The Republican Party of Louisiana.
They control the governor’s mansion. They control the state House of
Representatives. They control the state
Senate. The majority of Louisiana’s
Congressional delegation are members of the Republican Party of Louisiana.
Unfortunately, none
of these political “leaders” has ever read the Louisiana GOP party platform.
Following is an excerpt from the preamble of their party
platform:
“The pursuit of
opportunity has defined America from our very beginning. This is a land of
opportunity. The American Dream is a dream of equal opportunity for all. And
the Republican Party is the party of opportunity.”
“….any American who
works hard, dreams big and follows the rules can achieve anything he or she
wants…We will lift the torch of freedom and democracy to inspire all those who
would be free.”
“Trust the people.
Limit government. Respect federalism. Guarantee opportunity, not outcomes.
Adhere to the rule of law. Reaffirm that our rights come from God, are
protected by government, and that the only just government is one that truly
governs with the consent of the governed.”
Now, let’s apply their Republican logic to Louisiana’s 2014
legislative session.
Louisiana Right to Life lobbyists purchased Rep. Katrina
Jackson (D-Monroe) early on in the session.
Her proposed HB 388 – which is copycat legislation declared
unconstitutional in Mississippi, Texas and other GOP-led states – demanded
hospital admitting privileges of doctors providing comprehensive, legal
healthcare services to women.
The bill
was celebrated by Louisiana’s GOP-led legislature….but many of our esteemed elected
officials walked out on expert testimony and neglected their final voting responsibility.
Gov. Bobby Jindal signed the bill into law at
a Baptist church, along with the imprecise HB 1274 which dictates that a dead
woman shall be kept alive by the State if she happens to be pregnant. In fact,
the State’s dictate supersedes the wishes of her family, the recommendation of
her doctor, and possibly her own advance directive (DNR).
“Trust the people.
Limit government…the only just government is one that truly governs with the
consent of the governed….We will lift the torch of freedom and democracy…”
Our Republican governor refused Medicaid expansion,
eliminating access to basic affordable healthcare for over 200,000 working
families, women and children in Louisiana.
Our GOP-led Senate rejected equal
pay for all women in our state, watering down the bill to restrict fair
compensation to only those who work for the government.
Republicans in the Senate never bothered to
vote on SB 334, which would have reduced Louisiana’s gender pay gap –the second
worst in the U.S.
The GOP also shot down
all six bills that would have allowed for an increase in the minimum wage in
Louisiana - and 2/3 of minimum wage workers are women.
“This is a land of opportunity…any
American who works hard, dreams big and follows the rules can achieve anything
he or she wants….”
Republican-led efforts defeated every comprehensive sex-ed
initiative for Louisiana’s teens. As most Americans know, our state leads the
country in STI’s, teen pregnancy rates, and HIV/AIDS case rates among young
people under 24 years of age.
Then, Louisiana’s GOP House members killed a bill to protect
domestic violence victims from eviction.
Young women in Louisiana have to face facts.
As long as Republicans control our state government, we will
not have access to comprehensive sex education in public schools, we will not
earn equal (or even fair) pay, we will not have access to adequate healthcare,
and we will be denied opportunity after opportunity simply because WE ARE NOT
MEN. Republicans don’t even want women
to have fair housing if they are abused, or die on their own terms!
“The American Dream
is a dream of equal opportunity for all. And the Republican Party is the party
of opportunity…”
LOUISIANA WOMEN: DON’T FORGET TO VOTE - YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON
IT!
