Posted on 11/04/2004 1:51:39 PM PST by esoxmagnum
My parents were democrats. I was a democrat. I'm was not ashamed to admit this, until recently.
My family is blue collar. Printers mainly. I watched over these past few years as our jobs disappeared. They went over seas. I watched as management of my company cut back. I watched at the office was in disrepair. I watched as paper prices, drove by timber shortages, rose sky high. Diminishing our companies profits. I watched as the EPA came in, and mandated that all our chemicals were bad, thus forcing us to use more environmental friendly chemicals, at fifty times the price. I watched as our company officers took pay cuts and we in the plant were asked to hold off on raises this year. I watched as union leaders stepped in and threatened to close our plant if we did not get our 10 percent raises.
I listened to our company leaders plead with us, that we could not compete if kept getting these raises. I watched as Union leaders said give us money or we will strike.
I watched as the company, reluctant, but wanting to stay in business had no choice but to leave these United States of America.
I began to doubt the validity of Union interests.
Because I doubted the Unions, I was labelled a Hater of America. I was told that I might as well be a Republcian. I was told that I was scum. I was told it was people like me, who didn't have faith in unions that was the real problem with America. So, I shut up.
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I've watched Jesse Jackson bully his way through the world. I've watched other minorities threaten lawsuits if they did not get promotions. I've watched Jesse Jackson condone the beating of white kids by black kids, even after it was caught on tape, and shown all over the Chicago area. I've watched and learned about Jesse Jackson getting brewery contracts for his family by using intimidation and racial extortion.
And when I question or begin to think that Jesse Jackson is a bully and an opportunistic thug, I'm called a Racist. I'm told that I might as well be a Republican, because I am scum.
So, I shut up.
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We had an early pregnancy, my wife and I were about 18. We went for advice, counceling. Planned Parenthood told us, convinced us, that there was only one choice. They told us we were young, stupid, that we had our whole lives ahead of us, and that bringing a child into this world, would be careless. We were not smart enough to handle this child. We were told that we should be ashamed of ourselves for considering to have a child at this age. We were told that we were not smart enough to raise a child, we were told that we had an obligation to NOT have a child, for we would be contributing to over-population. We were told that we would be adding more strain on the welfare system. We were told that to be good citizens, we MUST do what is right, or we would be idiots.
And if we did not do right, we might as well be Republicans, because we would be acting like scum.
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I don't really have a problem with ones personal sex life. I mean, for adults, whatever they want to do is fine. I imagine they will grow out of it. I have heard that being gay is genetic, though the only proof that someone offered me was a website that relied on data from the late 30's from a universty in Munich.
Now, I'm not too bright, and apparently I'm not a good democrat, because I think that basing an entire theory on genetic research done by Nazi's is a little off-the-wall.
And, most researchers are saying that environment appears to have the most influence on homosexual tendencies. Also, there are now 12-step groups for curing homosexuality. So, if it can be cured and if its a lifestyle, why do I want it shoved down my throat? I'm not really quite ready to accept gay marraige.
And for not being ready to accept, I'm called a gay basher and a hater. I'm called a moron. And I'm told, I might as well be a Republican.
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Although currently un-employed (because my job was shipped away), I DO believe that hard work will get me a good job some day. I believe in education, and I believe in the American Dream that I CAN SUCCEED if I work at it.
And because of those beliefs, I'm told that I'm an idiot. I'm told that I cannot succeed without the help of the democrats. I'm told that the odds are stacked against me. I'm told that only a moron would think he could compete with hardwork, patience and sweat-equity.
I'm told only an idiot or a moron thinks he can win. And since I feel that way, I'm told that I must be a fool, and I might as well be a Republican.
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I didn't believe Michael Moore. I thought it was distasteful and self serving. I didn't believe that our President went to war for his own oil. I didn't beleive that somehow he and Dick Chaney were getting rich from oil somehow. And for not believing all of this, I was told I was a moron. I was told that I should rot in hell. I was told that I was probably a Republican.
