Of all things, good sense is the most fairly distributed: everyone thinks he is so well supplied with it that even those who are the hardest to satisfy in every other respect never desire more of it than they already have.

There once were Democrats who fought to cut wasteful spending. William Proxmire, a liberal Wisconsin senator between 1957 to 1989 was famous for his "Golden Fleece" awards, which highlighted taxpayer ripoffs. Mr. Proxmire sent out a monthly report profiling spending that should be cut. His 1972 book was titled Uncle Sam, The Last of the Big Time Spenders. When was the last time a Democrat wrote a book with a title like that? Another reform-minded Democrat was Paul Douglas, a senator from Illinois between 1949 and 1967. He was a self-proclaimed liberal and champion of civil rights but also a critic of government waste who often said: "A liberal need not be a wastrel." His 1952 book on cutting the budget argued "waste in the government benefits no one. It is a frittering-away of resources which could be used to improve the lives of people."

Fiscal conservatives are angry with the GOP's direction in recent years, and they would warmly embrace a Proxmire-Douglas message that challenges the Grand Old Spending Party.

If I had to choose between a fiscally conservative Democrat, and a "compassionate" Republican who spends like mad, my libertarian-leaning vote would certainly be up for wooing. Who really votes party line, anyway?

In case you hadn't realized how bad the spending is, consider the fact that the self-styled party of small government controls the Senate, the House, and the Presidency, yet since 2000 we have seen the highest rate of federal government growth since the presidencies of Richard Nixon and LBJ. Do you realize that George Bush hasn't brought himself to veto a single dollar of federal pork yet? I want some vetoes! I want some gridlock on this swelling beast of a federal government!

Bring me a fiscally conservative Democrat!