To the Editor:
There is precious little information coming out of Republicans on all levels about specific programs that they favor. General statements, more usually criticisms of specific programs that Democrats lean towards, but almost no programs of their own other than banning abortion. A Senate Republican leader put it succinctly by saying that the party won’t release a platform until after the 2022 mid-terms. In short, people who vote Republican on 11/08 will be buying a pig in a poke.
Is that an intelligent use of the sacred right to vote? You tell me.
If the Herald’s description of the recent debate between Van Drew and Democratic candidate Alexander is accurate, Van Drew’s evasive answers are illustrative of vacuous Republican positions. He and alexander agreed on the need for renewable energy but apparently, like most republicans when faced with that issue, Van Drew immediately changed the narrative and started expressing concerns about a particular wind project. Why did he change the subject? He’s been our rep for 4 years. Why can’t he lay out a roadmap for the development of sustainable energy that has minimal climate impact? Why hasn’t he spoken out on the enormous lobbying that fossil fuel companies have done to delude the American public. It’s now a matter of public record, so what’s holding him back? .
Yes, he’s for wind farm but voted against Biden’s landmark anti-climate change bill. Yes, he’s for wind farms but insists on working with all parties, even though Ocean City Republicans NIMFOs (Not In My Front Ocean) have stubbornly and consistently fought them in the almost 15 years since Bluewater and Fisherman’s Energy’s first proposals.
Facts matter, Van Drew agreed but then launched an invective against Biden, calling him the worst president since the Civil War (that’s a fact?) despite Biden having the first deficit reduction in his first and only ’22 budget for any president since Clinton. And Van Drew calls himself a fiscal conservative!
He agreed with Alexander that marijuana should be legalized but is concerned that too high a tax might drive users to get it on the street. But he never suggests the proper tax. He’s a legislator; isn’t it about time he figured it out?
Of course he is worried about taxes… certain taxes… just like he objected to the provision in the Build Back Better omni bill that would raise taxes on the wealthy and come close to being self-funded. It’s always taxes, but that obvious truth is the core of what Republicans stand for: less federal income tax on the rich. Fewer taxes; more income inequality.
The other main goal of the Republican party presently seems to be to overthrow the Constitution. I’m no great lover of the constitution. In fact, am not sure what it means, although I’ve read it countless times and taught it, but I do like the part about having officials elected based on the vote. Van Drew specifically tried to overthrow the election in 2020; he and many Republicans, even now, object to a popular vote. They want power and democracy be damned.
That’s not for me and I hope not for you. Don’t buy the pig in the poke.
As an independent, I never thought I’d say it, but vote Democrat in the upcoming election.
– Bruce Allen, Del Haven
