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Dear reader, don’t be shocked by the concept that there are a few good Republican ideas out there. I realize those of you who have read this column for the past 46 years or so believe that my idea of a good Republican is Abraham Lincoln. But here are some worthy ideas fostered by Republicans that either have been adopted or should be considered.
School vouchers — Some of my liberal friends think a school voucher program is tantamount to abandoning the public school system. I believe vouchers actually could help. The dirty little secret behind much of the opposition is the belief that public schools can’t compete with private and parochial schools, yet in Philadelphia, Masterman High School not only competes, it exceeds them. Most organizations improve with competition as it breeds efficiency and innovation.
How about the argument that vouchers would simply drain funds from the public school system? The main reason public schools fight a constant battle for adequate funding is their support base is too narrow. Would New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie so blithely use its public schools as the whipping boy for budget cuts if the interests of private and parochial school parents were joined with those of the public school parents? I don’t think so.
Democrats have historically opposed vouchers. In recent months, Democrats in D.C. voted to cut off funding for a voucher system allowing low-income children to get a better education. That’s not a good policy nor is it good politics for a party that purports to care more for the poor. Voucher systems have been popular with middle- and lower-income parents who want more choices. Credit the idea of vouchers to the Republicans.
Mandates for health insurance — This might surprise you but the idea that the government require all Americans to get health insurance originated with the Republicans. In 1993, Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Charles Grassley of Iowa broached the idea of mandates that would form the basis of health-care reform. Then Republican Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, incorporated them into law in his state, which led to our new federal health care law.
The stimulus — Most of the attention on the stimulus package has been focused on what it has not done, but folks tend to have short memories. Only swift government action avoided a complete economic meltdown. Also forgotten is that the original stimulus bill was passed during the last days of the George W. Bush administration. The Democrats’ stimulus package was actually the second.
Tort reform — While it is true the net savings of tort reform appear to have been overhyped by its mostly Republican proponents, it is an idea whose time has come. The legal profession obscenely profits from our current tort laws just as the health insurance industry does with the laws governing health care. Democrats have trouble admitting as much when it comes to tort reform just as Republicans are wedded to the big health insurance companies. In both cases, it is less of a difference of political philosophy than who contributes to their political campaigns.
Nuclear power and offshore drilling — President Obama shocked his Democratic constituency by acknowledging the limited use of nuclear power plants has a place in a plan to make America energy independent. These were ideas pushed by mainly Republicans in the past. Critics link nuclear waste disposal problems and the potential vulnerability of such power plants to a terrorist attack. These are legitimate concerns that must be addressed, but should not result in rejecting nuclear power use. If France can safely use nuclear power, I don’t see why American ingenuity can’t do the same.
In the same way, the president recently realized that while we should develop alternate renewable energy sources, we can’t ignore our offshore oil reserves. Limited drilling has a role in a hybrid approach designed to free us from dependence on foreign oil. There have been considerable improvements in drilling that more effectively safeguard against environmental hazards. We will not drill our way out of our energy dilemma, but we should not ignore our own oil reserves.
I have outlined five good essentially Republican ideas. What’s the catch? Today’s Republican Party has mainly turned its back on its own ideas. Take the federal mandates for health insurance. Republican attorney generals across the country, including our own Tom Corbett, are suing to rid the mandates, calling them “unconstitutional.” Even the originators of the idea, Hatch and Grassley, now reject the idea. Health-care reform, the brainchild of Romney, is now just “socialism.”
The stimulus, which began under Bush, is also rejected by Republicans as a socialist plot. Obama’s proposed use of nuclear power and offshore drilling is not enough in Republican’s minds. It seems that all it takes for Republicans to reject their own ideas is for Obama to propose them.
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