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Subject: 21 Reasons for not voting Republican

Note: The following answers have been written by me. They are in response to these somewhat fantastically absurd stated 21 Reasons. These questions show how some with ignorance or perhaps just mallice can't get enough of bashing Bush and the Republican Party. I am not taking sides in these, only trying to show how these questions are so ridiculous in the first place. ---Lester

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1) You have to believe that the nation's 8-year prosperity prior to W's administration was due to the work of Ronald Reagan and George H. Bush, but that today's growing deficit and rising gas prices are all Clinton's fault.

My Comments:  I don't know how you as a Democrat existed during the 80's and 90's,  I think I was pretty prosperous during the Reagan and Bush years.  My savings were getting me as much as 18%, leveling to around 10% by the time Clinton took over.  By 1999, under Clinton, I was getting less than 3%.  It mostly started  during the Clinton administration.  You can never disprove that. But the economic times, not Clinton, had more to do with the decline. I agree that we are having a growing deficit.  Since September of 2001, the deficit has gone wild, right?  Bush's fault you say, right? The fact that there is a war, and that the Government has gone wild with adding more personnel in the various protective services or military has nothing to do with it, does it? Or, does it?  The Euro has gone from a low value of 0.80 to a dollar, to today's 1.25 to $1.  Bush's fault, right?  The cut back in oil production and cost increases by the OPEC is all Bush's fault for the rise in oil and hence gas prices, right?  These outside governments and organization and the increase in demand from such countries as China and India had nothing to do with any of these events, did they?  Only Bush!  I can't help but feel sorry for those individuals who want to vote for a good government based upon what little they know of the world and the activities of government and interactions between them.  Give one hundred random people anywhere a large map of the world and ask them to point out the state of North Dakota.  Then point out the countries of the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Luxembourg or any other country through out Europe.  How many do you think will get one, two, three or four right?  Oh, don't forget those who get NONE correct.  Are these the people you would want to be your staff and advisors if you were president?  Yet, this is the type of person that I see could read, understand and praise these "21 reasons."

2) You have to believe that those privileged from birth achieve success all on their own.

My Remarks: Are you also referring to Kerry who fits this description?

3) You have to be against government programs, but expect Social Security checks on time.

My Remarks: On the opposite, then, you are for ALL Government programs, and NOT expect the SS check on time?

4) You have to believe that government should stay out of people's lives, yet you want government to regulate who can get married, what they can't do in their bedroom, and what your official language should be.

My Comments: Doesn't follow the logic in #3. and you must want the Government to STAY in the people's lives, and NOT regulate who gets married?  Then why have licenses, registration or ceremonies.  And, then the Government must regulate WHAT they can do in their bedroom?  Now why should the Government NOT specify the OFFICIAL language?  How many other countries in the world have more than ONE official language?  China has more, but they are all Chinese dialects.  Many others have English as a second, but not official language.  Do you know that you can get a drivers license test here in California in just about every language used in California?  I could hardly believe that my Polish wife could and did take hers in Polish language, since I could not conceive of there being a need for that language.  If there is more than one official language, will  that mean that every high school graduate must be proficient in two or three to graduate?  And how about the Hall of Records?  How could they process every piece of paper in all "official" languages, and have everyone submitting them have them translated into all the official languages also?

5) You have to believe that pollution is ok, so long as it makes a profit.

My Comments: Who do you think believes that pollution is ok?  Pollution makes a profit for the firms that manufacture filters, incinerators, paper shredders, and also the added costs to the manufacture of autos, and super higher prices in California for gasoline.  By the way our gasoline now runs from $2.299 through $2.699 per gallon here in California on 2 March 2004.  I am sure that you in Iowa do not pay close to that amount.  Why, not only the Arab combine on controls, not the 48 cents or so taxes, but the extra work required of the refineries to produce a lower exhaust emitting fuel dictated by law, California standards which are higher than Federal, and under a Democratic administration.

6) You have to believe in prayer in schools, as long as you don't pray to Allah or Buddha.

My Comments: Guess you Democrats do not believe in prayers in schools.  But, who brought up the part about who they pray to?  I have never heard of that one before.

7) You have to believe that only your own teenagers are still virgins.

My Comments:  Come now, are you saying that you as a Democrat must believe your own daughter is NOT a virgin?  I wonder how you would find out.  I think most men would like to believe their daughters as such, and mainly are afraid to confront the issue with them.

