It has always amazed me how many people can vote against their own values, beliefs, and self-interest in American elections. I am referring to anyone who consistently votes Republican -- even though they are not rich, white, and male (the only true constituency of that party. If you are one of those people who think you'll probably vote for the GOP in the coming November election, I ask you to think about these few questions before you do that.1. Do you think the vast wealth and income gap between the 1% and the 99% is good for this country? The Republicans do, and it is their policies that have created that gap (and continues to increase it).
2. Do you think Social Security is a good program that has kept millions of elderly Americans out of poverty? The Republicans don't. They have always opposed Social Security, and have tried to abolish or privatize the program. Finding themselves unable to do that (yet), they now want to cut benefits for Social Security recipients (even though the average monthly benefit is only slightly above $1000).
3. Do you think Medicare is a good program that allows all seniors to access the medical care that they need? The Republicans don't. They have repeatedly tried to abolish Medicare, and replace it with subsidies that would force seniors to purchase private insurance or do without medical care -- even though the private insurance companies don't want to cover those seniors (because they are the most likely to need medical care). There is no doubt that seniors would have to pay more out of their own pockets for the medical care they need if Medicare is abolished, and many would have no access to care at all.
4. Do you think anyone willing to work hard at a full-time job should be paid a poverty wage? The Republicans do. They have not only blocked raising the minimum wage to a livable level, but many of them have proposed eliminating the minimum wage and allowing employers to abuse workers even more than is currently done.
5. Do you think the rich and the corporations should pay their fair share of taxes? The Republicans don't. They have given corporations so many subsidies that many no longer pay any taxes at all (even though they make millions or billions in profits). And they have created special tax rates for the rich (like the capital gains tax rate) which allows the rich to pay a smaller percentage in taxes than many in the middle class.
6. Do you think the federal government has a duty to protect the natural resources of this country -- including insuring Americans have clean air and water? The Republicans don't. They have voted many times to sell or lease our national forests and parks to the timber and oil & gas companies -- to be devastated by drilling and deforestation. And they have voted to defund or abolish the EPA, and let corporations foul our air and water.
7. Do you believe the poor in this country should receive government help to insure that they, and their children, have adequate food? The Republicans don't. Even though the number of Americans living in poverty is rising, the Republicans have voted to cut the SNAP (food stamp) program by a massive amount.
8. Do you believe American corporations should receive tax cuts to help them outsource American jobs to other countries? They Republicans do. They not only created those special tax cuts for outsourcing corporations, but have blocked all efforts to eliminate those tax cuts.
9. Do you believe women should receive equal pay for equal work? The Republicans don't. They have repeatedly blocked all attempts to achieve that through legislation. They want to maintain the second-class citizenship status of women.
10. Do you believe all people wanting to purchase a gun should be cleared with a background check? The Republicans don't. They killed the effort to close the loopholes in the background check law, and thanks to them, about 40% of guns are sold in this country without a background check. This allows anyone to buy a gun easily -- even criminals and other dangerous people.
The fact is that most Americans oppose the Republican position in all 10 of those questions -- and yet many of them will vote Republican in November. Think before you vote -- and encourage you family, friends, and neighbors to do the same. Things won't improve in this country as long as too many people vote against their own self-interest and beliefs.
(The image above is by the inimitable DonkeyHotey.)
