Posted in political on September 22nd, 2006
O.K., mark this day down. Get your pens and pencil’s out. Today’s the day I explain why I don’t, and most likely never will, call myself a Republican. In my own, terribly analytic style, I will list once and for all the things that bother me the most about the right-side of our political spectrum. They are not necessarily in order of importance, nor are they the only complaints I have with Republicans.
*THE ENVIRONMENT*
In 1970, Richard Nixon, passed the Clean Air Act and created the E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency). It was the most important legislation regarding the environment ever passed and helped clean up our air and water more than anything the Democrats have ever done. And the Republicans have been chipping away at it ever since. The biggest problem with how the Republicans, in general, view the environment is that they see it as something to be used for profit, with little regard for public access or future generations. Since Republicans almost always fall on the side of business in any dispute over the environment, I don’t see them as good stewards over our air and National Forests. Big business, Miners and loggers can not be trusted to regulate themselves. They also encourage competition between states. This causes one state to lower it’s standards environmentally more than another in order to attract more jobs. That kind of race to the bottom can’t be good for our future. I tend to think more like the Native Americans, that the land is not something we inherit from our Fathers, but something we borrow from our grandchildren. The Democrats score higher with me on this issue, but if you’re really passionate, vote Green Party, even though I think they sometimes go overboard.
*ABORTION*
In the Republican world, which is dominated by the Christians on this issue, there can never be a good reason for an abortion. Conception, to them, starts the minute the little sperm cell enters the egg. Since God makes no mistakes, even babies born out of incest or the product of rape should not be aborted. Oddly enough, once the baby is born, Republicans generally feel you should pay for your own mistakes. If you suffer, then your an example to other young women not to be so promiscuous. That’s a little too harsh for me to advocate. While I’m no fan of abortion as a form of birth control and generally don’t even support abortion at all, illegalizing it completely is, in my opinion, going to far. With the advent of abortion by pill, I thought this issue should be over as illegalizing abortion would only create a black market for the drugs, but for Republicans, it’s a moral issue of right and wrong. I advocate keeping abortion legal, but with lots of restrictions such as parental notification, no one fits my opinion on this.
*NATIONAL DEBT*
This is one issue that gets me screaming like a monkey hit with a cattle prod. This goes back to what I was saying in the environment part of this piece. We are borrowing this country from our grandchildren, and have an obligation to give it to them DEBT FREE! We can’t just keep borrowing against their future. For those of you that don’t really understand who we’re borrowing this money from, I’ll try to explain it as simply as possible. It’s kind of like an interest-only loan. Bonds (I.O.U.’s) are sold by the U.S. to various people with the expectation that they will generate interest for them. Since only the interest on these bonds is really ever paid, that is the amount that each successive budget must fork out to keep everyone from cashing all their bonds in. The bigger the amount, the more the interest, and therefore the bigger the percentage of the budget. Since the bonds are never cashed in, the debt is pushed forward to the next generation. In other words, we’re taking out loans in our children’s names and giving them the risk of defaulting should something go horribly wrong. Republicans used to be the ones carrying the torch for fiscal responsibility, but Clinton did a better job of actually doing it. Democrats, for now, have the edge with me on this issue.
*THE POOR*
Having been poor, I have a place in my heart for those of us who know what it’s like to struggle. The Republican Party sometimes seems a little too cold hearted towards the poor for my tastes. I admit, after seeing so many people abuse the system, I developed a Republican-type attitude toward people on welfare. I honestly thought if you had two hands and two feet to walk on, your ass should be working. A year of working doing repairs for poor shut-ins cured me. I saw people who had boils all over their bodies, people with terrible skin conditions, fire victims, and things I never even thought of. I still believe you can cause some people to become overly dependent on the government to cure all their problems, but ending all help is not the answer. Better enforcement, even if more expensive in the short run, is a better answer.
*LABOR*
It’s really hard to decide who’s the worst among our two parties on this one. Democrats who want to let in anyone who wants to sneak in illegally to take millions of our jobs, or Republicans who want to lower wages and benefits to increase corporate profits. But, since I’m giving the Republicans the once over here, this is my beef with them. Republicans have never been labor supporters. Period. As I’ve said before, they encourage state to state competition for jobs. Since they generally like the idea of state control on this issue, and set standards federally that are reflective of business’ interest, it’s hard for me to see them as anything but an enemy of labor. From Reagan firing the air traffic controllers to bargaining laws that allow firing of strikers, Republicans have slowly whittled away at any power unions have. I wish I could say I’m with the Democrats on this one, but they have abandoned us in favor of advocates for gun control or gay rights. Want help getting health care? Want your unions stronger? Get active forming a labor party. I could not give Republicans lower marks on this one.
You know, this has been kind of cleansing for me. It’s made me realize I’m right where I want to be, in the middle. My dad used to tell me, “It takes a good Republican to create wealth, and a good Democrat to spread it around.” But wouldn’t it be great if we had a party that knew how to do both? I’m still hoping for that party. With 26% of Americans now saying they’re independent, the odds never looked better. I can’t wait for the day when Democrats and Republicans are blaming each other for killing the two-party system. For now, my Liberal friends, soak up a little Republican bashing, I’ll get back to you later. H.C.
