I had gone to the GOP's web page in hopes of learning why good people would join a party I see as being basically Un-American with each passing day. Imagine my surprise to find the Republican Oath - an Oath that I could almost totally get behind ... and yet the actual Republican party is as far from with the current president and administration.

"I'm a Republican Because...

I BELIEVE the strength of our nation lies with the individual and that each person’s dignity, freedom, ability and responsibility must be honored.
I BELIEVE in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or disability.

Let's just throw out there Bush's desire to add to the constitution of the United States of American the ban on Gay Marriage. Not allowing people to marry for whatever reason goes totally against this part of the oath.

I BELIEVE free enterprise and encouraging individual initiative have brought this nation opportunity, economic growth and prosperity.
I BELIEVE government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn.

Uh - fiscal responsibility - what about the NATIONAL DEBT That alone is enough evidence this president and this administration has not been fiscally responsible. Add to this the fact that the top 1% income bracket got a tax break in a time of WAR - the only time ever a Civilization has given a tax break during a time of WAR and this administration has been the most fiscally irresponsible!

Lets also talk about jobs- 2.4 million people have lost their jobs since Bush took office. On average -79,189 jobs were created during a month during the last 4 years - thats a net loss of 79 thousand jobs a month!

The cost of Bush's tax cuts including interest on our national debt is 2.2 trillion dollars for the next 10 years. The percent of the tax cut for the top 1% of wage earners was 32.4 percent while the 64 million taxpayers received 100 or less from bush's "growth" Plan. We learned that "trickle down economics" didn't work during the Reagan era and yet that's what this amounts to. There has been a 10 percent increase in the number of bankruptcy filings since Bush took office... I could go on and on the examples of how the economy has suffered under this "Republican" administration are boundless. Fiscal responsibility - obviously Bush skipped that part of his oath.

I BELIEVE the proper role of government is to provide for the people only those critical functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations and that the best government is that which governs least.

What about Ashcroft and the Patriot act - talk about the government going way beyond "only critical functions". How about the Faith based initiatives, that's government stepping in more - hardly "governs least"

I BELIEVE the most effective, responsible and responsive government is government closest to the people.

I wasn't sure what they meant by this, sort of sounds like the opposite of the previous paragraph, maybe they are invoking the states rights issue here I'm not sure what this particular section actually means.

I BELIEVE Americans must retain the principles that have made us strong while developing new and innovative ideas to meet the challenges of changing times. I BELIEVE Americans value and should preserve our national strength and pride while working to extend peace, freedom and human rights throughout the world."

If we look to the constitution for the principles that have made us strong, than this administration has trampled that part of the oath too. Our National pride was at an all time high during this administration after 9/11, even I was behind Bush completely when we went into Afghanistan and then he blew it, we are now more polarized than ever.

I wondered if the democratic party had an "Oath" as well, but I couldn't find one... What i did find was the Democratic Party Credo - Section 17 of the Charter which I'm totally behind and believe in. - see below. The democratic leaders we've had in the past may have been flawed individuals but I could trust that they worked hard for the betterment of our Nation and not just for the pockets of a few friends. This is why I'm proud to be a democrat.

We recognize that the capacity of government is limited but we regard democratic government as a force for good and a source of hope. At the heart of our party lies a fundamental conviction, that Americans must not only be free, but they must live in a fair society. We believe it is the responsibility of government to help us achieve this fair society.

• a society where the elderly and the disabled can lead lives of dignity and where Social Security remains an unshakable commitment
• a society where all people can find jobs in a growing full-employment economy
• a society where all workers are guaranteed without question the legal right to join unions of their own choosing and to bargain collectively for decent wages and conditions of employment
• a society where taxes are clearly based on ability to pay
• a society where the equal rights of women are guaranteed in the Constitution
• a society where the civil rights of minorities are fully secured and where no one is denied the opportunity for a better life
• a society where both public and private discrimination based upon race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, economic status, philosophical persuasion or physical disability are condemned and where our government moves aggressively to end such discrimination through lawful means;
• a society where we recognize that the strengthening of the family and the protection of children are essential to the health of the nation;
• a society where a sound education, proper nutrition, quality medical care, affordable housing, safe streets and a healthy environment are possible for every citizen;


• a society where the livelihoods of our family farmers are as stable as the values they instill in the American character
• a society where a strong national defense is a common effort, where promoting human rights is a basic value of our foreign policy, and where we ensure that future by ending the nuclear arms race.

This is our purpose and our promise."