Conservative? What's That?

At the presidential debate of the minority parties, one guy (the Libertarian, I think) was saying that on some issues he's liberal, but on fiscal matters he's conservative.

Not long ago that would have meant, in shorthand, that he wants to conserve money. Take less tax money from people, have the government spend less. Fiscal conservative.

But the people in Congress and the White House are fiscal conservatives, aren't they. However, they have been spending more and more money. The national debt is through the roof. They have spent more on pork than any other Congress in United States history.

So now has the meaning of "fiscal conservative" changed, so that it means spending a whole lot more money— money that Uncle Sam doesn't even have?

In this election that's 22 days away, if someone is running as a fiscal conservative, does that mean he wants to spend more, or spend less?

The fiscal conservatives became big spenders, and they've have ruined the term so thoroughly that it's impossible to know for sure what it means.

Brad Messer commentary— KTSA.