8) You have to believe that a woman cannot be trusted with decisions about her own body, but that large multi-national corporations should have no regulation or interference whatsoever.

My Comments: This is gobbly gook.  Both parties have both pro and con arguments on the abortion issue, as well as religious organizations.  Not sure about the regulation or interference.  Taxation is a pretty good means of interference and all corporations do have Federal and state laws covering their activities.  The problem is not the firm, but the crooked people who get the power to run them.  You should know that all corporations who donate to the parties, give to all, although not necessarily in equal amounts.

9) You love Jesus and Jesus loves you and, by the way, Jesus shares your hatred of AIDS victims, homosexuals, and ex-President Clinton.

My Comments:  Tsk, tsk. Democrats hate Jesus and Jesus doesn't love them?  Better tell that to all  the colored folk who are very religious Baptists and highly Democratic at the same time.  Love or hate is a misnomer for everyone on AIDS or homosexuals.  I think most non affected people tolerate such things, so long as they do not get too close to their own family; and party lines are invisible.

10) You have to believe that society is color-blind and growing up black in America doesn't diminish your opportunities, but you still won't vote for Alan Keyes.

My Comment:  In other words Democrats must vote for Keyes BECAUSE he is black?

11) You have to believe that it was wise to allow Ken Starr to spend $50 million dollars to attack Clinton because no other U.S. presidents have ever been unfaithful to their wives

My Comment: The only consolation for the $50 million dollars is that it will eventually be returned in about five years through the cycling of pay out and taxes each year.  (I need to write a good article on that one.  Every $1.00 that the Government pays out WITHIN the United States to anyone for goods or services, will return by way of taxes in 5 to 8 years.) Lots of Presidents had mistresses, but the difference with Clinton is that he did his thing in the Presidential office suite in the White House, while on duty.  And, it was made public. They'd send a private away for 20 to life for having sex while on guard duty.

12) You have to believe that a waiting period for purchasing a handgun is bad because quick access to a new firearm is an important concern for all Americans

My Comments:  Is this really the Republican's thoughts?  I thought the Brady Bill was a result of the attack on Reagan, in which Brady damn near lost his life.  I don't think the majority of Americans of either party care much about this issue.

13) You have to believe it is wise to keep condoms out of schools, because we all know if teenagers don't have condoms they won't have sex.

My Comments:  I don't see the point here.  Take a look at # 7 and # 8.  Who is so gullible as to think that teenagers today will NOT experiment with sex unless they have condoms?  I substituted for a Sex Education Teacher a couple of years ago.  Thirty years ago, I would have been ashamed and blushing all over while hiding my face to walk into a class room then as it was on that day.  There were full displays of the sex act, and of the human body, and the female body during various stages of pregnancy, and of course actual condoms on board displays.  These classes are all co-ed with girls and boys at the same time. When I went to school in the 30's and early 40's, there was no such thing as "Sex or Health Education."  When a girl did get  pregnant and started to show, goodbye, never to be seen again.  Now the girls walk around the campus here in Local High Schools right up to the latest possible time for delivery.

14) You have to believe that the ACLU is bad because they defend the Constitution, while the NRA is good because they defend the Constitution

My Comments:  You actually believe the ACLU DEFENDS the Constitution?  Better take another look at their case history.  They do not defend the Constitution as such, but rather try to broadly interpret it to cover those items they are interested in, and for which they get funded.  And, as I have read, the NRA does live by the intent to defend the Constitution, don't you?  But, their actions are mostly to defend their rights UNDER the Constitution to bear arms.

15) You have to believe that socialism hasn't worked anywhere, and that Europe doesn't exist.

My Comments:  By this I get the idea that the Democrats want a very liberal Socialist form of Government.  I suppose the Democrats can point out a society anywhere that pure Socialism has worked to the dreams of the organizers.  Pure Socialism simply stated: Everyone has the right to work and the Government will give them all jobs.  (By the way, your "Right to Work" means simply that every one after school must be working, men and women, regardless of the job.)  Meanwhile the Government will take care of their every need to the extent they need anything.  Communism was pretty good, right?  The workers got to keep all of their pay, no income taxes, no sales taxes, no property taxes.  They got free medical treatment, free funerals, great vacations to wonderful locations fully paid for the whole family.  No problems at election time, either, as there is usually only one candidate for each office.  Educational opportunities are great IF you at the tender ages in 3rd year of schooling show yourself to be worth the money and time to educate.  No equal opportunity for minorities here.  After 8th grade, each student goes the way he is destined to work after schooling.  Some go no farther, some go to a technical high school for highly skilled technician or equipment operator training.  The rest go on to a combination high school where they are further weeded out by office or business type skills.  By the final year, you will know your jobs in the market place, or if you go on to the specialist area at the universities.  They have excellent school systems all the way through.  But, your future is set in concrete long before you even know yourself what you would rather do.  Oh, well, lots more to this but will stop for now.

