I recently read the 2006 Standing Platform for the Republican Party of Minnesota. Many of the things listed come as no surprise, but it also offered unfiltered insight into an agenda I can only say flies in the face of traditional Minnesota values, and how far right the Republican Party has moved. This document could have been used as a Halloween prop to scare anyone who considers themselves average middle-of-the road Americans.
One of the first alarming items is opposition to abortion, without exception, even to save the life of the mother. I thought even the Republicans of Minnesota were progressive enough to at least give some value to a woman's life, but I guess times have changed. They also want to officially stipulate that `personhood' begins at inception, meaning, `When the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) of Mankind is joined'. Of course, they also oppose embryonic stem cell research, but allow embryos to be tossed out like yesterday's garbage instead of being used to save lives. Maybe later they will require funerals.
Regarding education, the plan is to promote abstinence only sex education, and the false belief that condoms are not safe. Unfortunately, teaching abstinence only does not work, and they refuse to offer education on condoms, fearing that teaching teens about how to protect themselves during sex will somehow make them want to go for it. The teens I talked to all agree that those who would anyway, do, and those who wouldn't anyway, won't. I consider it irresponsible to deliberately mislead and lie to our future generations, but what do I know - I'm just a heathen liberal.
The Republican plan also includes the rejection of people who have an alternative lifestyle, and in particular, any discussion of it in public schools. This mindset of 'if you don't talk about it, it will go away' is dangerous, and unfair to kids who are struggling with their sexual identities. What world do they live in anyway?
Republicans also doubt the whole big bang theory, and support teaching creationism in public schools. They also want the teaching of the role religion has played in the founding of our [secular] nation using `original sources' as teaching material. I'm guessing that would be the Bible, though which one I'm sure would be their choosing. I'm also sure any naughty parts will be removed or blacked out. Did these people pay attention in history class at all? Have they ever read the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights? I don't think so.
The Republican platform supports abolishing the U.S. Department of Education altogether, and prohibiting mental health screening of K-12 students, but it does support making annual gun safety programs available to every Minnesota elementary and middle school. Well, that makes me feel safer for my kids. I guess if you don't want to know if Johnny wants to do a local Columbine or Red Lake, you should teach him how to use the gun safely before he wreaks havoc, killing others and then himself.
I suppose the gun safety classes are part of their post-9/11 view that everyone should be able to purchase and carry a firearm with the right to shoot if felt threatened in any way, and to remove any requirement of pesky firearm registration. So, your purchase of a pay-as-you-go cell phone will be tracked, but not your new .38. However, they do restrict your ability to carry only if you have a permit. They are fuzzy on background checks, but they would limit firearm ownership to only law-abiding citizens, however that may be determined.
Let's see... they want extensive pre-marital counseling, limits on divorce, and a Constitutional amendment insisting marriage is a legal union only between a man and a woman. Do not even think about civil unions or equal rights for gay couples.
They like to claim liberal Democrats are anal about political correctness, yet the Republican Party wants to sanitize society of what they deem obscene and vulgar, particularly if there is any risk of exposure to children, and more so in publicly financed institutions. Of course, we all worry about our children, but there is such a thing as thinking outside the box to enable the protection of children without censoring every library in the country. Censorship in America is already happening with the removal of classic literature from schools, so can book burning be far behind?
They want to tear down the separation between church and state by allowing clergy to specify one God over another, and to give them the right to spout politics in church without losing their tax-exempt status. They want the Ten Commandments on display in public, but don't stipulate if this is to be paid by taxpayers. They also want to bring back the mandatory Pledge of Allegiance, and surround us with red, white and blue. Go God-fearing Christian U.S.A!
They want to make it easier for only traditional married couples to adopt, but they are progressive enough at least not make any restrictions for race. I don't know if you would have any rights later to sue if your chosen child `chooses' an alternative lifestyle later in life.
They are all free market, and anti-government, so forget any government intervention for worker rights, the forming of unions, minimum wage laws, or employer-provided benefits. We can go without `best practice' standards for doctors, and of course, they do not support your personal right to die. So, you are forced to give birth, and restricted to die only when they say so.
Gambling is bad, but you can do it if you're 21 or older, though they don't want state-sponsored gambling anymore, so bye-bye lottery.
They definitely do not want public funding for public transportation, at least for a mass transit rail system. We should stick to cars anyway... dodging potholes could become a daily game. As for oil dependence, we have ANWR to drill in, and this may create jobs for Alaskans as well. I heard on MPR recently though, that even though Alaskans are closest to the pipelines, they are charged higher rates than the lower 48 states. On another front, Exxon still hasn't gotten around to cleaning up after the Valdez spill, so they're still dealing with the environmental and economic repurcussions of that.
To prove the GOP cares so much about everyone in Minnesota, they want to get rid of MinnesotaCare, the only healthcare option available for the needy, and for children who otherwise would not have it at all. This kind of system is `socialized' medicine, which is apparently evil, and only one step away from communism and the downfall of America. So, we are to depend on `faith-based' charities to ante up for every social ill. Rather than looking at it as an investment in the health of families and the community, you deadbeat welfare recipients are nothing but a wasted expense taking a government handout, which is draining our coffers when we could be giving more tax breaks to the wealthy.
Public safety and the laws of our land are important to Republicans. Since those of us who dare injure ourselves are just abusing the system with frivolous lawsuits, they promote electing only judges that do not award damages, and for heaven's sake, do not overpay the lawyers. I don't know if they support public defenders, but I would bet not.
They believe we need to limit tort reform for the injured, but prosecute more criminals, which will require building many more prisons. If we actually adopted the Republican plan, we're all going to end up incarcerated some day, so let's make them really nice... well, except for the `bad' people - we can put them in a hole somewhere until we can kill them legally through state-sponsored executions. Maybe they can televise it on Pay-Per-View. But hey, all you people interested in acting out hate crimes... it's your right to freedom of speech, so it would be A.O.K. ;o)
As with the rejection of evolution and pretty much anything backed up by years of scientific research and overwhelming evidence, they do not go for the global warming theory. They do not support 'radical environmental proposals' like the Kyoto treaty as every other industrialized nation actually tuned in to reality does. I'm sure they would get rid of the DNR if they could, and privatize all public land, to open it up to free enterprise.
They don't mention anything about lobby reform, but they do oppose the use of public tax dollars by 'non-governmental organizations' to lobby on behalf of public land and resources. If they get their way, there wouldn't be any public-owned land, so this one could become moot.
Is this a political platform, or puritan social engineering?
I just can't go into anymore... it's exhausting in its perversion of all of the values I thought we held sacred in Minnesota.
In a nutshell, the free market system is the panacea for all, and you're pretty much on your own. Good luck.