It never fails. If I criticize something the president does, I inevitably get responses from a number of readers who brand me as a liberal Democrat whose sole purpose is to undermine the good name of George W. Bush.

It’s not that I take any offense at being called a liberal mind you, just as I wouldn’t take offense if someone said I was a Hindu, or an Eskimo, or a teenage girl. There’s nothing wrong, in my opinion, with being any of those things, it’s just that none of those descriptions apply to me. So I feel compelled to gently correct anyone who makes the mistake of labeling me as such.

Why then, you might ask, would I criticize the president if I’m not a liberal? Before I answer that, let’s define a few terms so we’re clear on what I mean when I use the words “liberal” and “conservative.”

In modern political-speak, a liberal might be broadly defined as someone who sees government as a potential force for good in the world. They believe it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the less fortunate are not exploited by the rich and powerful, and they tend to favor protecting the underclass through legislation and a regressive tax structure.

Conservatives, on the other hand, see government as a necessary evil, and they believe it should be as small and unobtrusive as possible. A good summation of that line of thinking was provided by Thomas Jefferson when he said that “government which governs least, governs best.”

Given those definitions, I most definitely identify with the conservative school of thought because, in my experience, the more the government tries to do the less effective it is.

Generally speaking, the conventional wisdom says that conservatives tend to favor Republicans and liberals gravitate towards the Democrats. So why would a conservative like me have a problem with our current national government?

The president is a Republican, both branches of Congress are majority GOP, and the Supreme Court is well on its way to being dominated by Republican-appointed jurists. Washington, D.C., should be a conservative nirvana right about now, yes?

Maybe it should be, but it most certainly is not. Our federal government is very Republican, but it in many ways it isn’t very conservative.

For example, the president and his pals in Congress have been good about cutting taxes but they’ve been very, very irresponsible with their spending habits and the national debt has ballooned beyond our ability to grasp just how much financial trouble we’re in. Have they been conservative in how they’ve managed our tax money? Not hardly.

One might also assume that the size and scope of the federal government would be reduced under a conservative Republican reign. That definitely has not happened in the Bush era. Today’s Republicans seem to support a less intrusive federal government only when it suits their purposes.

If we’re talking about abortion, school prayer, or religious displays on public property they think that Uncle Sam has no business meddling in an individual state’s right to legislate those issues as they see fit. But if the subject changes to things like personal privacy, medical marijuana, and physician-assisted suicide they would give the federal government virtually unlimited authority to impose its will on the nation, constitution be damned.

I don’t criticize Republicans because I’m a liberal, folks. I criticize them because they aren’t very good at being conservative. If the Republicans ever decide to start living up to the principles of a fiscally responsible federal government that respects constitutional limits on its power I’ll be the first to join the cheering section.

Labels don’t mean a whole lot to me. I judge people (and parties) by what they do, not what they call themselves.