U.S.: Why this Caribbean woman is a Republican

1. Quality and strength of Republican ideas and strategies for the future

2. Vigorous foreign policy that has moved away from the old paradigms of coddling dictators: I wish GWB would set Condoleeza Rice to reform State.

3. Strong national defense

4. Low taxation: I earned the money; I have a right to keep most of it

5. Emphasis on initiative, merit, entrepreneurship, and individual achievement

6. Merit-based education policy: no assumptions about ability because of one's color

7. Smaller government: I don't agree with GWB's increased government spending beyond national defense

8. Free market economics: still gritting my teeth over steel tariffs

9. Pro-business economic policies: businesses provide jobs

10. Strict construction approach to the Constitution: I'm fed up of activist judges who discover non-existent rights in the penumbras of the Constitution while ignoring the rights that are clearly enumerated.

While the Democrat philosophy of government (the state as the provider of benefits to diverse groups) might seem attractive, it represents the new plantation and is ultimately demeaning to the citizenry as a whole. Case in point is affirmative action, which Democrats view as so essential for minority success in America. What underlies this insistence on retaining affirmative action policies in higher education, for example, is the unspoken belief that blacks in America are not capable of achieving or competing on the basis of merit, initiative, or study. Consequently, many are set up for failure when they are admitted to universities and cannot cope with the course work. Instead of rectifying the problem and insisting on merit-based reforms at the public school levels, Democrats continue to push for affirmative action without consideration of the impact of the policy on the psyche of a race and a nation. This insistence on affirmative action as a route to success is inherently racist for it assumes intellect and ability based on the color of the skin; thus, blacks are expected to do well at athletics and entertainment but not at academics. That black members of Congress vigorously advocate for affirmative action only points to the sheer hypocrisy of these "leaders" who send their children to private schools where they are well taught; thus they set up two standards, one for THEE, and another for ME.