Letters to the Editor: California would support the GOP if it was still the party of Lincoln

To the editor: Columnist Mark Z. Barabak was spot on about California turning away from the Republican Party.

Inspired by President Abraham Lincoln’s principles, the GOP was once known as the party of the people, championing civil liberties and equality as its ideological cornerstones. However, the party has undergone a transformation, influenced by individuals with narrow views, straying from its original path.

The GOP has failed to evolve and go back to its roots. Today, the party largely embodies the opposite of Lincoln’s values. Rather than encouraging the participation of talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, it has embraced a more exclusionary approach that aligns with their narrow views.

Certain factions within the GOP remain unwilling to budge on issues such as immigration, and they fail to realize that issues like abortion should be matters of personal moral conscience rather than subjects of legislation.

Rather than promoting free-market ideas to foster a strong economy, the party has focused on legislating family values and has failed to recognize the role that women and minorities play in society.

Eric Rose, Simi Valley

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To the editor: Since the switch from red to blue, the “Democratic stranglehold” on California has overseen an affordable housing crisis and city streets are filled with homelessness.

Housed L.A. residents are singing the blues since the change. The remedy? Move to Florida.

Patrick Kelley, Los Angeles