Damn Republicans

Republicans

From the Cumberland Times-News, Monday, 12 May 2003, page 8A:

Bennett gambling betrays Republican hypocrisy

To the Editor:

On Monday, May 5, the virtues Republican William Bennett (education secretary under Reagan, drug czar under George H. Bush, founder of the conservative think tank Empower America, and author of the best seller The Book of Virtues) admitted that his history of heavy gambling was out of sync with his conservative message on morals and family values.

I have noticed that many Republicans are out of sync with their conservative message on morals and family values. Gambling is a morality issue the same as abortion and prostitution. How can appointed and/or elected right-wing conservative Republican officials be against abortion, condone gambling and do nothing to stop prostitution?

If the Republicans push to outlaw prostitution in Nevada and gambling throughout the United States, then I'll support their "Right to Life" position. Until then, I'll be "Pro-Choice."

Nick Drobac
Oakland, MD 21550
Cumberland Times-News
http://www.times-news.com

Also see: The Republican, Thursday, 08 May 2003, page A-4
http://www.therepublicannews.com/
http://www.therepublicannews.com/letters.html

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October 4, 2001

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August 10, 2001

Who has his ear? The president is hanging out with cows. It's his way of connecting with America's heartland.

George W. Bush told the Future Farmers of America:
"I love to go walking out there, seeing the cows. Occasionally they talk to me, being the good listener that I am. But it's important for all of us in Washington to stay in touch with the values of the heartland."

(Reference: President Bush simply doing what he does best, by Myriam Marques, The Orlando Sentinel, as it appeared in The Times/Beaver Newspapers Inc., Pennsylvania, dba Beaver County Times, Beaver, Pa.; Friday, August 10, 2001; page A7)

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September 7, 2001

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Candidate George W. Bush talked a good line about eliminating abortions.
President George W. Bush is more concerned with re-election vote than about protecting the lives of the unborn.
Please read excerpts from the following article:

For Bush, abortion not 'policy priority'
Timing isn't right for crusade, advisers say
By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY, April 20, 2001, page 1A

On the campaign trail, candidate George W. Bush said he opposed abortion and pledged to promote a ''culture of life.'' On his first working day as president, he issued an executive order eliminating federal funding for overseas organizations that do abortion counseling.

Abortion opponents cheered. Abortion rights activists issued a call to arms.

But both sides are overreacting, White House aides say. Bush has no intention of letting his presidency become mired in controversy, or of jeopardizing his chances at re-election, by launching a crusade to outlaw abortion, his advisers say.

To win a second term, Bush may need to improve his standing with female voters, most of whom backed Democrat Al Gore last fall. And as he tries to push an ambitious agenda through the evenly divided Senate, he can't afford to alienate Republican lawmakers who support abortion rights.

''I don't believe he feels that he'll be able to eliminate abortions,'' White House chief of staff Andy Card said in an interview in his West Wing office. Asked specifically where abortion ranks among Bush's priorities, Card left it off the list. ''It's a high moral priority for the president,'' he said, ''but his public policy priorities are education, tax reform and tax reduction, reforming Social Security, reforming the Medicare system and improving our national defense.''

Despite Bush's reluctance to wade into one of the nation's longest-running controversies, abortion opponents in Congress are pressing ahead with legislation they expect the president to sign.

First up is a fetus-protection bill scheduled for a vote in the House on Wednesday. Aides say Bush has not taken a position on the bill.

He has said he will sign a bill, likely to come up for a vote this year, banning what critics call ''partial-birth'' abortions. That bill, like many of the measures under consideration, amounts to working around the edges of the issue to place limits on -- but not sharply restrict -- the legal right to abortion.

Republican political consultant Rich Bond says Bush won't seek strong abortion restrictions because there's neither a national consensus nor an effective political bloc to help him push them through Congress.

''It is much more likely that the Bush administration will nibble around the abortion topic than take any direct frontal assault,'' says Bond, a former chairman of the GOP. ''To achieve public policy, you have to have adequate political space,'' he says. And because polls show most Americans do not want to return to a time when abortion was illegal in most states, that political space, as Bond puts it, doesn't exist.

Bush came to office with a gender gap. National exit polls on election night found that women supported Gore, an abortion-rights advocate, by 54% to 43%, and men backed Bush 53% to 42%. ''They're not stupid,'' Stone says of the president and his advisers. ''They want to be re-elected. Bush knows the country is not with him on this.''

