And at WampumMB speaks on
And at Wampum
MB speaks on the values of the Republican family:
We need to put an end to this partisan chicanery here and now. Since the mid-1990s, the Republicans have mounted a campaign to convince American parents that they are the party which embodies that nebulous term, ?family values?. What are true family-oriented values? Ask most soccer-moms and dads and you will hear concerns about education, healthcare, public safety and the environment. Losing a job, not making the mortgage, crumbling schools and overcrowded classrooms, these are the nightmares of American families, not what John and Fred are or are not doing in the privacy of their home. Most parents, whether they be actual or de facto (as in guardians or foster parents), have basic dreams, for themselves and their children. They want a comfortable place to live, most likely a home (whether it be a house, apartment, mobile home or hogan); they're concerned about their own health and that of their children, and want to prevent illness or injury, as well as have access to care should they become sick or impaired. If their children are injured through corporate negligence or denied access to state sponsored programs such as education, parents want to trust that they can find recourse through the courts or government. American parents want their government and institutions to cherish and protect their children as much as they do.
The truth is that the Republicans have spent the last ten years waging outright war on these very dreams and values of American families. The No Child Left Behind Act has left thousands of schools behind, underfunded, its teachers and administrators on the brink of being "replaced" for not meeting impossible federally-imposed, standardized test "goals", all so that Republicans can finally win approval for private school vouchers. The Republican policy of tax cuts for the super-rich has left state governments, most all of which are constrained by balanced budget requirements, gasping for life, slashing funding for all but the most basic social, educational and public safety needs. Affordable quality daycare is scarce, respite care for families of special needs children revoked, afterschool and enrichment programs which keep children and teens engaged during the part of the day they're most vulnerable slashed under the weight of state and local budget shortfalls. This Administration's environmental policies have further threatened our children's health and wellbeing, from increasing pollutants in the air and water to suppressing information about the actual dangers these policies license.
