Vote Intro

This is too much fun!  The Republican party has crafted a litmus test to determine if a party member is a real Republican or not.  My initial thoughts are listed below with the actual litmus test and my response in the second section:

• Uh Oh, it looks like I fail the test on at least 3 counts.  I do view myself as a "conservative" more than a registered Republican (which I am). 

• My primary observation is that the Republican party has moved away from Conservatism.  Their motivations for going to war for national security, improving education, and fortifying a prescription drug program are altruistic, but as a conservative, you have to pay for them.  Most Republicans don't seem to have figured this out.

• The Republicans who support the GOP litmus test  tend to think very simply and don't understand the nuances in public policy (and life in general).  There are many "gray areas" in life and most educated persons learn this concept in high school or college. 

• I strongly disagree with many of the initiatives that the current Democratic Administration is promoting but I also also have a problem with Republicans relentlessly and unreasonably attacking the Democrats for trying to fix the same problems that the Republicans created. 

• I am always on the lookout for creative and positive Republican-developed solutions to our current national problems but I have had a hard time finding any ideas of substance that are operationally feasible.  I find way too much ideology from both parties.

(1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama’s “stimulus” bill;

• President Obama was handed an economic "crap sandwich" by a republican president and republican congress (6 yrs).  Yes, the stimulus bill contains much more waste than real long-term economic benefit but is was necessary at the time. 

• During the Bush Administration, the National debt increased from $5 trillion to $10 trillion.  The way to reduce the budget deficit is just don't include the cost of 2 wars and a prescription drug program in the budget.  Very Enron. At least under Obama, all costs are included in the budget. You may not like them but they are all included.

• The Budget Deficit in 2009 pre-Obama was $1.2 trillion.  Under Obama, it has risen to $1.4 trillion.  Yes, the Budget Deficit is out of control but it was out of control when the Republicans were in power, we just didn't know it. I don't understand how the Republicans think they can do a better job than the Democrats.  Remember, President Bush was handed a budget surplus by the Democrats. Many people are still angry at President Clinton for cutting government spending and government employment so deeply during his administration. 

• The prior Republican administration did mange to lower taxes in order to pay for the Iraq war.  Huh?

• One final comment, between 1000 and 2008, the Federal Government grew by over 40% (personnel wise). Remind me again who is for smaller government?

(2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run health care;

• You can Google the Republican Health Plan on the Internet.  After reading the 4 page document on market based healthcare reform, I came to the conclusion  "They got nothing".  Try it, you'll be amazed.

• Why didn't the Republicans do something about healthcare when they were in power?  They did.  The Republican administration initiated the unfunded Prescription Drug Program which also prohibited cost competition.  I thought America was founded on competition.  Oh well, so much for that principle.

• Most politicians don't understand that delivering healthcare and health insurance are 2 different issues.  Not everyone is "entitled" to health insurance but there should be a base level of medical care for all Americans. (This is a Christian concept.)  Up to the mid 80's, this was accomplished by a nationwide network of non profit clinics.  However, under the Reagan administration, hospitals, labs, and doctors were allowed to become "for profit" and the non profit clinics began to disappear.  Now patients are funneled into for-profit hospital emergency wards at extremely high cost which is eventually paid for by the American taxpayer.  Way to go Republicans!

(3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;

• Pollution credits have worked under acid rain and renewable fuels regulations but these are narrowly focused which has resulted in their moderate success. 

• Cap and Trade is simply too expensive and based on  global warming assumptions that may not be correct.  (There is no doubt that the earth is warming.  Just look around you and observe with your eyes. The problem is that Carbon Dioxide is probably not the largest cause.) 

• Cap and Trade is also too complicated to work and would probably collapse under it's own weight. 

• Cap and trade is also a highly manipulated political football which will not result in accomplishing its original objective.

• While the planet is warming (remember that Greenland was totally green and inhabited by the Vikings 3,000 years ago), the most efficient approach is to promote alternative fuels with tax credits and mandate higher mileage standards.

• (Remember, an increase in mileage standards over the last 40 years was defeated by the Big 3 auto makers.  Look where that got them when the price for gasoline went over $4.00 per gallon.  I still maintain that if the US had enacted higher mileage standards, the Big 3 would currently be in much better financial shape.  Lesson, be careful what you ask for.)

