Glad Repos Lost

Here's why the Repos lost my vote to the Libertarians. Only by addressing these concerns will they have a chance of earning my vote again:

1. I assumed that Republican-led govt agencies are more competently run than Democrat-led agencies. Katrina -- among other examples -- proved me wrong. Bush got FEMA to NOLA in exactly the same time that Clinton always got FEMA to a disaster area: 7 days. No improvement. And as FEMA moved, it moved with preposterous inefficiency, turning away fast-acting private relief efforts (from Walmart, for example), sending ice to Maine, etc. What's the point of voting Repo if Repos can't act any more fluidly and intelligently than the idiot democrats? Apparently they're both idiots. Yes, I know that the democratic LA political machine has failed to get proper levees over the years, failed to prepare for and react to Katrina, etc. But is this what we get with Repos: "No worse than the Demos (and no better)?" Then there's all the efficiency problems with Homeland Security and the Iraq war.

2. I assumed that the Repos were less corrupt than the Demos. Instead they proved just as corrupt.

3. Bush's speech at the 911 site right after the attack was an embarrassment. Going to war should be a somberly regarded undertaking. Even the killing of retarded brutes should sadden anybody whom I respect, especially a proclaimed christian. And then consider that killing those brutes will involve losing the lives of decent, tolerant American soldiers. Compare Bush's blustering with speeches by Lincoln. Same for his "Mission Accomplished" speech. Another shame. At that point, yes, the US military had eliminated a tyranny, and had made freedom and prosperity possible for an entire nation. But the cost of that accomplishment included thousands of Iraqi people with damaged homes, lost services, and even lost lives. You never saw Lincoln beating his chest in a victory over those brutish, evil confederates. See the Gettysburg Address for a proper example of what Bush's speech should have been. Especially shameful: Bush's playing pilot, reminding people that he not only evaded Vietnam service, but used his evasion to fool around with jets.

4. I expected Repos to shrink govt, not expand it. Bush and his repo allies behaved like Demos in spending.

5. I consider 95% of Homeland Security and Patriot Acts to be either wastes or counter productive. And all of it surely requires congressional and judicial oversight (though I agree with Bush, not pre-approval).

6. Sure I applaud Bush for cutting taxes, and yes "for the rich", in an effort to flatten the tax structure. But he did a poor job explaining that these tax cuts benefit middle class people not merely as a few hundred bucks for them in their tax return, but many thousands of dollars in job security by stimulating the economy. I suppose I hope that the Demos let the Bush tax cuts expire; maybe the resulting recession and expansion of the deficit will convince more Americans that "tax cuts for the rich" in a system that penalizes "the rich" helps everyone, and the more you "tax the rich" the more you hurt everyone. And whatever happened to Bush championing total flat tax simplification?

7. Bush appointed two Supreme Court justices, and named the Chief Justice. But he used none of these opportunities to promote any non-honkies.

8. Whatever happened to privatized Social Security?