Letter to the Editor: The GOP Has No Policies of Its Own

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Republicans have no policies. In 2020, there was no platform at the Republican Party convention. “Whatever Trump wants," they said. When asked what the Republican priorities would be if the GOP takes over the House and Senate in the fall of 2022, Mitch McConnell said, "I'll let you know if that happens."

Republicans do not want a solution to the immigration issue. Currently, as a wedge issue, it is useful to them to goose support during elections. There were three attempts to pass immigration reform from 2005 to 2013. Senate bills 1033 in 2005, 1258 in 2011 and 744 in 2013 all would have addressed the immigration situation we now have. Senate bill 744 passed in the Senate 68-32 in 2013. All three were killed by the radical extremists of the far right GOP in the House.

Their solution calls for the deportation of the 12 to 13 million people who are in the United States without proper documentation and a virtual shutdown of immigration. Deporting the undocumented workers in the U.S. would be catastrophic to our economy. It would leave gaping holes in our industries that Americans would not fill. Employers are having great difficulty finding enough people to hire in the post-pandemic era. Deporting millions of workers would cause a massive economic depression. The health care industry would lose essential help to care for the aging boomer generation. Japan has had to loosen its very restrictive immigration policies to help care for its aging population.

Immigration, health care, infrastructure, childcare, staying relevant in the global 21st century economy, addressing the fateful issue of climate change, you name it. The GOP has no policy. They have been intending to repeal and replace Obamacare for 12 years, but never get around to a policy. Now Obamacare has become quite popular. Every other week was Infrastructure Week in the Trump years. It is President Biden who made the effort to put a package together and get the much needed legislation passed.

Policies require thought and effort. That is not something the current GOP is capable of or interested in.

They are much more interested in creating hot button culture war issues. Rallying cries that can whip their base into a frenzy. They are interested in gaining power, but they have little interest in governing. It is Ted Cruz making an outrageous slander in the recent Supreme Court nomination hearings and then immediately checking his cellphone to see what the reaction was on social media. It is performance art. It is not governing.



When the Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade abortion law, I expect to see massive protests supporting the pro-choice side in Lewis County. The people of Lewis County will not stand for such a massive government intrusion into the lives of our female citizens. All those vehement anti-mask, anti-vax protests sure told the world what Lewis County thinks. "My body. My choice."

Nah. The right wing Republican extremists of Lewis County and the country will continue to talk about toxic immigrants, election fraud, Jewish space lasers, Democrats as critical race theory, blood drinking pedophiles or groomers, and evil Disneyworld. It is not liberal ideology that is destroying us. It is lunatic right-wing hate and intolerance. 

 

Marty Ansley,

Cinebar