[Vision2020] "Why I'm joining the GOP, " Jeff Gillenkird (SF Gate, 5/29/05

David M. Budge dave at davebudge.com
Thu Jun 23 07:38:40 PDT 2005


That's funny.  It's sounds like nonsense to me.

db

lfalen wrote:

>This sounds more applicable to Ayn Rand's Objectivism than to the Republicans to me.
>-----Original message-----
>From: Debbie Gray dgray at uidaho.edu
>Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 10:39:32 -0700
>To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: [Vision2020] "Why I'm joining the GOP, " Jeff Gillenkird (SF Gate,
>	5/29/05
>
>  
>
>>Why I'm joining the GOP Leaving the left for fun and profit - 
>>Jeff Gillenkirk (from the SAN FRANCISCO GATE) 
>>Sunday, May 29, 2005  
>>
>>After a lifetime voting for and working for Democratic 
>>candidates and independents, I'm finally going to make the 
>>switch and become a Republican.  
>>
>>The reasons are many, not the least of which is age. I turned 55 
>>recently and, having lived more than half my life, I can't 
>>afford to worry anymore about the other guy. It's time for me.  
>>
>>As a Republican, I can now proudly -- indeed, defiantly -- 
>>pledge to never again vote for anyone who raises taxes for any 
>>reason. To hell with roads, bridges, schools, police and fire 
>>protection, Medicare, Social Security and regulation of the 
>>airwaves.  
>>
>>President Bush has promised to give me more tax cuts even though 
>>our federal government owes trillions of dollars to its 
>>creditors. But that's someone else's problem, not mine. 
>>Republicans are about the here and now, and I'm here now.  
>>
>>As a Republican, I can favor exploiting the environment for 
>>everything she's got. No need to worry about quaint notions like 
>>posterity and natural legacy. There are plenty of resources left 
>>for everyone, and if we don't use them, someone else will.  
>>
>>I want a party that doesn't worry about things before we have 
>>to. Republicans refuse to get hog-tied by theories such as 
>>global warming, ozone depletion, fished-out oceans and 
>>disappearing wetlands. The real problems -- if there are any -- 
>>aren't forecast to take hold for at least 50 years. So what do I 
>>care? I'll be dead.  
>>
>>As a Republican, I can swagger and clamor for war -- in Iraq, 
>>Afghanistan, Colombia, wherever -- even though I've never fought 
>>in one or even been in the military. I can claim that we're 
>>fighting for Democracy, ignoring reports of torture at Abu 
>>Ghraib, Bagram Air Base and Guantanamo Bay, and a spreading 
>>gulag of secret detention centers around the world.  
>>
>>Freedom, as every American should know after spending $300 
>>billion for wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, isn't free.  
>>
>>As a Republican, I can insist on strict moral values when it 
>>comes to sex and ignore the growing moral chasms in business, 
>>politics, sports, journalism and the leadership of the Roman 
>>Catholic Church.  
>>
>>A society that loses control of its sexual urges faces unwanted 
>>pregnancies, socially transmitted disease, broken families. 
>>Those overzealous about wealth, however, produce only a higher 
>>GDP, lifelong security for their family and more minimum wage 
>>jobs for the lower classes. What's wrong with that?  
>>
>>As a Republican, I can favor strict punishment of criminals, 
>>except for those who happen to be my friends or neighbors. Isn't 
>>that the very definition of community -- looking out for friends 
>>and family?  
>>
>>I will be pro-death penalty and anti-abortion, pro-child but 
>>anti-child care, for education but against funding of public 
>>schools. As a Republican, I'll have a better chance of getting 
>>to spout my opinions in the media, which for some reason seems 
>>convinced that since Bush was re-elected with the smallest 
>>electoral margin of any sitting president in history, liberals 
>>are passe.  
>>
>>As a Republican, I'll say goodbye to "old Jesus" and hello to 
>>"new Jesus. " Sure Christ started out as a liberal Jew, and look 
>>where that got him. Compassion, love and diatribes against the 
>>rich only encourage the weak and punish the most successful 
>>among us. The Jesus that Republicans worship is a muscular, 
>>decisive, pro-war crusader hard at work cleansing the world of 
>>evildoers, not, God forbid, turning the other cheek.  
>>
>>My decision to become a Republican didn't come easily. For years 
>>I clung to the idea that the foundation of a democratic society 
>>was our implied social contract, each of us committing some 
>>level of personal sacrifice to the common good of all.  
>>
>>I regarded taxes as dues we pay for better roads and schools, 
>>safe inspection of meat and dairy products, maintenance of parks 
>>and protection of wilderness areas. I see now that looking out 
>>for the common good resulted in shortchanging the most important 
>>element in this formula -- me.  
>>
>>Let Democrats continue promising the "greatest good for the 
>>greatest number." Republicans clearly have my number -- No. 1.  
>>
>>I'm sure a lot of my friends reading this will ask me, "How can 
>>you sleep?" My answer will be, "Who's got time? I'm busy earning 
>>money." While they're bellyaching about rising deficits, the 
>>outsourcing of jobs and casualties in Iraq, I'll be marveling at 
>>the march of freedom in the Middle East, upticks in the GDP and 
>>the president's plan to link Social Security to the magic of the 
>>marketplace.  
>>
>>As a Republican, I simply won't listen to bad news anymore. Bad 
>>news doesn't get me or my family anywhere. If you don't have 
>>anything good to say about somebody, don't say anything at all --
>> 
>>
>>unless it happens to be about a Democrat, of course.  
>>
>>Jeff Gillenkirk was a speechwriter for former New York Gov. 
>>Mario Cuomo. He lives in San Francisco. Contact us at 
>>insight at sfchronicle.com.  
>>
>>Page D - 2 
>>URL:
>>
>>http://sfgate.com/cgi-
>>bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/200
>>5/05/29/INGJPCU3GL11.DTL 
>>
>>©2005 San Francisco Chronicle  
>>
>>
>>
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