BS: Texas Republican Party Platform

Subject: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Alice
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 10:54 AM

Wow. I just read the Texas Republican Party Platform, which includes taking back the Panama Canal. Now it is becoming more clear why Bush, DeLay and Rove seem so alien. They are not the kind of Republicans we used to see in Eisenhower, Goldwater, and others. Here is what I found very enlightening:
The New Model Republican Party, Click here

Alice

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 11:18 AM

Thanks, Alice. Years ago, when we first started the Wyoming Grassroots Project, I met a woman who had been tracking this element of the GOP for about twenty years. She went "undercover" to their meetings and planning sessions. Then she told anyone who would listen what their agenda was, i.e. starting with the local stuff, school boards, town councils, etc and that they would not stop until they put their man in the White House, then, of course, they'd take over everything and enact what they wanted, much as the platform you've linked points out. I am sorry to say that she was right and has been from the start. I really, really hope people in this country wake up and realise they need to VOTE them out!

As an antidote, TIME magazine is coming out with a fairly positive article on Oct. 13th on Gays in WY. (That's a preview sent to me by one of my friends.) Nice to know there are some GOP members who are working towards the middle.

kat

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Amos
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 01:36 PM

A part of this essay is worth repeating here:

"The Republican party, of course, still is the party of rich people, but if that's all it was then liberals like me would simply treat it as an ordinary opposition party to be fought civilly and compromised with when necessary. But it's become much more than that over the past couple of decades. It has become completely unhinged. Try this on for size:

Republicans won't rest until abortion is completely outlawed, Social Security is abolished, the welfare state is completely rolled back, the book of Genesis is taught in science classes, and the federal income tax is abolished.

When I occasionally repeat (milder) versions of this here, my conservative commenters think I'm nuts. "Every party has a few wingnuts," they say. "These guys don't have any real influence."

And the thing is, I think they're telling the truth. With a couple of exceptions, I think the kind of conservatives who visit here don't believe this. It's absurd. It's a caricature.

But the problem is that I'm not sure they realize what their party is becoming. The heart and soul of Republican grass roots activism can be found pretty easily: it's in Texas. The New Model radical right took over the Texas Republican party a decade ago and elected George Bush governor. They have since taken over the entire state and propelled one of their own to the presidency and another to leadership of the House of Representatives. They bring a messianic fervor to their task, and after successfully taking over the second biggest state in the union their sights are now set on the entire country. This is not a fringe group. It is the biggest, most active, most energetic, and most determined segment of the Republican party today."

---

A

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: mack/misophist
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 05:01 PM

The right wing of the Southern Baptist Church started doing this kind of thing in the late 50's. They took the church institutions away from the moderates and haven't stopped since. Believe it or not, the Baptists once believed in separation of church and state. This is just a continuation.

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Bobert
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 11:12 PM

This couldn't have come from a state that has just brought the bar up when it comes to jerrymandering? Yep, Texas, has just completeed an immoral redistricting that insures that there will be 5 less Democrats in the House of Reps next year... Guarenteed... These folks bring a new meaning to the term "crook".... You can't even believe just what these folks vision of America is!!! Like Germany, 1938!!! Yep, I hate to use the Nazi word but if the shoe fits then.....

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: LadyJean
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 11:22 PM

When I went on the March for Women's Equality Women's Lives, in 1989, I left with the maternal admonition, "Try not to get shot!" Mother was screamingly pro choice, as only a woman who went through menopause at 52 can be. But she didn't want me marching around Washington with a bunch of radicals, possibly putting myself in danger from anti abortion zealots.
I came home the fairest of all fair haired girls, because Elsie Hillman, chair of the Republican party in Western Pennsylvania had been on the march too. (I didn't meet her, you understand, there were 500,000 of us in D.C. that day. But she was there.) Mom was a Republican too. That's how recently there were reasonable people in the Republican Party.

(The great marvel of that march, for me, was discovering that Judy Collins really sounds like Judy Collins, even over a lousy p.a. system. I had always thought that magnificent voice was done with mirrors or something. But it's real!)

