Yes, basic American values from the political party that includes anti-civil rights statements in its official platform. "The Land of the Free", but only if you look and act like a Republican. How can so many people claim to want freedom for all while they are busily reducing the freedoms of women, gay people, poor people, and people of color? "A Christian country", even though our Constitution denies it and many millions of Americans are not Christians -- and those who most loudly talk about being Christian are demonstrably the opposite.

As for taxes -- it's really called civilization. Civilized people band together to accomplish things that individuals can't do alone. Roads, hospitals, schools, armies, police, fire fighters, courts, and, maybe someday, health care. "No Taxes" is really "I don't care about my fellow man" and "I'm an idiot that doesn't realize that civilization costs money" and "I've been bought by big corporations who want to get rid of all regulations".

Conversations about the role of government would be OK if every corporation in the world was run on altruistic lines. Since all of our experience, however, is that without regulation we get raped in a variety of ways, I'd like an explanation of how lessening the role of government would actually work. And I would like an explanation of how the Republicans can talk about getting the governments out of our personal lives while they are legislating what adults can do in bed with each other.

Answers? Anyone?