By Mark David Blum, Esq.

Yes it is true. Some of my dearest friends are indeed Republicans. I have known and associated with Republicans most of my adult life. Heck, I even voted for Ronald Reagan --- twice and stand by those votes today.

I have come to know Republicans (and their country cousins, the ‘neo cons’) quite intimately as time has passed. The conclusion I draw is that Republicans really are good people at heart. Generally, they love their families, pay their taxes, care about their community, and treat people with honor and respect. I am proud to call Republicans as being among my friends. Deep down inside me, I know they are wonderful people.

But, something is very wrong with their political party. Being a Republican used to mean the party of lower taxes, smaller government, the party of Lincoln and equality, libertarian values of privacy and ‘don’t tread on me’, strength in spirit and conviction, and morally conscious people.

This is what they sold us from the day Newt Gingrich stood on the steps of the Capitol more than twelve years ago and declared the Republican ‘Contract with America’. They had just captured the majority in Congress. Americans were promised better efficiency, reduced costs, a strong well-defended nation, an honorable judiciary, and more freedom. Whether you agreed or not, this was the promise made to the People of the United States. In our nation, majority wins. During the elections of 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2002, more and more Americans were convinced to buy into the Republican pledges. Slowly and gradually and for at least the last three and a half years, Republicans have come to voting and political control of all three branches of our Federal Government as well as all three branches of most State governments. Here in New York, Republicans dominate the executive, ˝ the legislative, and nearly all the Judiciary. In my county, all 3 branches are 100% controlled by the Republicans.

Kudos to them for their achievements. Unlike the ‘stoned slackers’ the rest of us are, Republicans have been busy little bees.

Unfortunately for them, they have nobody to blame for our current situation but themselves. I do not impute any ill will in most of their hearts. Something about their domestic and foreign agendas has proven itself a colossal failure.

The party that promised us a smaller government built the largest government agency in U.S. history; the Department of Homeland Security. There are at least 61,000 more federal employees in the service of the federal taxpayer than during the Clinton Administration. Though there is dispute, Republicans lay claim to having cut our taxes but in doing so, they drove up our State and local taxes beyond our ability to cope. Instead of creating an economy where pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is encouraged and supported, the Republican agenda has served a crushing blow to our labor force; throwing millions out of work and forcing millions more into menial labor just to survive.

The party of fiscal responsibility inherited a $3Trillion surplus and in less than 3 years, gave us a $5 Trillion debt. Interest rates are slowly rising, bankruptcies are at record highs, and the stock market is nearly 2,000 points behind where it was the day before Bush took office.

The party of a strong military and defense has cut veterans benefits and provided insufficient materials and manpower to execute a war. It was on Mr. Bush’s watch that 9/11 happened. It was at Bush’s desk where the passed buck on the CIA failures, the FBI failures, and the NSA failures has to stop. Our current foreign policy has isolated us from our allies, made us the scorn of world opinion, and has recruited more terrorists who hate America than in all of history. Instead of reducing threats against the United States, the current Republican policy has resulted in the highest ever-recorded number of worldwide terrorist attacks in 2003. This is not a safer world for Americans.

As an example: Locally, our congressman, James Walsh has shown himself to be a wonderful man. He has been good to the local economy and now sits in a position of honor as a result of his endless re-elections. But he is a Republican. He votes Republican. This man stands with his party in strongly opposing terrorism yet he himself has walked arm in arm with a known terrorist here in the streets of Syracuse. Though we may locally love him, because of his party loyalty and how Republican Party interests always supercede American interests, we must not pull that lever to return him to power.

Republicans have proven themselves the party of hypocrisy. They have spoken highly of morality in society and have thrown at us a former President’s marital indiscretions. Republicans tend to get visibly ill at the mention of President Clinton for that reason. Yet, I have once to see a Republican at all care that Rudy Guliani, former Mayor of New York City was himself not only guilty of engaging in an adulterous relationship while Mayor, but was Ordered by the Family Court to not even live in Gracie Mansion. Gracie Mansion is the City owned house where the Mayor lives but Republican Guliani was banned by Court Order because he could not be faithful to his wife.

The Supreme Court is being attacked by the Republican legislators where law after law is being passed to prevent the Courts from having any kind of review of certain laws. This is awful. Republicans support the Patriot Act. Senator John McCain had an amendment added to a Bill that will require a National Identity Card. Reverent Moon, Jimmy Swaggart, and Jerry Falwell are all among the Republican’s most favored friends and supporters. Through Zell Miller, these Republican religious extremists are having their Dominionist apocalyptic Christian agenda pushed through Congress.

Republicans have also shown themselves as being the party of fear. No, I do not speak of how they work feverishly to create fear here at home among our people. Instead I speak of the fear that Republicans have of the world. They seem to be afraid of everyone. Republicans want to slam shut our borders, stripsearch old ladies at airports, send the marines to pre-emptively attack nations who pose no threat, restrict our movement, gather us all in one giant database, search our financial records, tap and record our telephone calls, read our mail, intercept our emails, expand police powers, hold people without lawyer or trial, and pretty much do whatever it takes to have control over people.

I do not understand this fear. Yes, we were attacked on 9/11. But be honest: Though tragic, that attack never posed a threat to our nation or our goverment. The number of people killed was less than 1/10 of 1 percent of the population of our nation. Our government was intact and was never at risk. So, why is it everytime I hear a Republican speak, they invoke 9/11 as an example of "how vulnerable" we are. This nation is not vulnerable; not at all. If we were vulnerable on 9/11 or since, there is nobody to blame BUT the Republicans. They had the votes and the keys to the Treasury. They were ‘in charge’ and all this damage happened on their watch.

Right now, thanks to current administration policies, ours has become a nation divided. “They” have split us between blue states and red states, neighbor against neighbor, Christian against everybody, race against race, man against woman, rich against poor. We are none of that. We are one nation, INDIVISIBLE. We are one people with one strong and resilient voice.

Though we argue and vigorously debate politics and which of the candidates are the lesser or two evils, I respectfully submit that you consider an alternative theory. Namely, that they had their chance. Republican theory was given a free ride over this nation for more than a decade. They have failed to prove themselves to be trustworthy with our economy or the lives of our citizens. While they have made massive strives in shutting down dissent and limiting personal freedom and choice, Republicans have failed at every other advertised issue in their platform.

The time has come to vote against the Republicans. Do not do so because they are evil people. Do so because whatever it is about their ideology and politics, it does not mesh well with America or what the American people wish for their future and the future of their children. Simply put: Republicans need to change their thinking before they can ask that the People again stand with them. Until they do, we must let them go.