The Republican Grinch that Stole Christmas. . .and possibly your very survival

There are many seasons of our lives, and some are easier to spot than others by simply observing the actions of Religious Right Conservative Republicans in Congress.

For example, the mid-term elections are coming soon, which is evident by renewed interest in the Federal Marriage Amendment. It's a favorite "wedge" issue Republicans like to pull out of their hat to whip their Religious Right base into a frenzy. One would think these Religious Right voters would someday catch on to the fact that they are merely being 'used' by a Republican party with no interest in eliminating the very tool they need for fundraising and GOTV! They have no real interest in passing a Federal Marriage Amendment -- their only interest is 'self-interest' in using whatever means necessary to hold on to their jobs.

And, if there were any question that we are heading into the holiday season one simply needs to observe another action taking place in Congress. The Republican budget aimed at decimating what little relief is left for the poor.

Max Castro, in Progreso Weekly, spells it all out:

Republican Budget Bill Savages the Poor

By Max J. Castro Progreso Weekly
24-30 November 2005 Edition

They are at it again. Anyone who hoped that the images of the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, which made the extent of squalor in America visible and dramatized the life-and-death consequences of inequality, would stir the conscience of our ruling party was wrong. Dead wrong.

Last week, after suffering the embarrassing defeat of its main budget proposal, the Republican leadership in the US House of Representatives managed to push through $50 billion in cuts to "domestic discretionary spending." That is code for programs such as food stamps, health care for poor children, the indigent elderly and the disabled, student loans, and foster care. These are the last remnants of the frayed, flimsy safety net that this society - the least generous of any rich nation toward its disadvantaged - provides the most vulnerable among us.

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What do Republicans have against poor people that they so persistently and savagely seek to punish them even in the face of the kind of evident suffering revealed by the catastrophic events of New Orleans?

The question is more vexing when one considers that the vast majority of Republican members of Congress proclaim themselves staunch Christians, yet their policy choices consistently contradict fundamental tenets of the faith. (full story)