Republicans do not understand treaties.

The only countries to reject the UN Arms Treaty were Syria, North Korea and Iran. And the US. The other two countries who abstained, China and Russia, are not exactly bastions of forward thinking. For Republicans to put us in the same category as these countries is pitiful.

Much like their rejection of a treaty which recognized the rights of  the handicapped like myself, the rejection of the UN Arms Treaty reflects a deep-seated paranoia and ignorance of how treaties work. Even a cursory reading provides ample evidence of how wrong Republicans are when it comes to the power of these treaties. The treaties explicitly say that their rules do not affect domestic laws. The Supreme Court has said that state and federal laws trump any treaty. The treaties have no enforcement mechanisms and no one to enforce the rules. It is astonishing that senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are so comfortable spreading blatant lies regarding the impact of these treaties. These treaties are simply promises to treat the handicapped fairly and to not sell guns to terrorists. Which is why every sane country in the world has agreed with these treaties. I look forward to the day when we once again join their ranks.

On Government Dependence

Republicans love to keep tally on the less fortunate whether it was Mitt Romney chastising the 47% or Jim DeMint stating that 69.5 million Americans are dependent on the government. What the Republicans fail to understand is that this is only half a talking point. Yes, a lot of people need government assistance but Republicans never talk about why so many people are using government programs.

This is why people are no longer connecting with the Republican Party. Essentially, they are pointing fingers and saying look at those poor people, isn’t that horrible? Instead, they should be asking why is it that so many people need assistance to simply buy food? Why is it that most middle-class families cannot afford to pay for their children’s college education without government loans? Why are there so many less fortunate people?

For the Republican Party to remain relevant, they need ideas, not just a wagging finger and a look of disdain. How about a plan to help lower the cost of tuition? How about a program to help drag people out of poverty? Stop chastising the poor and the needy and start coming up with ideas that will actually help.

Jim DeMint: ‘69.5 Million Americans’ Are Dependent On Government.