Political parties and Rep. Paul Ryan's Roadmap

I have not been as plugged into politics as I used to be.  I used to read a lot on the Internet, listen to talk radio, and listen to the talking heads on TV.  Over time, I've become sickened by the divisiveness to the point where it makes it hard to stomach.  As a result, I rarely listen to talk radio or watch TV talk shows anymore.  I do try to stay up-to-date on current events, so I'm hardly unplugged.  Most of this information is via Google News however.

I was reading today about Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis) and his Roadmap.  I am very much a capitalist and a fiscal conservative.  I'm not sure if his direction is one that I would support, but appreciate the effort and am intrigued.  His point is spot on - we cannot sustain our current government.  Something must be done.  A plan must be in place.  I have not heard a plan to deal directly with this problem other than people saying we need to have one.  So, from this standpoint, I applaud Rep. Ryan for having one.

The current direction is more government programs, more spending, and more taxation,  I've heard this quote attributed to old Maggie Thatcher, but I believe it's really a paraphrase:

"The trouble with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."

I empathize with the left and their agenda.  I really do.  Government can, and often is, an institution that can do really good things.  An economics professor of mine once posed this question to a student however:

Professor: "Are you for cleaner air?"
Student: "Ummm ... yes, I suppose so." (knowing they were being set up somehow, but...)
Professor: "So you are are FOR less education for children?"
Student: "What? I ... err ... what do you mean?"
Professor: "Well, there is a limited amount of money.  So, if you're going to clean the air more, that means there will be less funds for other things - like educating children."

It's not that I'm against various social safety nets, etc.  The problem is reality.  We must work within the constraints of reality and resources.  When the government creates programs and spends money, they are doing this with the resources of the free market.  That doesn't make it inherently evil or inappropriate, but there are consequences.  The left doesn't seem to acknowledge this or even understand it.  As a result, I've often voted for Republicans in the past.  Starting in 2004, I've voted for Libertarian candidates when possible.  As a fallback, I vote for Republicans.  I rarely vote for a Democrat.  I voted for Bill Clinton for President twice.  That's the only time I can recall voting for a Democrat.

The main problem with Republican politics for me is religion.  If it weren't for its seemingly complete deference to the religious right, I would probably be one.  When I hear a Republican talk about fiscal and governmental issues, I often find myself nodding my head.  Then, they turn to the other side and start ranting about abortion, gay marriage, and other such issues.  I'm immediately turned off.

In contrast to the head nodding, another large problem I have with Republicans is rampant fiscal hypocrisy.  So many are massive tax and spend socialists in practice, but just over different programs (or in a different way).  They may talk the talk, but its about liberal programs and not their own.

Regardless of this ramble, good luck to you, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis).  If you can at least get the ball in the right court, you will have been successful.