Why I Am Not A Republican

[IcePrincessKRS]

lol Good point Al.

[BeenaBobba]

I'm really Centrist in my political stances, although I tend to lean slightly to the Left (when it comes to economics, that is). I'm neither a Republican nor a Democrat. If the DP wasn't pro-"choice," pro-gay "marriage," pro-cloning, pro-embryonic stem cell research, and pro-euthanasia, I'd consider proudly calling myself a Democrat. I wonder if I could call myself a pro-life, anti-gay "marriage" Democrat. Or, maybe I'm just a Republicrat. LOL.

God bless,

Jennifer

[IcePrincessKRS]

Hmmmm...... Republicrat.... kinda has a nice ring to it.

[Aloysius]

i don't have all those problems, i'm just a republican

well, except when i'm a monarchist ! but in my monarchy everything's simplified to the point where all these crazy complications that cause pointless dissagreements are dissolved.

:king:

[BeenaBobba]

Hi Al,

You never did say if I could be a princess of Athanasia!

God bless,

Jen

[Aloysius]

why Beena, i hardly know you :tiphat:

i'd have to get to know you better

pAx

[theculturewarrior]

Thank you all for your informed responses.

You may be surprised at how conservative I am, when looking at the first post. But my point is that Catholicism is a higher calling, and the GOP or DP, these are temporal institutions. We have a responsibility to think critically about all the issues.

In the last election, I voted straight party republican. I will never do that again. It turns out one of the senators for Texas, and since she's a public figure, I don't mind telling you who she is, is pro "therapeutic" cloning. Even with quotes it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. (Kay Bailey Hutchison. :angry: )

While I sympathize with the american worker, I also sympathize with american business, and Catholic teaching is that both have rights and responsibilities. Every man has the right to eat the fruit of his labors. Surprisingly, some presidents who are considered pro-labor are indeed pro-business, and have done more to eliminate the aforesaid right than any. Both parties have their unholy alliances.

For example, (and please correct me if I'm wrong, my knowledge is a little shaky in this area), under FDR, agro-businesses profitted wildly at the expense of share-croppers.

IIRC everybody has a right to work, by Catholic teaching. I often wonder if child labor laws have actually contributed to a decline of the family. I just keep thinking that if children could contribute to the household expenses, artificial birth control would never have had the complete thrall it seems to have on the lukewarm Catholic. Of course, I know this is political heresy, so please feel free to break out your clubs.

[jrndveritatis]

[quote]I am not a republican because said party betrays the interests of Christians, and especially Catholics, by promoting an agenda that is incompatible with Christian teaching, in its execution, and in its fundamental tenets. I am not a republican because I disagree with preemptive war, because I believe the death penalty is abused, and because the party has a history of compromising on pro-life issues.

I am not a republican because I sympathize with the american worker in a way with which the big business interests of the GOP are at odds.

I am not a republican because I have a higher calling. I am a Catholic. [/quote]

I think that rather than being a Republican or Democrat, one should first of all be a Catholic, voting in line with defined Church teaching, and second of all choose a conservative or a liberal political stance.

Because of this it is impossible for a Catholic who is actually Catholic to vote for 99.5% of all Democrats, who are pro-abortion, because the Church has defined abortion to be a grave moral evil, compatible with murder. Voting for John Kerry is furthering his pro-abortion agenda.

The same thing cannot be said of voting Republican. True, most Republicans support the death penalty, but the death penalty is not a grave moral evil, it is simply an overused right of the state, which should only be used in rare circumstances.

Now, voting liberal endorses placing the bulk of initiative in the state, and voting conservative endorses placing the initiative with the people. The Church does not say what the authorities of government should be. Therefore it is not necessarily sinful to support higher taxes or even govenment programs.

However, it does say that the family is the fundamental unit of human society and teaches the principle of subsidiarity, which says that problems should be solved if possible at the most immediate level.

I believe that conservative political thinking is much more in line with Catholic thinking. By giving more powers to the state, the role of the family is destroyed, and problems are relegated to being dealt with by a beauracracy rather than at the most immediate level.

The American worker benefited more, in the long run it is true, from the policies of Ronald Reagan than from the policies of Lyndon Johnson.

