ever seen one of those idiotic national hot dog eating contests they televise on ESPN? Well, I was on the treadmill at the gym watching this ridiculous contest, and came to the obvious conclusion that someone is bound to bite off more than they can chew. After that, they will either a) throw up or b) choke to death, which reminded me of our current political climate in North Carolina.
It’s almost as if the Republican Party has gotten obese with power. I’m not sure if it was their embarrassing presidential defeat in 2008 or the embarrassment that held office before it, but the GOP sure is biting off a whole lot more than they will be able to chew—and at the expense of everyone else.
When the North Carolina House of Representatives passed the GOP’s budget proposal, cutting $1 billion dollars from public schools, I must admit I was a little peeved. Now, with the Senate cutting $106 million more from public schools, I am disgusted and horrified at this blatant assault on education.
Growing up, I have learned that it is socially unacceptable to call something cheap rather than inexpensive. However, I must make an exception for unacceptable circumstances. Republicans are cheapening our state, robbing us of our progressive and innovative legacy. We get it Republicans, you’re powerful, but do you really need to cut thousands of educational positions to prove it?
If anything highlights that whole “every vote counts” mantra, it’s our school board’s Republican majority, infamous for their hasty decision-making and lack of consideration for public opinion and compromise.
Whenever any disenfranchised victim of their decisions has a concern about their well-being, the conservative majority asserts that they have been mandated to act irresponsibly, and are always there to lend a cold shoulder.
Excuse me, but support from a minority of the populous does not constitute a mandate. Let’s not forget that only 11.42% of eligible voters voted for these people in the first place. It’s absolutely frightening that the same people who made our county a nation-wide laughing stock on the Colbert Report will be redrawing our county lines and controlling a major aspect of our county’s elections for the next decade.
Basically, the Republican majority of the school board and the Shanahan Law Group, the equally conservative law firm they hired, would like to keep these lines a secret from the tax payers who spent $10,000 funding their little project.
Tax payers of Wake County, can you please just mind your own business while we tamper with county lines to stay in office? That would be greatly appreciated.
Well, at least Representative Patrick McHenry was more honest of his intentions than the rest of his buddies. I mean, heck, this guy didn’t hesitate for a second when announcing his brilliant plan of ghettoizing black voters into a new minority-majority district in an attempt to unseat Democrat incumbents. Oh crud, I guess he kind of forgot about that whole Voting Rights Act of 1965 situation—that puts a little damper on things, doesn’t it?
Sure, I can understand that this is just some of the GOP’s politics as usual, but perhaps the one thing I can’t understand about Republicans is their desire to pass legislation on abortions. I’ve been yearning to comprehend the hypocrisy of this situation, but I must admit, I am tragically unable to do so.
Perhaps this is because the same people that revel in the Reagan-esque crusade to “get the government off the backs of the people,” are the same people supporting the government’s control over a woman’s right to choose.
In their duplicitous proposal, they require a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions and a required ultrasound with a description of images by a doctor. They have also refused to give Planned Parenthood state grants for programs involving teen pregnancy prevention and women’s health programs. They would also like to ban state employee health insurance from covering abortions, you know, from the employees they haven’t decided to lay off.
Here’s the deal: I understand if people do not agree with the idea of having an abortion, and I can definitely put up with the 24-hour waiting period thing. What does not sit well is the aforementioned guilt-trip procedures and lack of funding for Planned Parenthood (even though only three percent of Planned Parenthood health services are abortion services).
As a woman, I am outraged that some suit-clad law-maker, especially a male law-maker, can have the audacity to believe that they should have a say in what I can or can’t do with my body.
Another ridiculous injustice is the “Choose Life” license plate proposal. Now, I have no problem with the plate. People have a right to express their opinion just as they have the right to have an abortion.
My problem is that in choosing to affirm the “Choose Life” plate, they have shot down the “Trust Women; Respect Choice” plate, which is fundamentally unfair. This is a democratic society that respects the opinions of all people, therefore, to choose one plate over another is not only against the fiber of our national integrity, but just flat out juvenile.
Overall, I think it’s a helpful suggestion that Republicans quit stuffing themselves with power for a second and pace themselves. Like the hot dog eating contests on ESPN, this lust for power can only end in disgusting embarrassment.
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