Republicans better than this

I was saddened, angered and perplexed by the Jan. 29 Clay Bennett cartoon of an older white male welcoming people to a GOP torture chamber; saddened by more coarsening of public discourse, and by this perception of the Republican Party, the party that freed the slaves, led the fight in Congress for civil rights against Democratic opposition, and advocates less government and more freedom.

I was angered by the implication that Republicans somehow “torture” anyone, and perplexed at the message, unless you refer to waterboarding at Guantanamo Bay. Nothing, by any stretch of the imagination, merits such denigration of half the American electorate.

The GOP stands for freedom and opportunity to compete in a free marketplace, rather than remain slaves to government handouts. Traditional values – not fundamentally changing our culture and economy – are the Republican virtues, while Democrats now just buy people’s votes, promising a free lunch, keeping them in their place on a government plantation. “Progressive” policies lead only to less wealth, while fewer and fewer work to provide for the welfare of all.

John MacAllister

Spokane Valley