(Reference: For Bush, abortion not 'policy priority'
Timing isn't right for crusade, advisers say
By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY, April 20, 2001, page 1A)

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March 1, 2001

Stay the course and eliminate debt

In his address to Congress and the nation on Tuesday, February 27th, 2001, President George W. Bush stated that he wanted to reduce the national debt by $2 trillion.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the overall national debt - debt held by the public and debt held by government accounts - is $5.7 trillion. At the end of fiscal year 2000, debt held by the public amounted to $3.4 trillion. A $2 trillion reduction will not fully retire either of the above.

President Bush stated that not all of the debt could be paid off within a 10-year period.

According to the CBO, $28 billion would be available to the Treasury but not applied to debt redemption because the remaining debt:
* Will have not yet reached maturity;
* Will not be available for repurchase at a price that the Treasury would be willing to pay; or,
* Will be held in nonmarketable form (for example, savings bonds).

For fiscal year 2000, the interest on the national debt amounted to $362 billion. By eliminating the national debt, the interest on the national debt will also disappear.

I believe that $28 billion debt held by the public is far more palatable than a $1.4 trillion debt. I believe that the $362 billion paid a year in interest can be better used by Congress to provide the necessary services that the American people demand and require.

I would like to see America stay the course and eliminate the national debt as proposed by former President Clinton and the Democrats.

George W. Bush reminds me of a used car salesperson - selling something that down the road is just going to cost you more money.

(Reference: Stay the course and eliminate debt, by Nikola (Nick) Drobac, The Times/Beaver Newspapers Inc., Pennsylvania, dba Beaver County Times, Beaver, Pa.; Thursday, March 1, 2001; page A7)

National Debt	t (in trillions)
The National Debt - 2001	$5.700 t
Portion of the National Debt held by the public that cannot be applied to debt redemption.	- $0.028 t
Portion of the National Debt that can be paid off by 2010.	$5.672 t

The above appeared in the USA Today, Friday, July 27, 2001, page 13A.

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Wednesday - February 28th, 2001 - George W. Bush handed Congress his $1.96 trillion budget for FY 2002 (October 1, 2001 to September 30, 2002):

FY 2001 and FY 2002 proposed budget.	2001 in billions (b)	2002 in billions (b)
Administration of Justice	$29.1 b	$31.6 b
Education	$64.7 b	$76.2 b
Health	$175.5 b	$201.3 b
Income Security	$262.9 b	$275.7 b
Medicare	$219.3 b	$229.8 b
National Defense	$299.1 b	$318.9 b
Net Interest	$206.5 b	$188.3 b
Social Security	$433.6 b	$454.7 b
Transportation	$51.1 b	$54.7 b
Veterans Benefits	$45.3 b	$51.1 b

FY 2002 Federal Budget (October 1, 2001 to September 30, 2002) as proposed by George W. Bush	t (in trillions)
Income or Receipts	$2.19 t
Spending or Outlays	$1.959 t
Surplus	$0.231 t

Note - Spending:

FY 2001 - $1.860 trillion - (October 1, 2000 to September 30, 2001).
FY 2002 - $1.959 trillion - (October 1, 2001 to September 30, 2002).
FY 2005 - $2.400 trillion - (October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2005).

Click here to go to:
The United States
Federal Budget & National Debt

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January 29, 2001

GOP's domestic policies don't work

Since the 1920s, the Republicans have been preaching about the virtues of the business sector and the incompetence of our big government.

As recently as the 1980s, Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush and the Republicans have tried to deregulate everything from the airline industry to the utility industry.

Deregulation was supposed to reduce prices through competition while at the same time improve services.

As indicated in recent articles in The Times, the airline industry is a mess. In addition to the airline industry, the utility industry in California is on the verge of bankruptcy and threatens the nation's economy. Gray Davis, governor of California, called energy deregulation a colossal and dangerous failure.

As a result of the deregulation of the California utility industry:
- California residents are paying higher utility bills.
- The crises may effect the economy of the entire United States.
- Taxpayers across the nation may have to pay more than $9 billion to bail out just two of the California utility companies.

George W. Bush and the Republicans now have a proposal to improve education and the Social Security system. Republican domestic policies do not work; they eventually cost taxpayers money and hurt the people who need the services the most.

