I'm a Yellow Dog Democrat like my Daddy before me. I'm a Native Texan in the land where Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie fought for freedom and died. The land where Sam Houston, Sam Rayburn, Wright Patman, Jim Wright, and all sorts of hard-headed independent-minded individuals once roamed. Once we were so named because we would rather vote for an Ole Yellow Dog before we would ever vote for a Republican. This Texan feels that way now more than ever. I'd like to send every single Bush to Iraq and bring our boys back, safe and sound every last one.
My mother was a Republican who would not recognize George W. Bush's Republican vision of America. Her Republican Party was the party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Chauncey Depew, Henry Clay, and Dwight Eisenhower. Her Republican Party was the party to end slavery because it was wrong and in direct contrast to the ideas proclaiming all men are created equal. It was the party for fair trade, but to create American jobs, not send them overseas. It was the party of respect for the Constitution and especially the Bill of Rights. It was the party to increase voter participation, not to redistrict elected officials out of their jobs.
It was the party to end budget deficits, not to have the largest amount of red ink in history. It was the party that believed in international cooperation and free will. It was the party that respected international law. It was the party that believed innocent until proven guilty. It was the party that believed the separation of church and state because it did not want to create a state church or subject the church to the will of the state, nor legitimize public discrimination. It was the party that believed in supporting our veterans and only fighting wars when we had no choice and making sure we had a purpose and an exit strategy. And it was not a party of Neo Cons.
My father's Democratic Party was the party of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, John Kennedy, Sam Houston, Lloyd Benson, Lyndon Johnson, and Texas. It was the party of electing a Yellow Dog before they would ever vote Republican (and I used to think that was wrong). It would not recognize the Texan in the White House even from the governor that promised to be a Uniter, but has became the most divisive president in 34 years. It would not believe the partisanship against American values by the Texas Extremist Party (formally the Republican Party). My father's Democratic Party remains, but the Democrats are the best hope for my parents' America by retiring as many Republicans from the as possible this November.
In the Presidential Debate from 1980, I have an indelible image of Ronald Regan looking past Jimmy Carter to the TV monitor. As if he was talking to the American people, he asked, " Are you better of than you were 4 years ago? "Since he was elected, the answer must have been no. He also referred to a Misery Index of inflation, unemployment, and other economic factors and apparently that was not the best for Americans as a whole either.
Well, I just have one thing to say, Are YOU better off than you were 8 years ago? I'm not talking about what Republicans claim about this or that, but is your 401K a 01Z? Are YOU making more money than you were 8 years ago? Is everyone in your family employed? Do you think American is still the most respected country in the world? Do YOU see peace headlines or arguments for more war in Iraq? Is maybe your Income Tax down but your Property Tax, State Tax, Local Tax, User Fees, Local Fines, and whatever fees sky high. Does America have a $235 Billion Dollar Surplus or a $9.3 Trillion Dollar Deficit with more requests for Iraq money and troops surely to come? Do you feel good about your future?
Is you misery index full with Iraq, overseas job outsourcing, rising gasoline prices, no responsible plan for alternative energy, potential loss of overtime pay but not overtime work? Can you look your aged parents in the face and tell them they won't be able to buy Medicare Supplement Insurance at any price soon and that the Prescription Drug Program is in trouble? That No Child Left Behind means every child is getting robbed of quality education? Do you and all your family have good health insurance?
Have you thought about the implications of putting people in prison in a Communist Country (Guantanamo Bay, Cuba) without charges or council? Is there a reason our courts constantly rule against that plan? Are you satisfied you have a President that accepts responsibility for his leadership? Or is The Buck Stops Here replaced with The Buck Passing Starts Here? Is John McCain really just more of the same?
What's your Misery Index? Mine says way over full. Do you want an American Dream or An American Nightmare? I think I'm living the Nightmare, and I for one long for the Dream. When our leaders had a Vision of America that was consistent with our Americans Forefathers from the past. Freedom, liberty, and justice for all were not just an old slogan but also a real idea. Not just for the ones with the money to get the best attorneys. When a retirement plan meant you might be able to retire with it and have insurance to pay for illness. When trade meant creating more jobs not sending them overseas.
Fix your Misery Index, Tell the Republicans to pack and leave. We need to go in a different direction.
http://www.pencilstubs.com/magazine/MagPage.asp?NID=3009
Thomas P. Love
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