Stop any Republican on the street and ask that person what
his party stands for and I guarantee you one of the first things to come out of
his mouth will be “smaller government.” Ronald Reagan famously said,
“Government isn’t the solution. Government is the problem.” Sometimes stated
openly, sometimes only implied, Republicans and libertarians want the
government to be less involved in their lives. Okay, I can certainly appreciate
that as a tenet of their party, but how does it square with their proposals,
policies and platforms?
Here’s what small Republican state and federal government
looks like. Some of these things have happened, some are happening now, and
some are merely wishful thinking:
- Outlaw abortion
- Punish doctors who perform abortions and women who try to get them
- Restrictions on contraceptives
- Prayer in public schools
- Replace science and history in public schools with Christian myths
- Corporal punishment in schools
- Guns in schools, and everywhere else
- Continue the war on drugs and keep existing drug laws that favor punishment over rehabilitation. Build more prisons.
- Stop no-fault divorce and require marriage counseling
- Let insurance companies run healthcare in America
- Roll back regulations that affect the safety of the food you eat, the air that you breath and the water that you drink
- Continue rigging the economy to benefit the .01%
- Allow open discrimination and demonization of all none-white, non-Christian, non-heterosexual citizens
- Allow only the “right people” to immigrate to America
- Implement an international political approach that favors war over diplomacy
- Codify the unitary executive
- Drill for oil anywhere and everywhere
Does this sound like a political party that wants a smaller,
less intrusive government?
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