to a little over 40 trillion dollars! People who ignore the signs are kidding themselves. Our economy is on course for a major correction.

But the economy is strong right?

Wrong. It is not sustainable. The largest percentage of our debt is not paid out to Health Care, the War in Iraq, or Education. It is the Interest on the money we borrow from other nations. This money in part has propped up our economy enough to delay the looming disaster to come. In my estimation, this will not begin to take fold until the end of the decade or slightly beyond. We could have used this wealth to invest in the United States and improve the quality of life for our children.

To see a visual breakdown of U.S. debt that does not include payments of interest, go here.

Sullivan argues that Conservatives have abandoned their core values and principles. Not only has our fiscal policy been a failure, but the government has actually grown under this administration and used religion as a rationale for their power. In my opinion, you can not mix religion with politics.

Without government accountability and oversight, who is to provide the checks and balances we need? I would say the same things no matter what party was in power. I think Andrew Sullivan and most Americans would agree. Do you? Let us hear your thoughts…