|
The US would be far worse off with Tom DeLay as President. Everything we know and loathe about the incumbent administration would be there except worse by an order of magnitude.
There would be far fewer civil liberties than there are now. Right wing extremists would use their usual charge of "pornography" to silence open dissention, no matter that there was no obscenity or blasphemy, and be backed up by a corrupted Justice Department and packed judiciary. The bad old days of COINTELPRO would be back.
Religious persecution would make its biggest comeback since the anti-Mormon activity in the 19th century. Pagans would be considered fair game. Only it woldn't be just pagans being prosecuted, but also minority sects like Unity, Unitarians, Christian Scientists, and also some mainline protestant Christian sects.
The Far Right would continue and expand its war on sexual minorities. Gays would face the sort of persecution they hadn't seen in decade. Abortion will not only have been banned, but it would be difficult, if not impossible, for heterosexuals to have access to birth control or reproductive information.
The US economy would be a shambles. A DeLay presidency would probably follow at least another Republican administration or tow and Dubya's policies of deficit spending, failure to maintain infrastructure, and educational budget cuts would be hitting home.
Most of Dubya's policies would continue. A few jobs would come back. An impoverished US would make a great sweatshop enviornment for prosperous European nations as well as South Korea and Japan.
US society would resemble what it did during the Harding--Coolidge years--half prosperous, half in poverty and half of the prosperous worrying about that they too could be joining the ranks of the nouveau poor.
The energy and enviornment picture would be cause for wailing and gnashing of teeth. The US would be facing a hostile OAPEC (The guys who cut off the oil in 1973), and alternate energy wouldn't be available because alternate energy isn't CPC (Conservative Politically Correct). US wild areas and national forests would no longer be taxpayer property--they would have been put out for sale using the excuse of massive Federal debt, and sold to "connected" corporations (Usually GOP donors) at well below market rates. The US would also be a pariah nation. Pollution regulations and enforcement would be a joke.
A DeLay Presidency would finish off NATO and other foreign alliances, if they hadn't been done in already by an earlier Republican administration. Most nations currently allowing US basing rights would doubtlessly have been busy revoking them.
The US would also have chilly foreign relations with its two closest neighbors--Canada and Mexico.
I could go on, but I won't.
To the slackers who don't bother to vote, "Unpleasant dreams!" Your indolence and apathy can make this nightmare come true.
|