This is my first ever diary on this site (be gentle). I have never claimed a political party or thought much about where I fell on the political spectrum. Recently, I have begun posting on a different site and I found that I vehemently oppose the Republican Party line. I guess I have always been a bit left-of-center. My parents raised me to be compassionate for others, and to take care to empathize with people before casting judgment on them. I don't think that is a quality that is possessed by most Republicans (it seems even less so the further right they move). Based off of what I have seen and read lately, I do not think I could ever in good conscience vote for a Republican candidate.
Tonight the debate is a good example of how out-of-touch they are with reality on social issues. Several of them said that they would charge a doctor with murder for performing an abortion without consideration for rape or incest. Santorum said that he found it to be a double standard that a rapist cannot face the death penalty but it's okay to make an innocent child a victim. What about the mother? Why should she have to risk her health for a pregnancy she didn't ask for? That sort of stance is so counter-intuitive. Recently, in Indiana they passed a law that government money could not be used for abortions. Several local hospitals refused to perform ANY abortions, even where the mother's health was at risk out of fear they would be violating the law as it was written.
Same sex marriage was another contentious issue that frustrates me. I thought Romney made a good point when he said that marriage is more than a religous issue it's a 'status' in America. Allowing the states to decide, could have far reaching implications because so many Americans move so often throughout their lives. But then he railed against allowing it. I do not understand. How can we, as a country, allow this sort of discrimination to go on?
If social issues upset me, I should have turned off the TV before they talked about fiscal issues. Cain and Bachmann claiming that default would have been better than the debt ceiling "compromise" was ridiculous. They didn't even retreat from that position when Santorum pointed out that 40% of budget was borrowed, and 60% of the budget is Social Security, Medicare, defense, and interest payments. I wonder if that means they think that Congress should work for free (because in that scenario they wouldn't be getting paid).
The refusal to admit that we need to raise taxes is disconcerting. I don't know how we can escape the national debt without raising taxes. Even more ridiculous was that every candidate said they would not consider raising taxes even with 10:1 ratio. I do not know how it could be argued that corporations are unfairly burdened when GEand Verizon were recently shown to not have paid taxes despite record profits.
This leads to a bigger problem, the shear level of income inequality in America. Despite the huge disparity the Republicans push for cuts on programs that help those that are struggling and benefit the richest members of society. It's unconscionable.
I could go on and on, but it seems that every time the Republican makes a statement it's diametrically opposite of my beliefs. The war-mongering, the elitism, the proselytizing it's enough to make me sick. These positions have caused me to realize that I cannot support that line of thinking, and I am a far better fit with Democrats.
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So, it's not much, but it's my first real blog. The first attempt I've ever made at collecting my thoughts and presenting them semi-coherently. I hope it's not too droll.