It looks like Rudy Giuliani will probably not be the nominee since his strategy depended on a clearcut win in Florida that now seems unlikely. I'm much less disappointed than I would have been, however.

Despite his claim to be the "Reagan heir" with respect to tax-cutting and more limited government, he came out in favor of a huge government scheme for Florida. Because Florida is vulnerable to bad weather, property insurance is understandably expensive. The solution of some politicians is, therefore, to simply nationalize this insurance. The federal government will subsidize policies in order to make it less expensive. In practice, this means that people who do not live in Florida will be taxed so that people who choose to live in Florida can pay less for their insurance. It never ends. Giuliani claims to be the heir to Reagan. Although Reagan was not a consistent advocate of limited government, he certainly would not have fallen for this scheme. It's probable that even big spender George W. Bush would not have fallen for it either. And just think--Giuliani was probably the last best hope for limited government in the Republican Party and the country.

Whoever wins the next round of elections, one thing is clear. The Era of Big Government is back with a vengeance.