16) You have to believe the AIDS virus is not important enough to deserve federal funding proportionate to the resulting death rate and that the public doesn't need to be educated about it, because if we just ignore it, it will go away.

My Comments: Not sure where you got this.  Unless you are concerned that the Federal budget somehow doesn't show enough for that cause.  But, did you know that the Federal budget does not show enough funds in any of the thousands of activities wanting money?  Strange!  And you say you want to balance the budget?  Goodbye tax cutbacks for the poor and middle class.

17) You have to believe that biology teachers are corrupting the morals of 6th graders if they teach them the basics of human sexuality, but the Bible, which is full of sex and violence, is good reading and right on the mark

My Comments:  6th graders?  In our district "Health Education" starts in high school, 8th grade, but full sex education within Health is usually by the 10th grade.  About the Bible.  How many kids of any age do you know who have actually sat down for more than a couple of minutes to read the Bible?  And for adults also?  I challenge you to go to 100 homes that have Bibles and see how many of them have even had the covers cracked.  I don't think you will find many.  I see the "Gideon Bibles" in the hotel rooms all over the world.  Nearly all I have looked at had never been opened in the 10 to 20 years that they probably were in the drawers next to the beds.  I see on TV that in Baptist services and some others, people will open their bibles to follow the scriptures to be quoted at the time by the minister.  But, how much more studying is done therein?  Well, I must confess I read the King James version almost all the way through with my mother back in the 30's.  Frankly, I haven't got the foggiest notions of what I had read, much less being concerned of any sexual content.

18) You have to believe that Chinese communist missiles have killed more Americans than handguns, alcohol, and tobacco.

My Comments:  What Chinese communist missiles?  Where and when? Are you refering to the Chinese support of Vietnam during the Vietnam War and Korea during the Korean War? Do only the Republicans believe this? Don't you know that the Vietnam War and the Korean War both started under Democratic Administrations? And both ended under Republican Administrations?

19) You have to believe that even though governments have supported the arts for 5000 years and that most of the great works of Renaissance art were paid for by governments, our government should shun any such support. After all, the rich can afford to buy their own art and the poor don't need any.

My Comments:  The only Governmental direct support for the arts came under Communism, where the artists were full employees of the Government which funded and bought back all their art work.  The great artists in history, unless I'm missing some, were commissioned by individuals, separate from the Government, as well as on Government projects to do the portraits.  The Renaissance period as far as I know lasted only about 200 or so years, not 5000.  The Governments did pay for work on Government buildings and decorations, but I don't believe they did it for private collectors.  If you are referring to the "liberal" support and grants given the arts when a few years ago, some individuals took advantage of the program to produce strange, really strange and anti this or anti that artwork.  This I am sure was not the intent of the supporters of the grants.  I am sure you will shout "free speech" under the Constitution.  Fine, let them have free speech, but not with my (and yours) taxpayers money.

20) You have to believe that the lumber from the last one percent of old growth U.S. forests is well worth the destruction of those forests and the extinction of the several species of plants and animals therein

My Comments:  Lumbering is a necessity for building homes, many consumer products such as paper, containers and the like.  You want more homes, you gotta have lumber or go back to the concrete and brick stages.  Lumber comes from trees, as you know.  If you cut a tree down and replant in a managed growth program, what is the problem?  You see what happens when a forest fire gets going.  All the old trees go like firecrackers.  Those same trees could have earlier been made into good lumber and replaced with new growth, not so much timber for fire fuel.  You sure listen to believe the animal rights do gooders, right?

21) You had to believe that we should forgive and pray for Newt Gingrich, Henry Hyde, and Bob Livingston for their marital infidelities, but that bastard Clinton should have been removed from public service. Amen.

My Comments:  So?  I don't see anything here worth commenting on.  Both issues are totally senseless to me.