We have all either heard about or saw the infamous GOP debate on August 6.
Many of us forgot it was an actual presidential debate and thought it was some program on Comedy Central for a minute. I thought the debate was a practical joke that overall made the Republican Party less electable for the White House in 2016. After watching the first 20 minutes, I really contemplated turning off my television and resuming my daily activities, but I stayed for the duration of it and as it ended, I thought to myself, "I'm definitely not voting Republican in these next presidential elections." And here are the main reasons why:
Immigration
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there are currently around 11 million undocumented immigrants residing in the United States. No Republican candidate mentioned or detailed out a plan on what they would do with them, whether it would be granting them a path towards citizenship (which would be the best thing to do) or deporting them back to their native countries (which would not be a smart idea since it would be extremely expensive and time consuming). The only time undocumented immigrants came up in the debate was to humiliate them, which is childish behavior when you're hoping to be elected as a leader of a country. Even though the candidates did not detail a plan, many have spoken out against illegal immigration in the past, which I think is absurd. I believe that immigrants come to this country for a better life; they don't come here to steal or kill. They come because there is a lack of opportunity in their country of origin. Therefore, I believe that if people are immigrating to this country, and are helping the economy—even if it's in an "illegal" way, they should be given legal status and be provided with a path towards citizenship since they are the backbone of this country. Immigrants keep this country alive and ready to prosper.
Women's Rights and Abortion
The truth is, men do not understand what is to be a woman, and vice versa. But wealthy privileged men? They most definitely do not know what is to be a woman, especially an under-privileged woman. So it outrages me how these men can stand up there and try to control a woman's right to choice. No candidate ever mentioned anything about the income gap between men and women or about overall women's welfare. No, instead they attacked Planned Parenthood as being an institution dedicated to the killing of babies. Which is not even close to being true—I'm not sure how defunding Planned Parenthood is going to do anything else but create more unwanted and unnecessary babies born to people that aren't prepared for them because there will be no place for them to go get birth control that is affordable. The rates of sexually transmitted diseases would double due to the inability to afford proper tests. Some states, for example Texas, have enacted changes that make it difficult for women to get cancer screenings at an affordable cost. Planned Parenthood also serves a form of sex education for teenagers across the country. Most ironically, according to Center for Disease Control the states with the highest number of teenage pregnancies are those who implement Abstinence-only policies. This war on Planned Parenthood is just a war against women and women's rights. Women need places they can go to that will not judge them, will give them options, and will help them in ways that are affordable for working poor.
Tax Breaks for the Wealthy
Less taxation on the wealthy is incredibly unjust and has no logic. Yes, our economy is in much better shape than it was under Bush's administration, but economic times are still rough, and taxing the rich is the most effective way the government could bring in more revenue since the wealthy can afford tax increases. The benefits are plentiful—more revenue for education, healthcare, social security and other government funded programs. The sole fact that the middle class and lower class get taxed more than the rich increases income inequality, making the rich richer and the poor poorer. Since the 1970s, the income of the wealthy has increased dramatically while the income of the rest of society has barely moved. The Republican Party seems to be for the privileged and wealthy members of American society, which is why they advocate for tax reductions for the upper class; they want to fill their pockets with more cash.
Climate Change
Since the 1970s, the U.S. Historical Climatology Network has recorded warmer winters in every state. Winters nationwide have exhibited warmer temperatures at a rate nearly five times faster per decade than over the past 100 years. Though surface temperatures hit a peak in 1998 and have slowed since then, the world's oceans continue to heat up. Therefore, it doesn't make any sense how Republicans still have the audacity to deny climate change. Unfortunately, the Koch brothers have a huge say in what the Republican Party says about climate change. The party is essentially bought off by some of Forbes' wealthiest, whose profits mainly come from their combined businesses and subsidiaries in oil and gas, polymers, fibers, consumer products, minerals, fertilizers, forestry, and ranching that generates an annual $115 billion in revenue. If Republicans take the White House in 2016, we will take a huge step back in saving our planet. Scientists constantly mention the grave problem facing the world that must be taken seriously by our next president. We only have one planet, so why not protect it?
These are the main reasons why I will not vote Republican in 2016.
The Republican Party does not represent my immigrant middle-class background, so therefore they will not get my vote.
