Faithful Catholics Shouldn't Vote Republican

1. Republicans not truly Pro-Life

1. not truly anti-abortion—

a. when in control of House, have not submitted any passable anti-abortion bills. In second debate with John McCain, candidate Obama said he'd sign a late-term abortion ban, if medical decisions were allowed. (heard and reviewed text of speech)

b. didn't back the Stupak amendment which would have banned federal funding for abortion. Republican leadership said necessary to prevent Pres. Obama victory on health care. Thus, political victory more important than unborn children.

c. Supposedly to reduce abortions, Republicans pushed a law narrowing the definition of rape – more anti-women than anti-abortion.

d. Mitt Romney campaigned as Pro-Choice and pro-Roe vs. Wade, running for senate and governor in Massachusetts. (Heard Romney say it.)

e. “Romney Care” (universal health care in Massachusetts) covered abortions and birth control.( Robert Kennedy Jr.), whereas Obama Care doesn't(read Obama's executive order banning any federal funds paying for abortions.) So Romney care paid for abortions, Obama Care doesn't.

f. Romney says he would agree with abortions in cases of incest and rape.

g. Romney recommends a “Voucher” system in place of universal health care law. Thus, we taxpayers will pay for abortions, since most private insurances cover abortion and nearly all artificial birth control. (Could try to pass law banning private money paying for abortions. Would they tell Big Business what to do?)

2. Republicans Opposed Universal Health Care – vow to repeal. US Bishops for health care for all.

Opposed CHIPS (Child Health Care)

Opposing? renewable energies – Romney calls then “fake energy”

Promoting fossil fuel – Vatican and almost all scientists say and demonstrate: global warming is real

Promoting fossil fuel – pollution is a health problem, especially for children

a. Republicans have voted for tax breaks, loopholes, subsidies, relaxed regulations and lax enforcement for fossil fuel providers

3..Have redistributed wealth from the middle-class and poor to the rich steadily since 1983.

Have converted health care to private for profit, since 1983. Many effectively denied health care, especially, children, women and elderly – Republican “quota system?”

US health care most expensive because of Republican demands. Yet:

a. We're 45^th in world in infant mortality

b. We're 40^th in maternal mortality during child birth. Is that pro-life & pro-family?

4. Romney supporting reductions in already reduced police and fire forces – hurts most vulnerable, mainly children, women, elderly and poor.

5. Opposing Obama's relief for “Dream Act eligibles” accusing Obama for catering to “freeloaders and criminals.” Obama's action does just the opposite-- rewards only productive and crime-free. Supports children and families and care-givers of children, elderly and sick.

6. Would reduce Domestic Violence funds – threatens children, families, women and elderly.

7. GOP soft on violence and other crime? – for reducing police, domestic violence funding, . narrowing rape, underfunding regulators. Opposes protection of crime victims. Has opposed regulations and adequate enforcement of fraud and huge theft by banks and other businesses. Opposed controls on credit card abuses by banks, other credit businesses. Blamed the victims of predatory lending, rather than the lenders, who deliberately targeted the uninformed and poor.

8. Opposes Obama's prosecutorial discretion on Immigrants, which supports children, family life and care-givers.

9. Opposes Obama's prosecutorial discretion on crime victims. Relief was recommended by US Chiefs of Police in order to prosecute crime and protect, women, children mostly.

10. Would defund WIC

11. Eliminate Headstart – education determinant in life

12. Reduce teachers and teacher salaries – same as #17

13. Oppose and reduce Unions vs. Popes Leo XIII and five other popes, concluding w/Benedict XVI.

14. Stopped lead testing on children(too expensive)

15. Would not protect children against heavy metal pollution

16. Opposes “just wage”* – opposing Christ, Pope Leo XIII and four succeeding popes

a. Opposes minimum wage increases

b. Opposes “ “ for farmworkers

c. Opposes work place protections for children and women (vs. Christ & Popes)

d. Allows child labor and exploitation of women

e. Held up help for unemployed middle and lower class, to get further tax breaks for super-rich.

17. Have eliminated pre-natal and early childhood care – public health used to do.

18. Most Republican candidates favor the death penalty.

19. Romney suggests war-like solutions in various world situations. He avoided Vietnam, by using Mormon mission service as excuse. Other Mormons did both their missions and serve in Vietnam.

20. Voter suppression – Republicans have sought in at least 16 states or more to suppress votes in cities, inner cities, among the poor, racial minorities, students and elderly with difficult requirements and lack of voting opportunities thrown in the way. Pennsylvania public official bragged about their restrictions guaranteeing a Romney win. A Heritage Fund (conservative think tank) representative said that there were certain people they don't want to vote. Voter Fraud is often the reason cited. However, the Bush Administration in 2006 investigated this and could find no significant voter fraud. Source for all of 20: Aug. 27/12 issue of America (Jesuit) magazine.

South Carolina investigated over 80 dead people who'd voted. Almost all had voted early and died before election day. A couple they couldn't trace. They found no instances of fraud. Source: Feb. 2012 issue of Myrtle Beach Daily News.

21. Republicans soft on monopoly enforcement, e.g. all media controlled by few. Then Romney and Republicans oppose public broadcasting.

22. Living or Just Wage—Starting in 1891, Pope Leo XIII, Pius XI, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI(2008) have written encyclicals, considered major documents, with much prayerful theological consultation, to which “the faithful are obliged to consent:” These addressed the rights of labor. They stated that “capital” (the rich, the business owners or leaders) are required by justice to provide “decent” jobs and to pay a “just wage:” enough for a wage earner to support his family, educate his children and save enough to retire on comfortably(Benedict XVI said this and all 5 Popes agreed on this with some different wording.) They stated that the business leaders need to share with the workers the profits they helped earn, and that “capital” has no right to keep the bulk of profits to the point that their employees are paid an unjust wage. Romney says he doesn't have be concerned with the 47% of our population that don't pay taxes. (Maybe not income taxes, but certainly sales and fuel taxes and licensing fees, etc.) This 47% is a considerably higher than from 1966 to 1983, when the differential between people at the top and the workers was much closer. The Republicans redistributed the wealth from the middle-class to the super rich over the next 29 years.

23. Freedoms – right to vote, freedom of speech, press, manipulated by the Republicans and their allies, the business leaders.

Bob Golden, Catholic, Christian, Eucharistic minister, often daily communicant, 16 years of Catholic education, worked in Criminal Justice for 34 years. Served in US Army

Faithful Catholics Shouldn't Vote Republican