Letter: It's time to say no to Republicans

To the editor: It is sad to see what has happened to the Republican Party in this country. Influenced by tea party extremists, the Republican Party is now little more than the Party of No. Led by their visceral hatred of President Barack Obama, they no longer are interested in the national or state economy, much less the poor and minorities. Their leader in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Mitch McConnell, made it clear after Obama’s election in 2008 that the single most important thing Republicans wanted to achieve was for President Obama to be a one-term president. From then on, the Republican Party, both nationally and in our own state, has become the Party of No. The Republicans have said no to any legislation they believe may reflect well on Obama, no matter the cost to the people. They have said no to immigration reform, no to reform of the U.S. Tax Code, no to long-term rebuilding of our crumbling infrastructure (roads, bridges, dams, etc.), no to extending unemployment benefits to the jobless, and 54 times no to the Affordable Care Act. In Wisconsin, under Gov. Walker, the no continues. Walker has said no to high-speed rail, no to federal aid to lower the cost to the state of providing health insurance and no to public funding of our public schools. One thing Walker has not said no to was taking advice from the Koch brothers. It might be one thing if the Republican Party actually had a positive vision for our state and our country, but they don’t. Instead, suing President Obama and trying desperately to link Mary Burke to former Gov. Doyle seems to be all they are capable of. Our country and our state would be helped immensely this November by voters saying no to the Republican Party. Viola Lawrenz, Shawano