Tuesday, October 6, 2015

10 facts that bug conservatives

Compiled by Richard Riis, reprinted on Daily Kos.   These claims have been documented in much greater detail, which I have edited to shorten the post. 

1. The United States is not a Christian nation, and the Bible is not the cornerstone of our law.  John Adams: “The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”  Thomas Jefferson: “Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law.”  James Madison: “The civil government … functions with complete success … by the total separation of the Church from the State.”

2. The Pledge of Allegiance was written by a socialistThe Pledge was written in 1892 [by a] Christian socialist, [a movement that maintains] that capitalism is idolatrous and rooted in greed, and the underlying cause of much of the world’s social inequity.

3. The first president to propose national health insurance was a RepublicanTheodore Roosevelt, during his unsuccessful Progressive Party campaign to retake the White House in 1912.

4. Ronald Reagan once signed a bill legalizing abortionIn 1967 he signed a bill that [included] legalized abortion for the vaguely-defined “well being” of the mother.  He was willing to compromise in order to achieve other ends he considered more important. That he claimed later to regret signing the bill doesn’t change the fact that he did.

5. Reagan raised federal taxes eleven timesOverall, Ronald Reagan cut tax rates more than any other president, [but]  he realized the resulting national debt from his revenue slashing was untenable, so he quietly raised other taxes on income – primarily Social Security and payroll taxes - no less than eleven times. Most of Reagan’s highly publicized tax cuts went to the top income brackets, while his stealth tax increases had their biggest impact on the middle class.

6. Roe v. Wade was a bipartisan ruling made by a predominantly Republican-appointed Supreme CourtThe landmark 1973 ruling was decided on a 7-2 vote that broke down like this, according to ideology:  2 conservatives, 3 liberals, 2 moderates.  By the political party of the president who appointed them, it was: Republicans 5, Democrats 2.   No one can rightly say that this was a leftist court forcing its liberal beliefs on America.

7. The Federal Reserve System was a Republican inventionThe Federal Reserve System was the brainchild of financial expert and Senate Republican leader Nelson Aldrich, whose ideas were influenced by a European banking system.

8. The Environmental Protection Agency was also created by a RepublicanThe EPA was created by President Richard Nixon.   He was also an advocate of national health insurance, but didn't get it enacted.

9. Obama has increased government spending less than any president in at least a generationGovernment spending, when adjusted for inflation, has increased during his administration (to date) by 1.4%.  Under George W. Bush, the increases were 7.3% (first term) and 8.1% (second term), while Ronald Reagan added 8.7% and 4.9% in his two terms.  The evidence shows that Republican administrations consistently increased government spending significantly more than any Democratic administration.

10. President Obama was not only born in the United States, his roots run deeper in American history than most people know.  On his mother’s side, he has at least 11 direct ancestors who fought for American independence in the Revolutionary War [and yet] 56% of Republicans still believe he is a foreigner.

No comments:

Post a Comment