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Democrats have the answers

| October 20, 2005 12:00 AM

Editor,

Mondell Metz's recent diatribe against Democrats conveys the desperation of a trapped and wounded animal. Distorting the Democrats will not prove an effective cover for the shortcomings of the current Republican administration.

The issues that define political parties change over time. The issues of 20 years ago are no longer the issues that define the Republican or Democratic parties.

A major distinction between current political parties is that Democrats are not as ethically challenged as Republicans. A significant character flaw is that Republicans no longer care about the truth. Numerous instances support this contention.

For example, Bush did lie about reasons for going to war with Iraq. Bush continues to propagate the lie that Iraq was tied to 9/11. Rove and Libby lied about their roles in Plamegate.

The Pentagon continues to spin lies about America winning the war on terror. All evidence suggests that Bush's policies are actually fueling the rise in terror.

The Bush administration secretly pays journalists to write biased reports. Government scientists are forced to alter their research results to conform to aberrant religious perspectives. Government watchdog agencies neglect their mandates to protect corporate profits.

The current scandals surrounding Tom DeLay and Robert Frisk highlight the culture of corruption within the Republican Party. On a local level, Conrad Burns' ties to Jack Abramoff suggests how pervasive the corruption has become.

Cronyism by the Republicans suggests that political connections trump merit on every occasion. Thousands of Americans paid dearly for this corruption through FEMA's incompetent response to Hurricane Katrina. John Bolton's recess appointment to the United Nations shows a preference for right-wing dogma over result-oriented public policy. The nomination of an unqualified Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court now threatens to carry this corruption to the highest levels of the Judicial branch.

There are many political issues with ethical components that favor Democrats. These include dignity and fairness for American workers, basic health care, respect for the environment, individual liberty, combating racism and poverty.

The Republican party has not always been such a monolith of corruption and greed. Cover-ups and indifference to political scandals engulfing all levels of Republican administration can only sink our country deeper into chaos.

It should be clear to any impartial observer that the current Democratic agenda is the only viable platform that can deliver meaningful change and progress to our world.

David Daniels

Ronan