GOP Agenda - Help The Rich And Hurt Everyone Else

I can understand why the rich would vote for Republicans. It seems like everything Republicans want to do would benefit the rich (and corporations. But I honestly don't know why anyone who is not rich would vote Republican.

Why do I say that? Just consider their agenda!

If Republicans gain power, they will make sure that the minimum wage stays at $7.25 an hour. That may make businesses happy, because they could pay $8 or $9 and pose as being "generous". But the truth is that it would take at least $15 an hour for a person (and especially a family) to live decently in our society. Anything less just keeps hard-working people in poverty -- and no one who works hard for 40 hours a week should be forced to live in poverty.

Republicans would stop the government from negotiating drug prices. That is Ok for the rich because they can afford high drug prices, but millions of Americans can't. Too many are already doing without medical treatment because they can't afford it (including many who have health insurance). Republicans don't want to lower the costs of drugs or any kind of medical treatment. They don't think people have a right to health care. For them, health care is just a product to be sold to those who can afford it.

Republicans oppose worker unions. They want to make it harder for workers to unionize, and make unions weaker. The corporations love this, because that gives them total power to keep wages low and working conditions poor (or even dangerous). But workers need unions to have any bargaining power at all.

Republicans want to cut Social Security. They would raise the age to receive it to 70. That's fine if you are rich and don't need it. But millions of Americans do actual physical labor, and they are doing good to reach the current age of 66 before their bodies give out. Raising the age would just rob them of four years of decent living. Other types of cuts will just force those relying only on Social Security to sink back into poverty.

Republicans want a nationwide ban on abortion. This not only takes the right of a woman to control her own body away, but places the lives of women with troubled pregnancies at risk. Of course the rich don't care, because they can fly wherever they want to get an abortion.

Republicans still talk about cutting taxes. But it's not for you. Look at their last tax cut -- about 82% of the cuts went to the richest Americans (and corporations). Everyone else got very little (or nothing).

Republicans say they want to cut the deficit. But they don't want to tax the rich to do it. They want to cut the programs that help the poor and disadvantaged -- the people who need government help the most.

If you are rich, and don't care about your fellow Americans, then voting for Republicans might be understandable. But otherwise, you would just be voting against your own interests to vote Republican!