By Jesse Sanchez | Assistant Opinion Editor
The Republican Party, founded July 6, 1854, started as an anti-slavery state convention held in Jackson, Michigan. The name alludes to Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party, conveying a commitment to the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, according to the GOP website. Most notable for the party, its first elected president was America’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who abolished slavery.
While the party itself was built on freedom, prosperity and strength, one could say that the modern-day Republicans have definitely lost sight of its firm roots and beginnings.
Conservatives, as they are known, are a smaller portion of the American population, representing the 1 percent: the upper middle class and above. That doesn’t mean that blue collar workers aren’t a part of the party or don’t consider themselves represented, but that the beliefs and practices of conservatives is no longer representative of “the people.”
As the current president has demonstrated with his massive amounts of executive orders defunding public education, Planned Parenthood, Meals on Wheels and others, including the EPA, the people aren’t the first priority, rather his image and reputation is. While all of those organizations don’t represent everyone’s beliefs, defunding them takes from those who do support and sponsor them.
President Trump, who is the leader of the Republican Party, has also removed many immigration protections former President Obama had put in place. This defeats the aggressive stance of freedom for all, by refusing to allow individuals from Syria, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia to enter or reenter the country, as well as not allowing refugees to come in as they “pose a threat” to America.
The majority of the Republican Party doesn’t believe in global warming or “climate change” as it’s otherwise known, hence the defunding of the EPA. This shows the party is not looking out for the good of America.
It’s become apparent that the two-party system has been failing America, but the Republican Party is the worse half. The destruction of America is becoming more inevitable day by day, as the Republican Party continues to exhibit poor behaviors and actions, like cutting programs or engaging in war activity without expecting consequences.
