There are no ‘real’ Republicans in Washington today. The principles and ideals of the once ‘Grand Old Party’ have been forgotten or dismissed.

When I voted for Republican candidates, this is what they believed. Government spending must be reduced. Taxes should be lowered for the working class, and businesses should be rewarded for creating good paying jobs.

 Government should not interfere with our citizen’s private lives. They believed in reducing government waste. Family values were paramount if we were to become a strong nation.

If this does not sound like the Trump administration, you agree with me that the Republican Party no longer exists.

Trump and his immediate family are spending $16,333,333.33 of taxpayer dollars each month to continue their lives of luxury and privilege. The Republican ‘tax reform bill’ will add $1.8 trillion to the deficit. Huge tax cuts for large corporations and the super-rich are permanent and will greatly reduce our nation’s annual revenue. In less than two years, the middle class will be paying for the tax cuts for our wealthiest Americans. Taxes will rise for the working class.

The Republican Party’s alliance with the Christian religious right is not only unconstitutional it has invaded the personal lives of millions of Americans. GOP politicians are attempting to control the actions of women, the LGBTQ community, and anyone who does not claim to be a Christian.

Republicans are the ones who believe that women should not be allowed to make decisions about their personal health. They believe that men and a single religion are superior to women.

Republicans reject same-sex marriage. Once again they believe that they have the right to control the sexual orientation of all Americans, and once again they make this decision in unison with a single religion based on fairy tales.

Republicans are the party which is attempting to void the greatest belief of our founding fathers that no single religion should be the one religion of our nation.

Republicans are the party which continues to seek an increase in the Pentagon’s annual budget, knowing that the military wastes 50 cents of every dollar they are given. They fail to demand any accountability.

Republicans have claimed to be the ‘party of family values,’ but support a leader who has been accused of sexual assault from 19 women; had two affairs just months after his son was born; and was accused of physically assaulting and raping his ex-wife during their divorce proceedings.

There are no real Republicans left. They are nothing more than opportunists whose personal ambitions outweigh the needs and wishes of the American people.

Trump, Mitch McConnell, and Paul Ryan are not Republicans; they cannot be called Americans.

November 6^th is coming soon.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Image courtesy of DonkeyHotey

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