orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER) (11/01/84)
> The comment given by Mike Kelly on how the Republican Party's slogan should > be "ME 84" is very interesting. It's amazing that he can assume that everyone > in the Republican Party believes in that motto while the Democratic Party > is free of such problems. > > Why not blame every problem from AIDS to cancer on the Republicans? > There are too many issues involved to be > able to brand a group of people in one way or another. Just because I'll > vote for Reagan does not mean that I agree with everything that he believes > in. Its just that I feel there are more reasons to vote for him than not to. > No matter who wins the election, there will be problems that arise that > could not be avoided by either party. > > Steve Keefe I agree with Steve Keefe that there are many Democrats who can be legitimately criticized for voting for their own self-interests over the national interest. I also do not believe that all Republicans are evil or selfish. I have known many Republicans who genuinely care about people and devote much of their own free time to volunteer organizations to help people. But these are exactly the people who should be wondering what is happening to the Republican party and the country's longer term interests under Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan is NOT just another Republican--he is a right-wing extremist who thoroughly supported Goldwater in '64 and hasn't changed very much since. (Goldwater himself said that last week) Just consider some of the longtime Republican goals that Ronald Reagan has opposed: 1)ERA - every Republican presidential candidate and national platform for years endorsed the Equal Rights Amendment to guarantee equal rights for women, who have always been prominent in the Republican party. Until Ronald Reagan ..... 2)Conservation and Environmental Protection- it was the Republican Theodore Roosevelt who started the National Parks system and championed the cause of protection of the natural environment. Many Republicans have been active in groups like the Audubon Society, Sierra Club and other such groups. The Sierra Club for this reason and a desire not to get too involved in partisan politics had never endorsed any presidential candidate. Until Ronald Reagan ...... for the very good reason that Ronald Reagan's Environmental policies have been atrocious under Watt, Burford, et al. One will note, that while Watt finally resigned, Reagan supported his policies to the end, and to this very day still does. 3)Nuclear Arms Control- Nixon and Ford both negotiated important arms control treaties which have helped to limit, if not stop, the arms race. Ronald Reagan opposed every one of those treaties negotiated by his fellow Republicans. He has continued to ignore the overwhelming vote by the Republican-controlled Senate to submit already negotiated arms control treaties for ratification by the Senate. Of course Reagan has not obtained a single arms control treaty and is unlikely to. Instead he will probably stop following the treaties currently being voluntarily observed by both sides. 4)Population Control- all past Republicans and anyone with a grain of common sense accepts the need for population control. But this past summer Reagan's administration released a report stating that "population increase was natural" and that it was no problem as demonstrated by examples such as Hong Kong--more population meant more economic growth the Reagan administration's report argued. I realize that economic growth does eventually lead to the Demographic Transition in which population growth eventually slows down. But the demographers project that even with the Demographic transition that the world faces enormous problems unless something is done and present programs continue to curb population growth. Personally I don't want to see the whole planet as populated as Hong Kong. Do you? 5)Balanced Budgets- all past Republicans have advocated a balanced budget. Until this year, so did Ronald Reagan. But now as his deficits mount to more than ALL previous presidents, Republican or Democrat, combined, he says the deficit is no problem. What he has been unable to do in four years, he will now suddenly achieve and get a balanced budget along with an enormous increase in the government. Is this a traditional Republican policy? I could go on, but this is already too long. The point is that Reagan is NOT just another Republican. His policies are extremist and dangerous. Please consider this you Republicans out there.... Tim Sevener whuxl!orb