Reason # 19 Why I Won't Vote for Mitt Romney

Reason # 19 why I won't vote for Mitt Romney?
The 2012 Republican Party Platform.
I've said before that you are known by the company you keep.  Mitt Romney has chosen to hang out with some extreme radicals in an effort to "win the White House".  Don't believe me?  Here are some direct quotes from the 2012 Platform: 

• "The Republican Party includes Americans from every faith and tradition, and our policies and positions respect the right of every American to follow his or her beliefs and underscore our reverence for the religious freedom envisioned by the Founding Fathers of our nation and of our party. As a matter of principle, we oppose the creation of any new race-based governments within the United States."  What the hell is a "race-based" government, and why is it so important as to mention it in a Party Platform?  And, I might add, a majority of those drafting the Platform must agree, or it wouldn't be here.
• "We reaffirm our support for a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. We applaud the citizens of the majority of States which have enshrined in their constitutions the traditional concept of marriage, and we support the campaigns underway in several other States to do so."  So. There.  My relationship, and many others, based on love, is not enough for these haters whose opposition has no basis in legality, only in their churches.  
• "We pledge to respect the religious beliefs and rights of conscience of all Americans and to safeguard the independence of their institutions from government. We support the public display of the Ten Commandments as a reflection of our history and of our country’s Judeo-Christian heritage, and we affirm the right of students to engage in prayer at public school events in public schools and to have equal access to public schools and other public facilities to accommodate religious freedom in the public square. We assert every citizen’s right to apply religious values to public policy and the right of faith-based organizations to participate fully in public programs without renouncing their beliefs, removing religious symbols, or submitting to government-imposed hiring practices. We oppose government discrimination against businesses due to religious views. We support the First Amendment right of freedom of association of the Boy Scouts of America and other service organizations whose values are under assault and condemn the State blacklisting of religious groups which decline to arrange adoptions by same-sex couples."  In other words, we respect your right to your religious beliefs as long as they are Christian.  Prayer in schools?  If you really wanted to allow prayer in schools, I daresay nothing else would get done--Christian prayers, Muslim prayers (multiple times a day), Jewish prayers, Pagan celebrations--ALL would have to be honored.  
• "The rights of citizenship do not stop at the ballot box. They include the free speech right to devote one’s resources to whatever cause or candidate one supports. We oppose any restrictions or conditions that would discourage Americans from exercising their constitutional right to enter the political fray or limit their commitment to their ideals. As a result, we support repeal of the remaining sections of McCain- Feingold, support either raising or repealing contribution limits, and oppose passage of the DISCLOSE Act or any similar legislation designed to vitiate the Supreme Court’s recent decisions protecting political speech in Wisconsin Right to Life v. Federal Election Commission and Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. We insist that there should be no regulation of political speech on the Internet."  In other words, corporations are people,  my friends.
• "We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children."  But not to gay people.
• "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – Obamacare – was never really about healthcare, though its impact upon the nation’s health is disastrous....Congressional Republicans are committed to its repeal; and a Republican President, on the first day in office, will use his legitimate waiver authority under that law to halt its progress and then will sign its repeal."  I kept reading, looking for their replacement plan.  There was none.
• "No healthcare professional or organization should ever be required to perform, provide for, withhold, or refer for a medical service against their conscience. This is especially true of the religious organizations which deliver a major portion of America’s healthcare, a service rooted in the charity of faith communities."  In other words, we firmly believe in a Theocracy.  A Christian one, of course.
• "Faithful to the “self-evident” truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed."  Yeah, who the hell cares about the mother?  I will also say, I looked, but could find no mention of helping these "children" once they reach the outside world.  Especially if their mother died in childbirth.  

The GOP Platform?  One  more reason I will not vote for Mitt Romney.

Reason # 20 Why I Won't Vote for Mitt Romney

Reason # 20 why I won't vote for Mitt Romney?
Paul Ryan.
He may be a shining star of the Republican party, but I don't think that's saying much--I mean, it takes so little to be head and shoulders above GOP members of Congress who promised some guy named Grover Norquist that they would never, ever raise taxes--not even if their constituents wanted it.  I think Paul Ryan is at least capable of thinking for himself.
And at least he's not Sarah Palin.  He's far more civilized than she is, and for that I'm grateful.  VERY grateful.  In case you've forgotten, this was a typical day on the campaign trail with Sarah Palin in 2008:

"The Washington Post's Dana Milbank reported an incident at a Palin rally that should open America's eyes to the central role violent rhetoric now plays in the McCain campaign. Milbank describes how Palin told the crowd in Florida that Obama has close associations with a terrorist who sought to bomb the Pentagon and the U.S. Capital, in response to which the crowd responded with a threat on Sen. Obama's life:

"Now it turns out, one of his earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers...And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol,'" she continued.

"Boooo!" the crowd repeated.

"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience."

She had nothing to campaign on, so she sank to the bottom.
Paul Ryan has another problem though--he lies.  He's been caught at them, but still can't control himself.  Even Fox Network mentioned it.
Yes, we all "stretch the truth", but we don't all want to be Vice President of the United States.  I think the American people need to be able to trust someone who's got that much power.  It's important here, and it's important abroad.
Speaking of the office of Vice President, when it comes down to it, I want someone with foreign policy experience.  I wanted that 4 years ago too.  Joe Biden has it.  He's got more experience, more expertise, more knowledge about the ways of the world than Paul Ryan could only ever dream of having.
So that's reason # 20.  I want Joe Biden to be my Vice President for the next 4 years.