The State conventions are over and both parties have published their platforms. The Texas GOP really provides a clear sense of Republican convictions and the differences in the platforms are stark. You may have heard about the Republican Party of Texas Platform, a document that virtually drips of fear, hatred and intolerance:
Texas GOP Platform 2010 Highlights: State's Rights, Anti-Gay, Voter ID and More
2010 Texas GOP Platform-Back to the Dark Ages
Calls For Making It A Felony To Perform Gay Marriages
In addition to this, the Texas GOP seeks to end the state’s lottery, which provides millions in funding to public education; restrict citizenship to children born in the United States whose parents are citizens; end federal sponsorship of pre-kindergarten schools; impose a jail sentence on any illegal immigrant in the state; shut down all day-labor centers; cut off all bilingual education after a student’s fourth year in a U.S. public school; legalize corporal punishment in public schools; mandate that evolution and global warming be “taught as challengeable scientific theory”; and demand that Congress evict the United Nations from U.S. soil and end American membership in the global body.
From corporal punishment for kids to abolishing social security for seniors, removing workers rights to organize and even earn minimum pay, from eliminating womens right to choose to curtailing disability and healthcare, and by denying citizens legal recourse, I think there is something in the Republican Platform to alienate and do harm to every segment of society.
To round out an astonishing set of policy positions, the Texas Republicans are against any regulations on gun ownership. They like capital punishment, they believe deep water oil drilling should resume in the Gulf of Mexico, employers should be able to discriminate, and the minimum wage law should be repealed
After some snippets from the Republican document, you'll be happy to see the Texas Democratic Platform.
FROM THE REPUBLICAN PLATFORM:
• We urge the Congress to defund, repeal, and reject the national healthcare takeover, also known as “ObamaCare” or any similar legislation.
• Americans with Disabilities Act – We support amendment of the Americans with Disabilities Act to exclude from its definition those persons with infectious diseases, substance addiction, learning disabilities, behavior disorders, homosexual practices and mental stress, thereby reducing abuse of the Act.
• Controversial Theories – Realizing that conflict and debate is a proven learning tool in classrooms, we support objective teaching and equal treatment of all sides of scientific theories, including evolution, Intelligent Design, global warming, political philosophies, and others. We believe theories of life origins and environmental theories should be taught as challengeable scientific theory subject to change as new data is produced, not scientific law. Teachers and students should be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these theories openly and without fear of retribution or discrimination of any kind.
• Early Childhood Development – We believe that parents are best suited to train their children in their early development and oppose mandatory pre-school and Kindergarten. We urge Congress to repeal government sponsored programs that deal with early childhood development.
• Educational Entitlement – Given that education is reserved to the states under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, we encourage legislation that prohibits enrollment in free public schools of non-citizens unlawfully present in the United States. We encourage the Texas Attorney General to challenge the Federal provision of residency verification.
• Pledge of Allegiance in Public Schools – Students should be led daily in the Pledge of Allegiance, the Texas Pledge, the National Anthem, and be taught flag etiquette and patriotic songs to ensure that the loyal and patriotic spirit of Texan and American heritage is preserved.
• Religious Freedom in Public Schools – We urge school administrators and officials to inform Texas school students specifically of their First Amendment rights to pray and engage in religious speech, individually or in groups, on school property without government interference. We support and strongly urge Congress to pass a Religious Freedom Amendment, which provides: “Neither the United States nor any State shall prohibit student–sponsored prayer in public schools, nor compose any official student prayer or compel joining therein.” We urge the Legislature to end censorship of discussion of religion in our founding documents, and encourage discussing those documents.
• Sex Education – We recognize parental responsibility and authority regarding sex education. We support policies that mandate parental notification and consent before any sex education program is presented to their child. Parents must be given an opportunity to review the material prior to giving their consent. We oppose any sex education other than abstinence until heterosexual marriage.
• U.S. Department of Education – Education falls under the 10th Amendment to our United States Constitution. Given this, the Department of Education (DOE) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have no jurisdiction and must be repealed.
• Frivolous Lawsuits – We support further reform to discourage frivolous lawsuits. We oppose the abusive use of class action lawsuits.
• Minimum Wage – We believe the Minimum Wage Law should be repealed.
• Eliminate longevity pay for state employees.
• Right-to-Work – We oppose the Employee Free Choice Act (Card Check) and any action that eliminates the secret ballot.
• We encourage adoption of a National Right-to-Work Act.
• We urge the Legislature to resist making Workers’ Compensation mandatory for all Texas
employers.
• Social Security - We support an immediate and orderly transition to a system of private pensions based on the concept of individual retirement accounts, and gradually phasing out the Social Security tax.
• Welfare Reform – Texas should continue to reduce the number of welfare recipients by enacting tough welfare reforms;
ENOUGH OF THAT?
Texas Democratic Party Platform is Published and we can be proud.
Here is what Democrats have to say on how our Constitution should be used:
“We believe our Constitution is intended to protect our freedoms. Republicans seek ways to ignore or deny those protections. Democrats believe our Constitution is intended to prohibit discrimination in all forms. Republicans wish to make it a tool of discrimination.”
Republicans, on the other hand want to use the US Constitution to ban sodomy.
“Texas Sodomy Statutes – We oppose the legalization of sodomy. We demand that Congress exercise its authority granted by the U.S. Constitution to withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from cases involving sodomy.”
...
From the TDP Platform on religion:
“Texas Democrats believe government should scrupulously honor every Texan's right to religious freedom, as guaranteed by the Texas and U.S. Constitutions and protected by the separation of church and state.”
Republicans?
“Safeguarding Our Religious Liberties – We affirm that the public acknowledgement of God is undeniable in our history and is vital to our freedom, prosperity and strength. We pledge our influence toward a return to the original intent of the First Amendment and toward dispelling the myth of separation of church and state.”
Houston Chronicle has a link to a subject by subject comparison of the party platforms prepared by State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, who chaired the platform committee at the Texas Democratic Convention. Following is a sample regarding education (Note More than one-fourth of Texas high school students fail to graduate on time.)
For African American and Hispanic students, the dropout rate is more than one-third. Out of all 50 states, Texas has the highest percentage of adults who have not completed high school. However, in response to the Governor’s call for across-the-board budget cuts to address an $18 billion state budget shortfall, his Texas Education Agency recommended cutting programs that have helped keep kids in school and off the street. The economic consequences of such shortsighted policies are stark. Rick Perry’s refusal to address this dropout crisis is making Texas poorer, less educated, and less competitive.
Of course, the Republicans were the folks who gave us the revamped Texas Board of Education, with its textbook whitewashing of the slave trade, and its crimes against truth and reason masquerading as legitimate curriculum changes.
HERE'S THE COMPARISON:
TEXAS VOTERS HAVE A CLEAR CHOICE. I would like all of them to see the two documents or at least be aware of the differences. I think Republicans should be ashamed of their platform I call on my fellow bloggers to help make this difference known to the public and help us Texas Dems elect Bill White.