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 11:58 PM

Amos, can you provide a source for the essay from which you quoted, please?

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 12:18 AM

LadyJean, my daughters and I were there, too! It was a whirldwind trip from CT the night before, we left on a bus at 11p, got in DC just in time for the March, listened to a few of the speeches, etc. then had to get back to the bus for an all night trip home. IT was wonderful!

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Amos
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 12:27 AM

http://www.calpundit.com/

A

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Alice
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 10:29 AM

pdc, the link is in the first message of this thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: mack/misophist
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 01:06 PM

I know a number of Republicans I like and respect. Each one belongs to the party because they believe it still stands for the same things it stood for in 1950. No amount of facts will dis-abuse them of this.

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Wesley S
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 02:01 PM

You can finsd and read the entire platform of 2002 at www.texasgop.org - theres more - lots more.

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 02:23 PM

Actually, if you check the GOP platforms of other states, you will find them to be equally weird. Hmmm.

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Alice
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 04:07 PM

The significance of the Texas Republicans is their control of the Congress with Tom DeLay and the White House with Karl Rove and Dubya Bush. Lots of power implementing their agenda.

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: DougR
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 01:39 PM

Come on Bobert, old buddy, what they did in Texas is perfectly legal. The Congress can do with a few less Democrats IMO. :>)

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Amos
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 03:11 PM

DougR:

Only in the most supercilious, hair-splitting sense, the sort of "legal" that only a lawyer could perceive and defend. ANyone else would perceive it as red-herring bait, manipulation, or reality-distortion.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Bobert
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 07:55 PM

Legal and moral are different issues, Dougie... This on rewrites the book on jerrymandering since it was pushed so hard onto a state by the federal government. Used to be that sate crooks didn't need need help and support from the feds.

My friggin' tax dollars at work....

Give my boney butt a break and.... good to see ya, Dougie...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: GUEST,Strick
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 08:24 PM

"This couldn't have come from a state that has just brought the bar up when it comes to jerrymandering?"

Gee, Bobert, wasn't that before the latest redistricting? How else could a state that votes 70% Republican arrange things so that half of it's members of the House of Representatives are Democrats?

Actually the plan doesn't look that jerrymandered:

Texas Redistricting Viewer

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Bobert
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 08:33 PM

Well, ya got one district where folks live 300 miles apart and ya' got the Repubs braggin' how this is gonna add 5 more Repubs to the House of Representatives...

Like what am I missin' here, Strict?

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: GUEST,Strick
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 10:25 PM

That districts in West Texas were always 300 miles apart? Heck, it was that way when I lived out there. Besides, it finally looks like we urban/suburban dwellers are going to get equal representation with rural Texans. That reform was needed some time ago.

The Demos have been lossing ground there since 1979 after all. What would they be willing to do to stay in power? Maybe the question should be which time was it jerrymandered more?

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Bobert
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 10:39 PM

Ahhh, then why the big push by Tom Delay (who gets his salary from my Wes Ginny Federal tax dollars) and why the braggin' by the Repubs that they've lobed off 5 Dems from the House of Reps?

Hey, strick, just answer those two questions. That's all I'm askin' here...

Not tryin' to be no jerk... Jus' would like answers to these two basic questions...

And I'm not even a Dem...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: LadyJean
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 10:58 PM

Please be advised that the web page in the first posting is updated, daily. The Texas Republican Party Platform is posted on October 9. You will have to click back to see it. It's scary! You should see it! But it's posted on October 9.

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 12:15 AM

"Ahhh, then why the big push by Tom Delay (who gets his salary from my Wes Ginny Federal tax dollars) and why the braggin' by the Repubs that they've lobed off 5 Dems from the House of Reps?"

"The Demos have been lossing ground there since 1979 after all. What would they be willing to do to stay in power? Maybe the question should be which time was it jerrymandered more?"

