The war on women. The war on the poor. Let's destroy unions. Let's destroy Medicare. Let's make it harder to vote and easier to shoot people. Is this the battle cry of the Republican Party?
It should be the party platform.
You won't hear Republicans admit that these are their goals. But this is just some of what we can expect if Mitt Romney is elected president and the Republicans control Congress.
In 2010, many states got Republican governors and Republican legislatures. Republicans were elected on the promise of jobs.
What have they done since then? They have enacted laws attacking Planned Parenthood. They have enacted a new poll tax with their voter ID laws.
They have taken health care coverage away from thousands of children. Let's not forget the "stand your ground" laws that make it easier to shoot first and ask questions later. Where is the legislation concerning jobs?
This is just a taste of what we are in for in a Republican world. Mitt Romney supports the Paul Ryan budget. This plan would destroy the social safety net that protects those at the very margins of our society.
It would end Medicare as we know it. It would slash hundreds of thousands of public sector jobs.
It would make drastic cuts in education. The very richest in our country would get even bigger tax cuts.
Many people don't think that this affects them in any way. It does affect them. Many people have elderly parents living in subsidized housing. Their parents may be on Medicare. They may have parents receiving nursing home care paid for by Medicaid. Maybe they are receiving food stamp benefits or have a loved one receiving benefits.
It's a dog eat dog world. Everyone is on his own. Is this what we want? God help us if this is the country we want.
Where is the compassion? Where is the Christian teaching of helping others? Many on the right think that they have cornered the market on what Christian teachings tell us.
How do these policies conform to these teachings? They don't conform.
Mary Anne Grove, Hollidaysburg
