By Robert LaRosa
A few weeks ago Phil Orenstein touted the accomplishments of his Queens Village GOP club. He praised Republicans for not only being in the news, but making the news. He’s right, they were “in” the news a short time later when the House Republicans budget proposal came out, a budget which would cut more than $13.4 billion in federal funding to New York City and its residents over 10 years. The city would lose $487 million on Head Start funding, $2.3 billion in research grants from the National Institute of Health, $148 million from the Health Center Program and $59 million from substance abuse programs. New York would lose $1 billion in money for transit and $1.3 billion in college aid, which would affect more than 250,000 students. A
And that is the reason the majority of New Yorkers support Democrats. It’s simple, People are intelligent. And now Republicans have made the news. I’m speaking of the disgraceful law enacted in Indiana by GOP Gov. Mike Pence. Indiana just joined 19 other states, giving businesses the right to refuse service to homosexuals (and LGBT people) on “religious grounds.”
Arkansas is ready to move forward with a similar, bigoted law. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence claims his newly passed “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” is all about tolerance, and protecting the religious liberty of people of faith. But it’s really just a cover for bigotry. The problem is plain and simple: If a religious belief infringes upon a person’s civil rights, it should be outlawed. Pence said he believes in the “Golden Rule”that you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you. He said, “If I saw restaurant owner refuse to serve a gay couple, I wouldn’t eat there anymore.”
That’s the problem! Pence doesn’t realize that the restaurant owner should not be able to discriminate for any reason! Just exactly how does a gay couple requesting a wedding cake offend a heterosexual pastry chef? What would Pence (or any other religious fanatic) do if their child announced they were gay? Would he disown them? Ostracize them? Take them out behind the wood shed and stone them until they changed their sexual preference? Being gay is not a choice. Religion is a choice!
(Editor’s note” Pence amended the law to provide the state’s first protection for gay people, while Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the law that left the religious freedom language largely intact.)
Following the teachings of mortal men, which were written centuries ago, is a choice. Refusing to accept reality is a choice. Denying scientific facts is a choice. Remaining ignorant is a choice. Being hateful, bigoted and homophobic is a choice. Indiana hosted the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament. You can bet it wouldn’t be hosting next year if this law hadn’t been changed. Arizona hosted the Super Bowl in February because Gov. Jan Brewer reversed her position on immigration enforcement. She didn’t want to lose the Super Bowl like her state did in the ‘ 90sfor refusing to recognize Martin Luther King Day.
It’s too bad Indiana, Arizona, Arkansas and other GOP states can’t secede and build a 40-fRepuboot wall around their new country. This would keep immigrants, gays and liberals out. And keep the ignorance in. However, I do look forward to the GOP presidential debates. It will be nice to watch them all pile out of their clown car. And it will be truly hilarious to see not one of them raise their hand when asked if they believe in evolution, climate change or if the earth is more than 6000 years old.
Robert LaRosa
Whitestone