I thought I answered those questions. Both sides play hardball politics. Texas Demos are hardly free from guilt in the dirty tricks game. Even before "Landslide" Lyndon getting out the graveyards to vote. Remember when voter registration cards came preprinted "Democrat"? When the DA in Austin charged Kay Bailey Hutchinson with one count of using an official phone to make a campaign phone call (thrown out later by the judge)? I'm not even arguing that Democrats are dirtier than the Republicans, only that paybacks are hell. It's just business as usual in Austin, only the tide has turned against the Democrats.

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: cattattoo
Date: 12 Oct 03 - 11:58 PM

"Baptists once believed in separation of church and state."

And they're now advocating a "state religion", is that what you're saying?! Come on! THAT is what "Separation of Church and State" is refering to in the Constitution, that there shall be no STATE religion, NOT that there shall be NO religion whatsoever! It seems to me that people like you think we should have freedom FROM religion, rather than freedom OF religion, as stated in our Constitution, also. Yeah, lets take religion out of everything. We took it out of our schools (and look at the fine state of them now)!

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: cattattoo
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 12:02 AM

"Republicans won't rest until abortion is completely outlawed, Social Security is abolished, the welfare state is completely rolled back, the book of Genesis is taught in science classes, and the federal income tax is abolished."

And the problem with all that is. . . what? :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Amos
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 02:12 AM

'tootoo:

1. It imposes arbitrary and authoritarian regulation on your fellow humans not necessarily in their best interests and without their consent.

2. It destabilizes a social "load-bearing" structural part. The general rule when you are replacing such items is to ensure the load is safely transfered to some other arrangement first.

3. Ditto and more so.

4. It undermines the best thought of the species and cheapens the only true source of our betterment to date as a species -- human thought and innovation.

5. As far as abolishing the federal tax, nothing except there are a lot of things being done with that money that would come to a screeching halt including things saving your life.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Forum Lurker
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 02:53 AM

I have a better one for #5. It's a progressive tax, as opposed to the regressive sales tax. If we switched to sales tax, or even the neutral property tax, the wealth disparity would be much worse than it is now. Frightening when you consider we already have the worst gap between rich and poor in the history of the nation.

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Amos
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 10:43 AM

I dunno, FL -- as a middle class wage earner I think we would be better off with a flat tax which could not be escaped or ducked by any entity which produces an entity -- including large organizations, religious centers and headquarters, and charities like the Salvation Army.

Say, 10 per cent across the boards. It is my opinion this would actually increase the Federal revenue stream while dramatically reducing the coast of tax administration, providing a uge labor pool of trained auditors who could be well-utilized in analyzing sources of government waste, fraud and abuse.

A flat tax is already going to take a dramatically larger amount from a wealthy tax payer than a poor one. The big problem with our tax code is its inconsistency and complexity.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Forum Lurker
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 12:13 PM

Amos-Yes, it takes a larger amount from a wealthier person. However, 90% of a minimum wage-earner's income is much less than 90% of a middle manager's income, and a CEO could easily live a life of luxury on 10% of his income, as it would still be an order of magnitude beyond any non-senior manager's gross income. I don't think a flat tax would help matters much at all; it would shift the burden more heavily onto the poor.

Subject: RE: BS: Texas Republican Party Platform
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 13 Oct 03 - 02:14 PM

The two main reasons not to abolish the progressive income tax in favor of a flat tax are:

First, the income tax is a major tool used by the federal and state governments to implement domestic policy. If you want people to use solar energy, for example, you can give them a tax break if they do. If you want to encourage them to save more money for retirement you can give them a tax break such as an IRA or 401K. The list goes on and on and on and that's why the tax laws are so complicated.

Second, it's a general rule (with lots of exceptions, of course)in income tax land that any expenses you incur in getting your income can be deducted from that income before you calculate your tax. That's one of the main reasons that corporations, big time business people and, yes, even little time folk musicians like us pay little or no income taxes. Take that away and you could bankrupt a lot of small businesses and discourage big businesses from investing in things like benefits for their employees.

Bev and Jerry