Letter: Republican beliefs and policies fostered Trump

Here is the Republican Party now cloned as Donald Trump. Since the 1980s when they began the hate government movement the party has spiraled down to a place wherein Trump perfectly represents them. They are surprised, but he epitomizes all they stand for over the past 30-plus years.

▪  Republicans pushed legislation to block predatory lending protections for American soldiers, under pressure from the banking lobby. It imposes a one-year delay on Department of Defense rules meant to shield military families from abusive terms on payday loans and other forms of high-interest credit. They can die for us, but the banksters must make their profits.

▪  Alabama, like other Republican-led states, has closed 31 driver’s license locations where ID’s can be obtained, the vast majority in heavily minority and/or in poverty areas, making it very difficult to get the ID and vote. Of course, this not about voter suppression.

▪  They agree that business owners should be able to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings, if based on religious belief. So, belief “trumps” the law.

▪  They support whatever the NRA wants, despite overwhelming evidence that guns do kill.

▪  They debunk climate change even though all credible evidence indicates that weather changes over the past several years are exacerbated by human actions.

They are opposed to science, gun safety, fair wages, voting rights, veterans’ financial security, health insurance for everyone and a host of programs that would make this country better. This has caused their demise and the party becoming a Trump joke.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 8:37 AM with the headline "Letter: Republican beliefs and policies fostered Trump."