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There are few things anyone can say to me that would insult me more than calling me a Republican. This may seem on overly emotional reaction to what is primarily a political distinction, but being a Republican, and supporting their views, is a great deal more than political.
When a person chooses a political label, it is only fair to assume that they support the majority of the bedrock platform policies of that Party. When it comes to the GOP, that in itself is a mark of shame.
Why would I never be a Republican?
1. Republicans oppose a woman's right to choose, and are in favor of the "Right to Life Amendment," which would change our national Constitution to outlaw abortion in all cases, even when continuing the pregnancy would threaten the life and health of the mother. Further, they define abortifacients in such a broad manner, that most moderate to low-dosage oral contraceptives now prescribed would become criminal. They also oppose the production and prescribing of emergency contraceptives such as Preven.
2. Republicans oppose full human and civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans, and believe that it should remain legal to discriminate against Americans based on sexual orientation in matters of education, employment, housing, credit, public accommodations, etc. They characterize including sexual orientation among the legally protected classes "special rights," and have routinely opposed including gay Americans in Hate Crimes (domestic terrorism) legislation.
3. Republicans are in favor of corporate privacy rights and tort reform. They want to limit the recovery of victims who bring legal action against corporations, regardless of the acts committed by those corporations, or the damages suffered by their victims. Conversely, they have opposed consumer privacy protection legislation.
4. Republicans have a history of opposing the Department of Education, and currently support the transfer of tax funds from public schools to private religious institutions, through "vouchers." This is a serious First Amendment issue, and has been characterized by the Supreme Court as an unconstitutional establishment of religion.
5. Republicans favor "Star Wars" and extra-planetary missile defense, though going forward with such a plan would put America in breach of arms control treaties we have signed in the past, and though scientists and engineers believe it is unworkable and a waste of national resources.
6. Republicans have consistently opposed environmental protection measures, domestic weapons (gun) control legislation, and American military commitments in global trouble spots suffering genocide, famine, and civil war.
7. Republicans have supported local control of educational curricula, even when this means scientific principles are excluded for religious reasons, that teachers are "gagged" from presenting those principles to their students, and even when the scientific principles involved are widely accepted and foundational.
8. Republicans favor restricting public school sex education to "abstinence until marriage only" programs, and withholding safer-sex information on contraception and disease prevention. This effectively turns health class (where most sex education is taught) into morality class.
9. Republicans favor non-progressive taxation and tax relief, though the current budget surplus was created by payroll taxes, which are only paid on the first $55K of personal income. In other words, the "little" people created the surplus, but Republicans support tax relief that would return it primarily to the upper socioeconomic class.
10. Republicans favor dismantling the federal social safety net, and giving religious and private groups government money to provide for the welfare of Americans. Again, this is a serious First Amendment issue, but more importantly, this is a social reality America has experienced before (early in the century), and that failed miserably.
You see, for me, this is a moral issue. The morality of the GOP and its platform are so abhorrent to me, that you might as well call me a Nazi as call me a Republican. I would consider it a mortal insult either way.
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