More like welfare mentality since not only is the Gov't offering it but the people are actually taking it.

You are too late.

You do not ask if a boulder is rolling down hill as it gets to the bottom (of course it is).  You ask if it is rolling down hill as it starts to move.  The welfare state has been around for over 70 years now.  We are just hitting bottom now.

First compare your numbers to Spain's, Greece's, Canada's, UK's, France's, Sweden's.

Only then will you see if your country is a Welfare state. You might be more accentuated toward Welfare now than you were before, but you might still have a long way to go. (might = I don't actually know the numbers, so I am not sure)

That is false logic.  A lime green house is no less green than an Olive Drab House.  They ware both green.  You are asking us to see who is MORE welfare, not who IS welfare.

I like your analogy, because as the same than color, there are shades where you cannot really say if the color is green or yellow. Or geen or blue.

It has been my observation that people on this board are more likely to call Turquoise "green", as it fits their political interest to do so. I am only trying to set a benchmark of what we might define as "green", and where the line should be drawn to be or not to be.

Anything left of Reagan?

Seriously though, I understand your aim.  But America you will agree has been one of the least socialistic countries in the past half century.  Many who are on the right (myself included) feel that we have not only caught up with the rest of the west, but in some cases passed them.  And if Obama continues on his road, we will surely pass them in almost all respects.

Just this week it was revealed that the private sector is tanking, and (what is really no news) the public sector is growing by leaps and bounds.    Bush did indeed start the boulder rolling down hill, but Obama is sticking a rocket on the sucker to make it go faster.  Clinton started out on this road, but was dragged back from it by Newt and Company.  So while America has been moving gradually towards socialism for the past 80 years, the pace has greatly accelerated.  And that is to no one's liking that is not left of Kerry.

And as for turquoise?  Of course it is green, but it is blue too!

You might want to ask yourself if it's the natural path of your country from now on. I mean, Bush got elected as a Conservative, and governed pretty far away from being a fiscal conservative. Maybe your country just can't be a conservative anymore? Your country gotta change, ya know.

Hm.. by the way, speaking of change, do you think your country should start removing the references to God in it's patriotism-inducing material? The whole "In God We Trust" motto only got started in the Cold War, while trying to set yourselves appart from the dangerous goddless communists.

Except that, you know, you don't know if you have passed the rest of the west in reality. It's convenient for you to claim it so, it's a whole different matter to prove it.

That should be a debate all unto itself!  Seriously, there is no "yes or no" answer there.  There are many degrees, and nuances that should be explored and discussed/debated.  Perhaps we can tackle that some day as it will take a lot of time.

Well, in light of the previous paragraph, my answer is simple.  Do you really worry about the ant on your corn when your house is burning?

First, I said in some cases.  I know we are not as bad off as France yet (or Greece).  But that is only because he has had but a year to work with.  He has at least 3 more to go.  Second, to deny we have not caught them in many respects is to deny reality.  The Health care legislation, which may be the worst health care law in the world, is clearly catching up to (I did not say passing) the rest of the west in the regard - irregardless of the fact that the US Health care system was pretty good before.  The Stimulus last year was not a stimulus, but an endowment for labor.  The Auto Industry, Banking, Insurance, and now Health have all fallen partly or mostly under government control in the last 2 years.  They are not the entire GDP, but they are a very sizable chunk of it, and that is clearly socialism.

Whether we are here or not is not the debate.  We are here.  The debate is how do we get out of this morass that we are digging ourselves into.  The west is finding out the truism of Margaret Thatcher's words - Other People's money is running out.

Just because a president runs on a conservative platform and deviates, does not mean the population should follow suit. Since Canada has a conservative president, should all Canadian liberals say "Aw shucks, count us in"?

Where do you little scamps get all your research from? Media Matters? George Sorros? Read and learn before making such a foolish comment.