I wrote this message to spodefly, since his post reminded me of the kind of values it seems most Rpeuvblicans & Democrats share. Perhaps it can spark some converation about what other points we are united on, since we hear enough from both sides about what divides us.
In your message, you remind everyone that lots of Republicans don't hold stereotypical views, just as lots of Democrats aren't stereotypical knee-jerk liberals.
However, I wanted to ask you about why, if your beliefs are as you portray them, you supported candidates whose beliefs differ so much from your own.
I'll quote from your message, and use ">" to mark my comments.
We are not all bigots.
We are not all gun toting rednecks.
> Yet White House & Congressional Republicans blocked
> efforts to renew the ban on assault weapons, weapons
> not designed for any other purpose but killing people.
We is don't talk using ebonics.
We are hard working folks with familys that want the best for our children.
> Yet the White House & Congressional Republicans have
> repeatedly failed to fully fund educational initiatives
> such as student financial aid, and even failed to fully
> fund the Republican-sponsored "No Child Left Behind"
> program.
99% of us could care less who you sleep with and how you do it.
> Yet President Bush & other Republican leaders have
> repeatedly spoken out against equal rights for gay
> people. They have deliberately insinuated government
> into people's private intimate lives & families.
> I can understand opposing gay marriage. There are
> valid religious and traditional reasons to do so.
> But why prohibit alternatives like domestic
> partnerships and civil unions, as Republicans
> supported doing in 11 states this November, and are
> supporting with the demand for a Constitutional
> Amendment as well.
99% of us could care less if you goto church or who you worship.
> Then why do our White House and our Congress continue
> to press for increased religious involvement in
> government-sponsored activity? Why support people
> who are trying to erode the separation of church and
> state by supporting school prayer and public funding
> to religious groups?
99% of us would give the shirt off our back to help a neighbor.
> Then why support candidates who oppose increased
> assistance programs to needy families, who oppose
> increasing the minimum wage to provide a livable
> income for families, and who oppose a healthcare safety
> net for all AMericans, regardless of job or income.
Just don't try to change our values and we will leave you the hell alone.
Really, I don't think our values are that different. I agree with all of the value statements you made. Most Republicans & most Democrats agree on most values issues.
For myself, I supported John Kerry because his policy statements were more in keeping with my values than President Bush's. Do I think the President is evil? Of course not. But, I do think he has made the wrong decisions, according to my values.
You eloquently stated your values in your message. As they don't seem to mesh well with Republican policies & actions, it confuses me.
You obviously think about these things & care deeply about this country, as I do. What am I missing? What are you seeing that I'm not? What drives you to support a party that doesn't seem to share your values?
Sincerely,
Steve Brack
steveb_ohio@yahoo.com +1 937 304 7051
The message you are quoting (#28) is from the person who set-up the site werenotsorry.com. It was posted on that site the last day before he took it down. He took it down because diversity loving progressive thinkers were calling him at home making threats. I posted it here as a reference to have in the thread about the site.
You may want to ping the admins and have them remove your post. Leaving your email, name, and phone number in a public forum is almost as silly as the leaps of relativism and big-government daddyism in your post.