---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: MJ <[email protected]> Date: Sat, Aug 9, 2014 at 7:48 AM Subject: Republicans Versus Freedom To: [email protected]
*"In the Senate ... a whopping 18 received a failing score of 59 or less. This means that 40 percent of Senate Republicans are absolute failures when it comes to freedom while only 5 percent can be termed above average. " "In the House ... and incredibly, 164 receiving a failing score of 59 or less. This means that 71 percent of House Republicans are failures when it comes to freedom while only 11 percent can be termed above average." "The only thing the Republicans have going for them is that they oppose Obamacare. But even that is only because it is not a Republican health care plan. Back in 2003 the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, the largest expansion of Medicare since LBJ’s Great Society, was instituted by a Republican-controlled Congress with the full support of the Republican leadership and signed into law by a Republican president. Only 9 Republicans in the Senate and 25 in the House joined the vast majority of Democrats in both Houses in voting against “Bushcare.”" * *Republicans Versus Freedom *By Laurence M. Vance August 7, 2014 The Republican Party claims to be the party of the Constitution, limited government, fiscal conservatism, economic freedom, government reform, free enterprise, private property, and the free market. Is it? The latest edition of the Freedom Index <http://www.thenewamerican.com/freedomindex/pdf/Freedom_Index_113-3.pdf> was just published in *The New American*. The Freedom Index is “a congressional scoreboard based on the U.S. Constitution” that “rates congressmen based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements.” This edition of the Freedom Index is the third for the 113th Congress. The previous editions of the Freedom Index for the 113th Congress can be seen here <http://www.thenewamerican.com/freedomindex/pdf/Freedom_Index_113-2.pdf> and here <http://www.thenewamerican.com/freedomindex/pdf/Freedom_Index_113-1.pdf>. Looking at this latest version of the Freedom Index, there is only one conclusion we can draw about Republicans: they are enemies of freedom. This edition of the Freedom Index tracks congressional votes in the Senate on the following: budget agreement, Yellen nomination, omnibus appropriations, farm and food programs, debt limit suspension, child care, Ukraine aid, unemployment benefits extension, minimum wage, Burwell nomination. In the House, it tracks votes on the following: budget agreement, omnibus appropriations, abortion funding, farm and food programs, debt limit suspension, EPA regulations, enforcing existing laws, Ukraine aid, indefinite military detention, use of military force. The average Senate score was 28 percent; the average House score was 39 percent. No senator received a perfect score. The highest score in the Senate was the 89 of Jim Inhofe (OK), Mike Lee (UT), and Rand Paul (KY). Inhofe and Lee would have had a perfect score had they not voted for aid to Ukrainesomething that is clearly unconstitutional. Paul would have had a perfect score had he not voted to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant programan unconstitutional welfare program. Seven representatives in the House achieved a perfect score: Justin Amash (MI), Paul Broun (GA), John Duncan (TN), Tim Huelskamp (KS), Walter Jones (NC), Mark Sanford (SC), Steve Stockman (TX). So, why are Republicans enemies of freedom? In the Senate, 9 Republicans scored between 80 and 89 (a B), 6 scored between 70 and 79 (a C), 12 scored between 60 and 69 (a D), and a whopping 18 received a failing score of 59 or less. This means that 40 percent of Senate Republicans are absolute failures when it comes to freedom while only 5 percent can be termed above average. John McCain of Arizona, whom Republican voters thought was an alternative to Barack Obama, scored a 56. Incorrigible warmonger Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who recently won a Republican primary, only scored a 44. In the House, 7 Republicans, as mentioned above, received a perfect score, 4 scored between 90 and 99 (an A), 14 scored between 80 and 89 (a B), 16 scored between 70 and 79 (a C), 26 scored between 60 and 69 (a D), and incredibly, 164 receiving a failing score of 59 or less. This means that 71 percent of House Republicans are failures when it comes to freedom while only 11 percent can be termed above average. The head of the Budget Committee and Mitt Romney’s running mate, Paul Ryan, scored a 40. The former House Majority Leader Eric Canton scored even worse, a 30. The only thing the Republicans have going for them is that they oppose Obamacare. But even that is only because it is not a Republican health care plan. Back in 2003 the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, the largest expansion of Medicare since LBJ’s Great Society, was instituted by a Republican-controlled Congress with the full support of the Republican leadership and signed into law by a Republican president. Only 9 Republicans in the Senate and 25 in the House joined the vast majority of Democrats in both Houses in voting against “Bushcare.” Republicans don’t believe in real medical freedom. They don’t support a free market in medical care, medical treatment, medical devices, medical drugs, medical licensing, medical education, medical insurance, medical facilities, medical records, medical research, or alternative medicine. They didn’t then and they don’t now. And Republicans don’t believe in any other kind of freedom either. They are not an alternative to Democrats. They are not the lesser of two evils. They are not “better” than the Democrats. They are not “libertarian leaning.” They are not our allies. They are not more constitutional than the Democrats. They are not “our friends on the Right.” They are not “liberty minded.” They are not our best hope. They are not our only chance. They are not improving. They are not our only option. They are not the best we have to work with. They will not be better this election. The Republican Party is the party of lies, hypocrisy, crony capitalism, government regulation, the drug war, foreign wars, torture, empire, foreign aid, the welfare state, the warfare state, the national security state, and the police state. The GOP, as my friend Tom DiLorenzo <https://www.lewrockwell.com/author/thomas-dilorenzo/> describes it, is nothing but a Gang of Plunderers. Republicans are worse than Democrats because of how they use libertarian rhetoric to deceive conservatives and libertarians into thinking that they actually believe in the Constitution, limited government, fiscal conservatism, economic freedom, government reform, free enterprise, private property, and the free market. It is not that they are Republicans in Name Only (RINOs). They are Republicans. And they are enemies of freedom. http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/08/laurence-m-vance/rabid-enemies-of-freedom/ -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PoliticalForum" group. 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