(Reference: GOP's domestic policies don't work, by Nikola (Nick) Drobac, The Times/Beaver Newspapers Inc., Pennsylvania, dba Beaver County Times, Beaver, Pa.; Monday, January 29, 2001; page A6)

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January 18, 2001

Bush is incompetent, a liar, and phony.

Bush is incompetent:
George W. Bush repeatedly failed in the oil business.
If he could not run an oil business, how can we expect him to run the United States government.

Bush is a liar:
George W. Bush ran as a Washington outsider promising to bring fresh new ideas to Washington.
As president-elect, George W. Bush has nominated mostly Washington insiders to fill his cabinet posts.
Did he lie to get elected? Probably.
I�d hate to think he was just plain stupid.

Bush is phony:
On January 17, 2001, George W. Bush left Midland, Texas (his hometown) with a WHITE COWBOY HAT IN HIS HAND.
You wear hats, you don't carry them in your hands!
Bush never put the cowboy hat on his head.
He just held it for show.
That�s being phony.

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Talking about big government and morality is like talking about prostitution. Prostitution has been around for thousands of years. We can talk about it until we are blue in the face, but it is still around and things don?t look like they?re going to change anytime in the near future.

It's the same when talking about big government or morality. These issues are very subjective and there is no solution to the problem (of big government or the morality issue). The Republicans know this and use this tactic of diverting conversation away from the real issues onto issues that can never be resolved.

An example of a real issue:

I know of an individual with health problems in his early 50's. This individual has worked for the same company for 30 years, qualifies for the company pension, but cannot retire because:
1. The company pension plan will not sufficiently cover the expenses of this individuals modest life style.
2. The company pension plan does not include a cost of living adjustment (like social security). Therefor, this individuals low standard of living will decrease substantially after only a few years into retirement.
3. The company pension plan does not include a health insurance plan for retired workers. He will forced to choose between putting food on the table or buying health insurance.
4. Because of his age, this individual cannot collect social security for at least another ten years.

With all of his physical problems, this individual must wait and work until he qualifies for social security to retire.

The real problem - if George W. Bush and the Republicans bankrupt social security, this individual and millions like him will never be able to retire. They'll work until the day they drop dead (hopefully not on the job).

I really wouldn't mind it if the Republican's destroyed themselves. The problem is, they're going to drag me and everyone else down in the process.

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REPUBLICAN SPIN

Republicans are setting up lower and middle income Americans for "The Big Republican Takeaway." It works like this:

First, the Republicans spread the rumor: "...don't count on social security, it may not be there when you retire."

As a result of the above, without even thinking, most young Americans are resigned to the fact that social security is not going to be there when they retire without knowing the facts.

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December 13, 2000

George W. Bush and the Republicans talk this good line about the spirit of cooperation, reconciliation, unity, progress, common sense, common courtesy, and common goals when they are in power.
The Republicans are the exact opposite when the Democrats are in power. Under this scenario, the Republicans are ruthless, uncooperative, and fail to work with the Democrats on legislation that is in the best interest of the country.

As an example, one only needs to look at the many battles over the Federal budget that the Republicans initiated during the Clinton administration.
Several times, the federal government shut down because the Republican failed to work with the Democratic President.
Does this sound like the Republicans cared about a spirit of cooperation, reconciliation, unity, progress, common sense, common courtesy and common goals?

George W. Bush and the Republicans never worked with the Florida election officials in an attempt to recount the vote. The Republicans were not talking cooperation then. It's easy to talk trash after the fact.

George W. Bush and the present day Republicans do more trash talking and character bashing than Joe McCarthy every did.
With their constant negative verbal comments and pot shots, the Republicans have done more to divide this country than any other single group.

George W. Bush said, "I'm thankful to the American people for the great privilege of being able to serve as your next president." Sounds like a statement from "The Godfather." Too many words.
Hey George, don't thank the American people.
Thank the electoral college.
The majority of the American people voted for Al Gore.
Al Gore won the popular vote.
George W. Bush, you are so stupid!

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Whenever I made mentioned of the Republican Party to my grandfather (God rest his soul), he would always mumble, "Those damn Republicans." My grandfather lived through the great depression that started in 1929 and technically lasted until the beginning of World War II (1941 for the United States).

My grandfather constantly reminded me that the Republicans never did anything for the working (blue collar) man. He hated Republican President Herbert Hoover. My grandfather told me that while Hoover was in office, Hoover did absolutely nothing for over three years to help the country or the working man during the depression. My grandfather further stated that things did not get better until Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office.