O.K., mark this day down. Get your pens and pencil’s out. Today’s the day I explain why I don’t, and most likely never will, call myself a Republican. In my own, terribly analytic style, I will list once and for all the things that bother me the most about the right-side of our political spectrum. They are not necessarily in order of importance, nor are they the only complaints I have with Republicans.
*THE ENVIRONMENT*
In 1970, Richard Nixon, passed the Clean Air Act and created the E.P.A. (Environmental Protection Agency). It was the most important legislation regarding the environment ever passed and helped clean up our air and water more than anything the Democrats have ever done. And the Republicans have been chipping away at it ever since. The biggest problem with how the Republicans, in general, view the environment is that they see it as something to be used for profit, with little regard for public access or future generations. Since Republicans almost always fall on the side of business in any dispute over the environment, I don’t see them as good stewards over our air and National Forests. Big business, Miners and loggers can not be trusted to regulate themselves. They also encourage competition between states. This causes one state to lower it’s standards environmentally more than another in order to attract more jobs. That kind of race to the bottom can’t be good for our future. I tend to think more like the Native Americans, that the land is not something we inherit from our Fathers, but something we borrow from our grandchildren. The Democrats score higher with me on this issue, but if you’re really passionate, vote Green Party, even though I think they sometimes go overboard.
*ABORTION*
In the Republican world, which is dominated by the Christians on this issue, there can never be a good reason for an abortion. Conception, to them, starts the minute the little sperm cell enters the egg. Since God makes no mistakes, even babies born out of incest or the product of rape should not be aborted. Oddly enough, once the baby is born, Republicans generally feel you should pay for your own mistakes. If you suffer, then your an example to other young women not to be so promiscuous. That’s a little too harsh for me to advocate. While I’m no fan of abortion as a form of birth control and generally don’t even support abortion at all, illegalizing it completely is, in my opinion, going to far. With the advent of abortion by pill, I thought this issue should be over as illegalizing abortion would only create a black market for the drugs, but for Republicans, it’s a moral issue of right and wrong. I advocate keeping abortion legal, but with lots of restrictions such as parental notification, no one fits my opinion on this.
*NATIONAL DEBT*
This is one issue that gets me screaming like a monkey hit with a cattle prod. This goes back to what I was saying in the environment part of this piece. We are borrowing this country from our grandchildren, and have an obligation to give it to them DEBT FREE! We can’t just keep borrowing against their future. For those of you that don’t really understand who we’re borrowing this money from, I’ll try to explain it as simply as possible. It’s kind of like an interest-only loan. Bonds (I.O.U.’s) are sold by the U.S. to various people with the expectation that they will generate interest for them. Since only the interest on these bonds is really ever paid, that is the amount that each successive budget must fork out to keep everyone from cashing all their bonds in. The bigger the amount, the more the interest, and therefore the bigger the percentage of the budget. Since the bonds are never cashed in, the debt is pushed forward to the next generation. In other words, we’re taking out loans in our children’s names and giving them the risk of defaulting should something go horribly wrong. Republicans used to be the ones carrying the torch for fiscal responsibility, but Clinton did a better job of actually doing it. Democrats, for now, have the edge with me on this issue.
*THE POOR*
Having been poor, I have a place in my heart for those of us who know what it’s like to struggle. The Republican Party sometimes seems a little too cold hearted towards the poor for my tastes. I admit, after seeing so many people abuse the system, I developed a Republican-type attitude toward people on welfare. I honestly thought if you had two hands and two feet to walk on, your ass should be working. A year of working doing repairs for poor shut-ins cured me. I saw people who had boils all over their bodies, people with terrible skin conditions, fire victims, and things I never even thought of. I still believe you can cause some people to become overly dependent on the government to cure all their problems, but ending all help is not the answer. Better enforcement, even if more expensive in the short run, is a better answer.
*LABOR*
It’s really hard to decide who’s the worst among our two parties on this one. Democrats who want to let in anyone who wants to sneak in illegally to take millions of our jobs, or Republicans who want to lower wages and benefits to increase corporate profits. But, since I’m giving the Republicans the once over here, this is my beef with them. Republicans have never been labor supporters. Period. As I’ve said before, they encourage state to state competition for jobs. Since they generally like the idea of state control on this issue, and set standards federally that are reflective of business’ interest, it’s hard for me to see them as anything but an enemy of labor. From Reagan firing the air traffic controllers to bargaining laws that allow firing of strikers, Republicans have slowly whittled away at any power unions have. I wish I could say I’m with the Democrats on this one, but they have abandoned us in favor of advocates for gun control or gay rights. Want help getting health care? Want your unions stronger? Get active forming a labor party. I could not give Republicans lower marks on this one.
You know, this has been kind of cleansing for me. It’s made me realize I’m right where I want to be, in the middle. My dad used to tell me, “It takes a good Republican to create wealth, and a good Democrat to spread it around.” But wouldn’t it be great if we had a party that knew how to do both? I’m still hoping for that party. With 26% of Americans now saying they’re independent, the odds never looked better. I can’t wait for the day when Democrats and Republicans are blaming each other for killing the two-party system. For now, my Liberal friends, soak up a little Republican bashing, I’ll get back to you later. H.C.
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