FLAIT

This is a Letter to the Editor that I wrote that was published. A few words were added or removed. Here it is as originally written

After hearing that Republicans were passing legislation in a number of red states that would allow business to discriminate based on religious beliefs, I had to take a look at the calendar to remind myself it's the 21st century. The Right has always told us that our troops in Iraq and in Afghanistan were/are there to "protect American values." Since when did discrimination become an American value? It's ironic because this legislation is something the Taliban would approve of. So Republicans have it backwards. Sanctioning discrimination is not an American value; outlawing it and prosecuting it is.

Anyway, you'd think these legislators would have more important things to do; such as getting their constituents signed up for health insurance through Obamacare and addressing skyrocketing college tuition, our crumbling infrastructure, green technology and mass transit, all of which have been neglected and are in desperate need of attention all over the country.

But instead, Republican-controlled states have spent most of their time making it easier to buy guns, harder for women to get an abortion and trying to legalize discrimination. And they've spent the rest of their time enacting voter ID laws, which, along with cutting back on early voting, will make it more difficult for seniors, minorities and the poor - most of whom tend to support Democrats - to vote.

Perhaps if Republicans spent their time more wisely and productively they wouldn't have to engage in voter suppression to win elections.