I grew up in an Ohio suburb. My parents are educated working folks as am I and my wife and kids. We were brought up Republicans. I voted Republican. I voted for Bob Dole, I voted for George W Bush in 2000. I voted for George Voinovich and Mike Dewine.
I was brought up to believe in the following -- that I was for a strong national defense, less government, lower taxes, family values, and personal freedom. You've heard those phrases from Republican politicians every single election cycle.
Well I still generally believe in those five values. However, the Republican Party long ago abandoned any claim to any of these five values. That is why I am no longer a republican.
I am for a strong national defense. So is Barack Obama. Most republicans are not. I realize that now. Republicans want war for the sake of war and with war comes money for those who make the equipment. I understand that keeping America safe means that you sometimes have to talk to people you don't like, that you have to be seen as a fair referee, and that you practice the principles you preach to others.
I am for strong family values. So too is Barack Obama. He's lived it. Strong family values is not about whether one supports a woman's right to choose although I value the individual liberty of this choice. Strong family values is also about husbands and wives treating each other with respect, about raising your children to be their own people, about providing a first rate education, about affordable health care for your loved ones, and about having a clean place where your kids can play with other children. On this account, today's Republican party lacks family values.
I am for less government but less does not mean none. Less means the minimum amount of government needed to do the job. Today's republican party thinks that you should have too little government so that the job can't be done while having plenty of government to reward its cronies. It's a philosophy I can no longer associate with. With Barack Obama I think we will see government have a proper role.
I am for lower taxes as is Barack Obama. Lower taxes however does not mean no taxes. The issue is who pays the taxes and how much. The republicans have actually raised my taxes but taxes is only the minor issue. The big issue is how much money am I making in real dollars. If you lower my taxes by a nickel and raise my expenses by a quarter, you are stiffing me. I see now that the Republican Party is actually the party of class warfare and that they are redistributing wealth from the middle to the top.
I am also for personal freedom and always been. On these issues I'm quite liberal as is most of America. Social conservatives can make no claim to these words because social conservatism is not freedom.
So I am no longer a republican. I appear to have plenty of company this election. I think Obama is going to win big time.