Ferguson Is Sacrificing Morality for Political Expediency

It’s not at all surprising that the Los Angeles Times finds itself in agreement with Assemblyman Gil Ferguson.

Ferguson, the consummate “business-as-usual” politician, is now advising the Republican Party to abandon its principles by softening its pro-life and family values positions, as enunciated in its national platform.

Rather than become a carbon copy of the Democratic Party, as Ferguson and The Times would like it to be, the Republican Party instead needs to stand for something. It needs to convince the voters that it represents the “little guy,” and not the country club elite or the special interests.

In order to accomplish this objective, the Republican Party must take the initiative on at least three key issues:

* Ethics: One of the Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate had bounced over 140 checks and had voted herself a pay raise while in Congress. This should have been the key issue in the campaign. This is not to suggest that Democrats have a monopoly on impropriety. Republicans must also learn to “just say no” to large campaign contributions from those who obviously want something in return.

* The environment: There is no reason why the Republicans should let themselves be outflanked by the Democrats on environmental issues. After all, what could be a more conservative issue than preserving (or conserving) the environment? Republicans must realize that, if they want the support of the people, they cannot continue to be beholden to fat-cat developers who have contributed to their political campaigns.

* Traditional values: Preservation of our traditional values and the sanctity of human life should rightfully be the cornerstone of the Republican platform. Republicans should be proud to stand up for the rights of the unborn, not just because the likes of the ACLU, the radical feminists and Clinton won’t, but because it’s the right and honorable thing to do!

The Republican Party must not be deterred from its objectives. Until and unless the Republican Party is willing to take a stand--without having to apologize to the American people for doing so--it will continue to lose elections.

EDDIE ROSE

Laguna Niguel