My grandfather had also told me that when he was younger, the bosses at the local steel mill and the Republican leaders would intimidate workers into joining the Republican party. They intimidated the workers into voting for the Republican candidates.

During the 1990-91 recession, millions of Americans lost their jobs. Unemployment compensation had been extended for an additional 26 weeks by an act of the then Democratic Congress. Thing were so bad that I got a job at the local unemployment office. I remember watching then Republican President George H. Bush say, "There's nothing wrong with the economy, everything is fine." Republican President George H. Bush was totally out of touch with reality and the needs of the people. Again, it wasn't until a Democratic President took office that things started to get better.

During the 1999-2000 school year, I taught a US History class on the high school level. My students and I watched films from the 1920's of Republican Presidential Candidate Calvin Coolidge campaign on the promise of reducing the size of government and morality. In the Campaign of 2000, George W. Bush was saying the exact same things that Calvin Coolidge said in the 1920's. Amazing, George W. Bush and the Republican Party have not had a new idea in 80 years! And their going to move our country forward?

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Democrats make plans and then do something else.
Republicans follow the plans their grandfathers made.

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The Republicans are a violent bunch. Please read the following:

Wexler threatened after supporting Gore

Congressman among participants harassed

The Associated Press

MIAMI - A Democratic congressman is under increased security after receiving numerous death threats following his outspoken support of Vice President Gore during Florida's recount of presidential ballots, an aide said Monday.

Rep. Robert Wexler of Boca Raton is one of several election participants who say they have been threatened or harassed since the recounts and protests over election results began.

Carol Roberts, a Palm Beach County commissioner and member of the canvassing board that oversaw the county's manual recount was assigned a bodyguard from the sheriff's department after receiving threats.

Democrats, including vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, accused PROTESTING REPUBLICANS OF USING INTIMIDATION to force Miami-Dade County's canvassing board to stop its manual recount.

But Democrats on the board said they stopped the recount because they could not meet Sunday's deadline, not because of intimidation by the crowd outside.

Tucker Eskew, speaking for Texas Gov. George W. Bush, said he hopes those who threatened Wexler and Roberts are identified and prosecuted. "We express revulsion that any such threats were made," he said. Wexler has not canceled any appearances because of threats against him, aide Eric Johnson said.

The FBI, which investigates threats against federal officials, also declined to comment.

(Reference: Wexler threatened after supporting Gore, Congressman among participants harassed, The Associated Press, appearing in the USA Today, Tuesday, November 28, 2000, page 8A).

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The Republicans are an unethical bunch. Please read the following:

Florida's Republican Secretary of State Katherine Harris campaigned for George W. Bush. Harris is an elected official and certified the state's electoral votes.

There is an ethical code of conduct that all elected officials should adhere to. In my opinion, ethically speaking, as an elected official sworn to do what is in the bests interest of all the people, Harris should have remained neutral during the campaign.

Further, Gore claims that Harris denied him at least 1,826 votes. Surprised? I'm not. You just can't trust those unethical Republicans.

Harris and the Republicans have done everything in their power to discredit and slow down the manual recount of ballots in the State of Florida.

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The Republicans are an incompetent bunch. Please read the following:

Courts juggle election lawsuits
Transition steps begin amid fray

A Florida court began hearing arguments in a case brought by Democrats challenging more than 15,000 Seminole County absentee ballots that favored Bush by nearly 2-to-1. The lawsuit alleges that the elections supervisor there let an unsupervised GOP operative correct thousands of absentee ballot applications.

(Reference: Courts juggle election lawsuits, Transition steps begin amid fray, by Jim Drinkard, appearing in the USA Today, Wednesday, November 29, 2000, page 1A).

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The Republicans are a hypocritical bunch. Please read the following:

Barry Richard (a Bush Lawyer) said, ''I don't believe there's any basis for counting any ballots at any time under any circumstances.''
George W. Bush said the exact opposite in his home state of Texas.

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Democrats buy most of the books that have been banned somewhere.
Republicans form censorship committees and read them as a group.

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This page is considered a perpetual construction site.

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If you have any comments or information that you might like added to this page, please e-mail the typed information to:

Nikola (Nick) Drobac

drobac@mailcity.com

Information may be edited before posting.

National Debt

FY 2001 and FY 2002 proposed budget.

FY 2002 Federal Budget