I was challenged by a letter writer to basically search for clues as to why the new Republicans cannot be trusted with our money, private pensions. Public pensions, Social Security, Medicare, all of the new health insurance protections, the environment, creating jobs, national security, privacy and many more issues including our public preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, plus college educational systems.

The clues can best be found by first reading Nobel Prize winning economist, author and columnist Paul Krugman’s Jan. 13 New York Times column titled: “A Tale of Two Moralities.” Professor Krugman plainly points out that today’s Republican Party has embraced an American political morality, which seeks to destroy through eliminationist rhetoric encouraging violence.

Here is a clue. In 2000 Republican Party federal employees from congressional offices descended on Florida and physically stopped the 2000 Florida presidential vote. Another clue. Under eight years of George Bush, six of those having control of both houses of Congress, not a single peep from any Republican to solve the health care crisis where millions go without health insurance especially children with pre-existing conditions. Another clue. At least a month before 9/11, a memo crosses Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice’s desk warning that al-Qaida is about to attack us using jumbo jets as missiles flown into buildings. Another clue. The collapse of Wall Street under the nose of George Bush causing at least the destruction of way too many private and public pension funds.

Professor Paul Krugman: “In future columns I will no doubt spend a lot of time pointing out the hypocrisy and logical fallacies of the ‘I earned it and I have the right to keep it’ crowd. And I’ll also have a lot to say about how far we really are from being a society of equal opportunity, in which success depends solely on one’s own efforts.”

Ted Hinnenkamp

Albert Lea