• Also with progressively higher mileage standards, America wouldn't be importing 10 million barrels per day of crude oil some of which is from countries that don't like western civilization and what it stands for. 

(4) We support workers’ right to secret ballot by opposing card check;

• Workers do not have a "right" to a secret ballot, at least not Constitutionally, but a secret ballot is good public policy and very rational.

• I have real indigestion when I see phrases like "workers' right".  This is a phrase commonly used by petty dictators around the world.  Ugh!

• Individual states do have the right to adjust the minimum wage in that state.  Aren't state's rights a conservative principle?

(5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;

• Over 1 million immigrants per year become citizens of the United States. That's a significant number.

• The only amnesty program ever completed in the US was initiated by President Reagan.

•  A protective fence between the US and Mexico was approved by president Clinton but President Bush failed to fund the fence so it was not completed during the last Republican administration.  Irony? Obama has funded the fence which will be completed in the next few years.  (Part of the budget deficit. I did say earlier that reality is not simplistic.)

(6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;

• The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are the first wars in American history that the income tax rate has been reduced in order to pay for them.  Republican logic at its best; I did know that the public education system in the US was declining but I didn't know it was this bad.)

• Not all of the current generals are in agreement.  Ironically, some of the military brass is against the wars while the politicians who have never served in the military favor the wars.  Huh!

• The prior Republican administration did a fine job of destabilizing the Middle East.  The Iraqis and Iranians have hated each other for thousands of years.  By disabling the Iraqi war machine, Iran has the opportunity to exert its muscle over the Middle East.  Wonderful.

• The Romans taught us that in order to really win a war, you have to kill at least 25% of the citizenry.  We came pretty close to that in Germany and Japan.  Something to think about.

• Fighting a war in Afghanistan against an enemy you can't see or differentiate from the general population is not unlike the war in Viet Nam. 

• The belief that the American military can win a war in countries that have not had a real central government for centuries is very questionable.  I suspect that some of the generals that are against the war, understand this concept.

• If Republicans are serious about wining either war, the military draft needs to be reinstated immediately and taxes increased to pay for the wars. Support our troops!  (and mean it)

(7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;

• First, remember that the nuclear power plant in Iran was built by the United States when the Shaw was in power. Aren't we a great judge of character? 

• There will be a point in time when Iran needs to be de-nuclearized.  The US should support Israel in discretely and effectively taking care of this matter using whatever American technology and background support necessary.  Remember, a couple years ago, Israel took out a nuclear facility under construction in Syria that the US didn't even know existed. 

• American intelligence has proved to be lacking in recent years compared to that of some of our allies.  This is probably the result on placing more emphasis on Homeland Security than discrete international intelligence gathering. 

• Let China take care of North Korea.  It's their problem before it is ours.  Look at how much progress we've made with North Korea since 1952! Obviously the US doesn't have a winning strategy or it would would have been solved decades ago.

• Conservative principles do not include running around the world fighting wars and destabilizing governments  that are none of our business.

(8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;

• Republicans love to force their own beliefs (often not conservative) on people who believe differently. 

• Most of the more developed and progressive countries in the world accept gay marriage.  They just don't make a big deal out it. 

• It's ironic that some of the most outspoken Republican politicians that speak out against gay marriage have been caught in some very interesting situations with members of their own gender, some less than the legal age. 

(9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and

• My health insurance company is very involved in determining the healthcare that I receive.

• When my son broke his leg playing basketball, our health insurance company would not pay for a cast so my wife had to threaten to sue the hospital and doctors to install a cast on his broken leg. 

• Since the Republicans don't distinguish between health insurance and healthcare, we are probably never going to develop a solution to the very high cost of basic health care for the poor.  Hospitals are expensive; clinics are cheap.  Remember, it was actions by the Republicans in the 80s that resulted in the dismantling of the very efficient, non profit health care system. 

(10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership.

• The right to bear arms is a federal issue but the conditions of their use (and the type of arms) is a State issue.  I thought Republicans were suppose to believe in states rights.  Oops, that seems to be a common theme. 

• Rural states would probably enact more relaxed rules and conditions.  Highly populated states like Illinois would probably be more strict as they have much higher population density.

• If you believe that any type of gun should be allowed than I would recommend that grenades also be made legalized.  Why have any regulations.  (sarcasm)