Viewpoint

Republicans Pushing for Socialism?

by Adam Jon Monroe

Republicans have been traveling around the country debating whether we should scrap the present tax system for a flat income tax or a national sales tax. That's like debating whether we should shoot ourselves or jump off really tall buildings. Republican leader Newt Gingrich said the reason they are having this debate is that "Americans have the right to know what their options are." Well, thanks, Mr. Gingrich, those are very generous options...NOT!

I realize Republicans are not the slickest, but are they completely devoid of political savvy? It's clear enough to everyone else in the country that without a better economic plan than democrats, republicans are just the party of the rich. That's why everyone hates them now. To women, environmentalists, educators, and the fastest growing voting bloc, the youth, republicans seem like a bunch of rich, overzealous, gun-toting, reactionary, racist, power-mongering meddlers. To top it off, more and more people are becoming poorer and poorer. The trend toward socialism seems to be completely acceptable to democrats and republicans alike. We seem to be losing the cold war after all, but what's so ironic is that Republicans are leading the charge ... from behind.

Why are they doing this? It's probably obvious the only way they can advance themselves politically is the way they have in the past, economics, but everything other than the real science of economics has been exhausted. Democrats have adopted "free trade" (although it isn't), so now what? Republicans must either become again the party of Lincoln, by adopting Lincoln's policies on real estate or they are secretly socialists after all!