Editor, Manteca Bulletin,

Reading Karen Pearsall’s well-written letter in response to a letter that was recently in the Bulletin from a local leader of the Republican Party, it caused me to read that letter again. The first thing I found interesting was the headline of the letter “American vision, Conservative style”. Do we really need to have someone try and give us a vision of what a conservative America would look like, considering that we just had 30 years of this failed political movement? Taking into consideration that hindsight is 20/20, this vision came off as near sighted.

This really isn’t much of a vision; it was more symbolic in nature without any real substance. There was his usual act of wrapping himself in the usual talking points, the flag, and the bible, but I didn’t see any solutions for the economy, health care, improving education, creating jobs, or helping the local dairy farmers. It seems his vision has no more substance now than the conservatives have had for 30 years.

In typical conservative double talk, he claims he is for liberty, but then goes on to say that the federal government should be able to do surveillance through the use of the Patriot Act to protect America from terrorism. Since the extremists on the right are calling the Democrats terrorists, I am left with the thought that if you speak poorly of the conservatives; the FBI will follow you, listen to your phone calls, read your email. This idea isn’t so farfetched considering the things we are hearing from the conservatives in congress today. The Patriot Act itself is contrary to liberty and leaves a lot of trust in the government to use it properly. The very government that this conservative leader feels should be limited.

His conservative answer for education is to allow a moment of silence in schools, where children can pray silently, if they choose. This brings up two issues, one, the amount of time that our children have in school is too precious to carve out a moment of silence.  The second issue is, do we have a problem in this country where parents are not letting their children pray at home? They need sanctuary in order to pray? I thought that is what church was for. Isn’t religion supposed to start at home?

After 30 years of a conservative movement that has exponentially grown government, which was fiscally irresponsible to the tune of a $12 trillion debt, it is hard to take anything this conservative leader says. Our schools have degenerated during these 30 years; we have been in three wars and a plethora of military skirmishes, our revenues have been cut to the extent that the federal government as well as many, many states are facing deficits.  This movement has driven this country into the deepest recession since 1929, the last time the conservatives led this country into financial ruin.  The ranks of the poor and the rich have grown, while the middle class is evaporating before our eyes.

I too have a vision of a fiscally responsible government, but based on the last 30 years, this will never happen with conservative leadership. I too have a vision of liberty, but based on the last 30 years, this will never happen with conservative leadership. I too wish that all citizens have the freedom to pray to which ever god they believe in without influence from the government, but based on the last thirty years, this will never happen with conservative leadership. I have a vision that there will be no constitutional amendments that limit any American’s rights or liberties, but based on the last 30 years, this will never happen with conservative leadership.

Good news for this local conservative leader, you currently have the right to invest in your own retirement contrary to what you stated. The one thing that I did see, which really amazed me, and proved that Frank may finally be joining the American culture of personal rights is when he said that abortions should be a mother’s choice. Maybe change is in the air.