So even if you choose the liberal side, which I believe is incoherent when compared with Church teaching, you cannot vote pro-abortion or pro-gay marriage, which is supported by the vast majority of the Democratic party.

I don't think it is a coincidence that liberal economic policy is endorsed by the same who endorse murdering unborn babies. Both of these policies are products of the anti-Catholic "Enlightenment", which stressed individualism and moving responsibility from the person to the state.


I am a conservative because I support the defense of Catholic morality and religious freedom. I am also conservative because I am proud of being American and of the freedom and responsibility which America has always stood for. Has America made mistakes? Yes, just look at abortion and slavery. But is there any other nation which has recognized its mistakes, corrected them, and defended the freedom of man which comes from his being created in the image and likeness of God?

[Mary's Knight, La]

I can't agree with the child labor thing, it'd be impossible for parents to educate their children if the children were at work, and i can guarantee if children could work businesses would raise their prices to reflec that...

I think children/teens having jobs is a wonderful thing teaching the value of a buck and all that but it must be regulated so that they realize their first responsibility is growing up (including education, moral formation, etc...)

[theculturewarrior]

If children worked the long 14 hr days that brought about the child labor laws, then they wouldn't be able to get an education. But a homeschooled child can keep up with a public school kid with less than three hours of schooling a day.

America is not an industrial based economy anymore, so there's no need for children to work in dark, dangerous factories. In a sevices based economy, they could wait tables, manage a cash register, cook, or do any number of services that would not only be educational, but profitable for the family.

I'm not saying children should have to work, but it would take a little bit of the burden off of someone who is living Humanae Vitae.

Often, children want to work but cannot. Some children come from broken homes (let's call them adolescents instead), where they are abused. When they run away, they find themselves in a situation in which they cannot legally support themselves. Many therefore engage in crime, and some prostitution.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

I agree with TCW. I live five minutes from the original Boys Town and am good friends with the executive director. Those kids get VERY good educations there, learn social skills, and work long hours in the fields planting and harvesting food to support themselves. They have among the highest college acceptance rates in the country and do consistently well. When they cannot go to college for financial reasons, they often go into the military and fight well. One of them was recently promoted on the battlefield during conflict because of his bravery...something I am told has not happened since Korea. They also work their way through corporate ranks and often do very well for themselves.

Childhood jobs are very good and beneficial to the economy as well as the kids. Of course, none of us want to see them abused in the workplace, but the vast majority of jobs in the US now are commercial or corporate and there are many things kids can do, from janitorial jobs, to errand runners, to waitstaff, etc.

Don't forget that St. Benedict said the day should be divided into thirds: prayer, work, and leisure. Work is good and beneficial to mind, body, and spirit.

[P3chrmd]

[quote]I am not a republican because said party betrays the interests of Christians, and especially Catholics, by promoting an agenda that is incompatible with Christian teaching, in its execution, and in its fundamental tenets. I am not a republican because I disagree with preemptive war, because I believe the death penalty is abused, and because the party has a history of compromising on pro-life issues.

I am not a republican because I sympathize with the american worker in a way with which the big business interests of the GOP are at odds.

I am not a republican because I have a higher calling. I am a Catholic.[/quote]

OMG! Im going to puke...right now... :boring:

[P3chrmd]

[quote]I am not a democrat because said party doesn't hold at all the interests of Christians, and especially Catholic, by promoting and agenda that is incompatible with Christian teaching, in its execution, and in its fundamental tenets. I am not a democrat because I disagree with terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, needless slaughter, because I believe that in the Republican party I may help to change the death penalty, because the democratic party has a history of working completely against pro-life issues, family issues, justice issues, and of biting its own tail.

I am not a democrat because I sympathize with the American worker in a way with which the high tax, wait-in-line for healthcare, anti-small business interests of the Democratic party are at odds.

I am not a democrat because I have a higher calling. I am a Catholic. And I am a good citizen[/quote]

I LOVE YOU MAN!! YOU ROCK!

[Googlebot]

Those who do not vote based on Catholic teaching will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

[P3chrmd]

googlebot...HUH?