Our institutions are unprepared to withstand the onslaught of Christian conservatives who falsely claim a unique privilege to pass moral judgment. Jews, Muslims, atheists and agnostics of all persuasions are excluded from the discussion. Women are relegated to second-class citizenship and LBGTQ+ members are vilified without reason or remorse.

Meanwhile, Republicans will give the wealthy every advantage to subjugate their workers to reduce their bargaining and voting power, while the working poor are unfairly derided as morally tainted or lazy. American families are not lazy. They are deprived of the economic equity that would ensure fair compensation for honest work.

To hide the immoral and undemocratic nature of their actions, the wealthy pretend to bond with blue-collar workers by selling them guns and pro-life stickers and the illusion that their Republican legislator doesn’t care about them. They don’t.

You need look no further than Republican ‘no’ votes on Medicaid expansion, child tax credits, minimum wage, parental leave and food stamps, to see the cruelty. ruthlessness that is endemic to the Republican Party. They will cut revenues by giving the rich a tax break, then declare that there is no money in the federal budget to keep American children from going hungry.

Then the complicit Republicans allow the Supreme Court to throw an anti-abortion bone at those rabid minority voters who are being misled into believing their particular moral values ​​are being served. The Court’s blatant misuse of Christianity is just the ragged sheepskin garment it puts on before devouring democracy.

The Dobbs case overthrowing Roe was based on a fundamentalist Christian principle, more political than biblical. This is not in line with Jewish faith or law. It was a religion become law. So did the recent case protecting a coach’s ability to lead a prayer in the center of a public high school football field. Of course, it was a Christian prayer. And the religious symbol that was allowed to remain on public land was a Christian cross. And the public funds that must now be diverted to private schools thanks to the Court? A case brought by Christian schools. A religion has made the law.

I don’t know how many religions are practiced in the United States, but sanctioning one over another is contrary to our way of governing. Our laws should not be judged by inquisitors who will determine whether their, and only their, particular notion of God’s will is served or relevant.

Meanwhile, the Republicans who built this Court for that purpose will continue to distract voters with their brand of nonsense. Inflation is the product of wealthy CEOs who price gouge, but Republicans won’t tell you that. Gas prices are high because oil companies intentionally keep production low and raise prices, but the GOP won’t stop them. Instead, Republicans represent the rich getting richer. That’s it.

All the clamor about gun rights, abortion and voter fraud means nothing to the rich. If they represented Christian values, they would dilute their wealth to benefit others via higher taxes and they would not curtail women’s rights while refusing to rescue children. And if they were to avoid false testimony, they would admit that Trump lost and voter fraud is a myth.

The truth is that the Republican Party no longer has a moral center. He supports a former president who wanted his vice president dead at the hands of a mob of insurgents. He supports a Court that produces radical religious doctrine, not law. And no matter how many lies its members must tell or swallow to consolidate their power in the service of the wealthiest individuals.

I don’t want to live under a theocratic or autocratic government, designed to serve only the wealthy. Do you? So vote.

Robert Schwaninger lives in Alton and can be reached at [email protected]