Editor,
I received Republican membership-drive material that was worded in a manner that leaves the impression that members of the Republican Party are of very low intelligence, which I found quite offensive.
They continue to manipulate the facts to suit their purposes. While I agree that the 2004 presidential election was historic, as they imply, I do not agree with the political twist they attached to it. There was so much controversy involved in the election process that it cast some dark shadows on the results and the Republican Party.
In spite of this, they choose to state that America has spoken, and her trust and confidence in President Bush is crystal clear. While Bush has transformed the Republican Party, the country and the world, it has not been in everyone's best interest, as the Republicans imply.
Bush has badly tarnished the Republican Party like no other president before, and I believe that it will take a decade or two to clean it up.
Take his tax cuts - the largest in history, touted by the Republican Party as a big plus for the American people. While this is correct for some of the American people, the tax cuts primarily and summarily benefited the rich, which the party does not explain to its membership.
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On top of this, Bush's policy has resulted in the widening of the salary gap between the rich and the poor. Then there's his education reform program that, like his Medicare prescription drug program, fell short of the mark. Providing for an education program without the appropriate funding is like proposing the building of a new, energy-efficient car without providing funds to do it.
In the area of foreign relations, Bush has managed to isolate this country from our foreign allies by withdrawing our involvement in the Kyoto Protocols and by our unilateral and unjustified invasion of Iraq. It appears that most of the economic proposals that the Republican Party has introduced have been ill-conceived or initiated merely for political expediencies.
Concerning the war on terrorism, it was a failure from the start. Six years or so of fighting, and Osama bin Laden is still on the loose and the al-Qaida organization is still a viable threat. How can this be categorized as a success?
And recently, this administration decided to outsource the security of our American ports to foreign countries, especially the United Arab Emirates, which does not speak too well of its commitment to the security of our country. I cannot believe that we do not have any American companies capable of handling the security of our own ports.
To my way of thinking, this posture reflects a party that is willing to walk on either side of the fence, regardless of the consequences, as long as it serves the party's - and corporate America's - desires and goals.
Nahum Castillo
Daily Lobo reader
