I spent the vast majority of my adult life voting for the Republican party at the national, state, and local levels. However, I came to the realization over a period of time that the Republican party no longer reflected my values and principles.
The gap between the rich and poor remains too wide and giving more tax cuts to the wealthy only makes that situation worse. President Trump has pledged to do that if he wins. They keep insisting that trickle-down economics works. If it does, why has the middle class shrunk from 61% of the population in 1970 to 51% today, while the wealthiest of our nation have seen their net worth grow dramatically.
Today the top 1% own 54% of the stock market and the wealthiest 10% own 93%. I believe the Democratic party has the best interest of all Americans as they govern to ensure our capitalistic system works effectively for all.
Secondly, I am a female who benefited from affirmative action regulations such as the one President Nixon implemented in the early 70’s. The 1976 Platform of the Republican party reaffirmed their pledge to work to eliminate discrimination in all areas for reason of race, color, national origin, age, creed, or sex.
None of that is in their current platform. The lines are now drawn with considerable clarity over women’s rights. The Republican party has largely adopted an opposing position, distancing itself from equal rights and is siding with those who prefer more traditional women’s roles. Read the Heritage Foundations 2025 platform, which will almost fully be implanted by President Trump if he wins. Is it okay with you if your daughter earns 84 cents for every dollar earned by men for the same jobs?
It is never possible to return to past ages as I believe the Republican party is attempting to do. The spokesman for the Heritage Foundation stated that they were” initiating a 2nd American Revolution and it would remain bloodless if the left allowed it be.” When in history has any civilization been able to return to prior times. It is impossible. I know many women join me in saying the days when we were subservient to men are gone for good.
Your choice today is between a party that is committed to serving everyone in our country and is loyal to our Constitution and a party that has been taken over by an individual who is a serial adulterer, a pathological liar, a convicted harasser of women, and is facing large fines for business fraud. I never thought I would live to see the day when an American President continues to use incendiary rhetoric to pit one group against another and continues to encourage political violence as we saw on January 6, 2021.
What has happened to the Grand Old Party where decency and character were most important? It has sadly disappeared.
Linda B. Arnold, Highlands