“FORMER DEMOCRAT” – REVISITED
Well-stated, Peter Ryskewecz. You are not alone in the gay wilderness bemoaning the dangerous and financially destructive Omaba policies. Couldn’t have written it better myself. - Tim Martin
The letter in your last edition from an ex-Democrat is not very circumspect and full of untruthful statements and innuendoes. In fact, it is more of a rant than a discussion of fact.
To start with, Europe is not socialist. I lived in Switzerland, Germany, and Norway for twenty-five years. Those are three countries that treat their Gay and Lesbian citizens much better than our country treats us. Yes, I had national health care and it was wonderful. I was able to concentrate on my job and studies and not worry about my insurance. The same holds for pensions, which will benefit me even though I have now moved home to the USA. When I am 65, I will start to draw pension payments in Euros.
It is about time that Americans stop bashing Europe, a continent that is one of our strongest allies. I watch French and German news on PBS and these slurs do not go unheard there. Europeans are frustrated as to why so many Americans disdain them. If the writer thinks that the United States can stand alone, he should reflect on the fact that we make up a little less than 5% of the total world population. In short, we need friends.
The writer claims that our president has raised his taxes. This is not true. There has been no rise in federal taxes. What is being proposed is that the taxes that the very rich pay should return to the level that they were at a decade ago. That would raise taxes on those earning over $250,000 a year, about what I earn in five years as a college professor. The writer bemoans Florida’s situation. I must remind him that we have had a Republican governor and a majority in the state legislature in Tallahassee for almost 12 years. It is hardly the fault of the Democrats (which I am not). In my field, education, the state has continuously cut funding since the Republicans came into office. The stimulus saved my job and I am grateful for that.
If it is true that the Republican Party is so Gay-friendly, why do most of their politicians vote against us and our needs? Just last week the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell bill’s being eliminated was stopped by a clear partisan vote with the Republicans voting en bloc to retain it.
As an independent I do not feel that I am in any way being coerced in my vote. In fact, I find the get out the vote efforts in the Gay community to be rather insipid and weak. I have the impression that few of my friends actually vote. Inasmuch, I see little pressure by either party to get my vote. - Robb Kvasnak, Ed. D.
“What will we learn from this year’s elections?” Not all Gays believe that they can not support and integrate today’s GOP. There are two Gay GOP Clubs in South Florida, and both are attended by many of the high-profile, even religious, conservative Republican candidates.
The GOP is definitely changing regarding Gays. In California, the victorious lead lawyer, Ted Olsen (Google him), in charge of overturning Proposition 8, which denies same-sex marriage, is a conservative Republican. He represented George Bush in Bush v. Gore before the Supreme Court in a 2000 decision that decided that election. A few months ago this “right-winger” won a monumental victory for Gays and for “marriage equality”! Not surprising then, that many Gays will quietly vote Republican this November.
Frankly, Gay Republicans have it right: The gay press and political class are not very honest with the GLBT community and want us to remain forever paranoid of exaggerated GOP homophobia. Yet roughly half or more of Republicans now support “civil unions”, and support GLBT non-discrimination in the work place. Today’s GOP routinely welcomes Gays into their Big Tent in every major metropolitan area in this country.
And, yes, many Gays want repeal of much of Obamacare, resent being in a position where half of their federal taxes go simply to marginally pay the interest on the $1,300,000,000 national debt, and don’t believe the new Democratic Party line that Obama saved us from a Depression. Most gays only want more employers and reasonably secure jobs to return to Florida, not more people on food stamps in record numbers.
Obama has hopelessly mismanaged the bad situation of “Big Government a la George W. Bush,” only to worsen it with even more “Goliath Size Government”. He borrowed $800 billion from the Chinese, $700 billion from the Japanese, and $400 billion from the Saudis; and yet unemployment has doubled since the Democrats have run the Congress.
Now Obama admits, to the New York Times, that he blew it and is guilty of “perverse pride” in his economic and health care policy decisions (his words). The only thing Obama has done right is to keep the Bush time-table to pull back in Iraq and to bring at least half of the combat troops home. Bottom line: While most Gays will continue, reflexively, to vote Democratic in this election, we will learn that an increasing, elucidated block of Gays will vote Republican; even if some, in the Gay press and in the Gay political establishment, will disparage it and will not acknowledge it. - Matthew Tsien, Broward Republican Executive Committee