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I believe in playing fair. I believe that America is good. I teach my children to work hard. And though we may not be rich, though we may not have all the stuff that the Jones's do, I teach them that hard work, honesty, and loyalty and love to our family will pay off. Maybe not in riches, but surely in something that can't be measured, that is bigger than us all.
I teach my kids that we have a moral obligation to play right, play fair, and work hard. And because of this, I'm told that I am a moron. A religious right winger. A nutball. A zealout.
I'm told that I might as well be a Republican.
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I don't believe we can defeat terrorists with police. I don't think we can compete with the misinformation that young arabs are being fed through their own controlled media. I don't think that our media (which is blocked out) can compete with their dictators teaching them that WE are the reason they live in poverty and dispair, while the rulers and dictators get filthy rich.
I think the ONLY way to cure terrorism is to remove these dictators. I am not a war monger. I have no stomach for war. And because I have no stomach for war, I want to end this in the quickest way possible. And the quickest way to possibly end this, is to remove these despotic leaders, it is to remove these dictators and bring free journalism, free ideas and free market to these regions.
I don't believe this can happen in a year. But I believe it is the shortest course to a better world.
I beleive in freedom of Religion. I believe if these people want to be Muslims, then that is fine. In so long as THEY HAVE A CHOICE.
If the women there CHOOSE to be shackled and beaten by their husbands, thats fine, so long as THEY CHOOSE IT!
And for having these thoughts, I'm told that I'm a warmonger, and a hater of muslims. I'm told that I'm evil and that I will go to hell for killing innocents.
I'm told that I'm so evil, I might as well be a Republican. ------
So for all its worth. This is why I am a Republican. Not because I made a conscious decision to be one (until this last year), but because I was kicked out of my party. I was excluded, because when I questioned them, I was branded stupid, moronic, intolerant, racist, hating, bashing, and religious.
For having faith in America, I was told "you don't belong here.... you are one of them."
Well, if all these signs point to me being a Republican, I don't ever want to go back to being a democrat.
T Robbins
Welcome Home!
How I changed from Democrat to Republican:
Got a voter registration form, selected Republican, mailed it in.
Fix headline misspell.
Sounds to me like you were a Republican for a long time, you just didn't know it.
Welcome aboard!
Welcome Tim, hope Susan feels the same way.
About sums it up. Welcome.
Amen
Well welcome!
Welcome to our party!!
Excellent post! Keep the faith brother! You just proved that you're none of the things that they claim.
A lot of people don't.
APf
Well written, enjoyable read!
Semper Fi
Awesome and welcome!
Your initiation project is to go bring over three friends!
"Welcome Tim, hope Susan feels the same way."
- Somehow, I don't think this is the T. Robbins that you apparently think it is.
In any case - glad you're on our side now.
Welcome to the family! Glad you came home. God Bless You.
- Somehow, I don't think this is the T. Robbins that you apparently think it is.
Wishful thinking.
Welcome to Free Republic.
It is not any particular Party, as Zell Miller has demonstrated in word and Deed.
To be a Democrat, you have to ignore facts and suffering. You have be totally absent of a spine,i.e., you swim in a school.
You have to ignore Economics, human nature, and established,verified psychological truths.
You need to be able to accept Socialism, and be willing to be crushed under its wheel, like the former citizens of the USSR and many other Communist-controlled goverments.
I had to wait 3 more years to vote in a Presidential election.
In those years, several things shaped my political opinion.
The Sandanistas took over Nicaraqua, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, Jimmy Carter massively retaliated against the Soviets by boycotting the Olympics (that'll show em), Jimmy Carter abandoned the Shaw of Iran, and the Ayatolla left the comfort and safety of France to go back to Iran and spearhead the Islam-0-facists revolution and take American Embassy hostages.
Then one day before the 80' election, I read in the local Lafayette newspaper a headline which quoted GOP candidate Ronald Reagan, stating "I will not bargain with barbarians"
That galvanized my political thinking to this day. I voted for Reagan as a DemocRAT. Before the 84' election, I had switched my affiliation to the GOP forever.
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