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Those familiar with my columns may be surprised to hear that I am angrier and more concerned about the Republicans than the Democrats.

After all, most rational Americans have come to expect the conglomerate of special interests’ socialist policies and moral failings. But at least the Democrats are consistent and openly embrace socialist legislation that invades individual rights of property, life and free speech. But the GOP talks of free markets, individuality, rights and defense, but in practice is nothing more than Democrat-lite.

The current administration serves as a prime example of Republican double talk. One of the first acts passed by George W. Bush upon claiming the presidency was a tax cut. This was a highly beneficial piece of legislation that gave money back to Americans for the first time in a decade.

However, in pure Republican fashion, Bush catered to business interests at the expense of the American people by passing tariffs on foreign steel and signing the single largest farm subsidy bill in U.S. history. As a result, the price of produce and steel, two commodities the American people need, rose. The yearly cost of these bills will exceed the tax cut, thus making it a worthless stimulus package.

And in the wake of Bush’s financial shenanigans and false promises, Sept. 11, 2001 occurred. Yet instead of following the true principles of both America and the GOP, Bush chose to push for the (anti) Patriot Act.

Sept. 11 occurred because the government got too big for its britches. Instead of focusing on the safety of the American people, the Clinton administration made drastic and harmful changes within the CIA and FBI to limit the effectiveness of intelligence while catering to all the special interest groups who were filling their pockets.

As a result, more bureaucracy was created and more federal funding went to the Department of Redundancies Department than went toward the safety of America. It is no wonder that our ineffectual government didn’t see these attacks coming and as of yet has failed to capture Osama bin Laden.

But the current administration also refused to focus on safety and has instead chosen to federalize employees of airlines, create new departments and laws restricting access to all Americans, and spy on U.S. citizens. Also there has been a strong push to get all new ID cards, databases, and e-mail-spying software included in the government’s grand watchful eyes.

So instead of going to the root of the problem and focusing on the only job the government is supposed to do (protection of rights and property), Bush has expanded government even further.

And the problem continues. The Homeland Security Act has now been signed into law and the government is ballooning again. Bush has created an entire new department and bureaucracy that must integrate into the muck left by Clinton. The law also sets to put more firearms in the hands of federal employees. And given the high rate of guns being taken away from law-abiding citizens with anti-constitutional gun control laws, it is frightening to think about the power shift Homeland Security would incite.

If a homicide bomber or airplane highjacker attempts to take lives of Americans again, it will not matter how many feds are armed if the people have no means to fight back.

So where did the true Republicans go? What ever happened to men like Ronald Reagan who refused to expand government throughout his administration? He was a president who stood his ground until a Democratic Congress forced him to sign a huge tax act in return for the defense budget and laws that ultimately destroyed the Soviet Union and saved the world.

These men still exist, but have abandoned the current spineless GOP. They are America’s Independents and Libertarians, who still believe in freedom from oppression and universal human rights to liberty, property and happiness. But both major parties frighten the populace with scare tactics aiming to minimize any third party votes.

After all, who would want to “waste” their vote? Yet as long as we continue to support power hungry Democrats and Democrat-lites (GOP), we can’t expect any positive change.

Schwartz’ column runs every Monday.