VOTE AGAINST ALL REPUBLICANS AND THE TEA PARTY IN 2012

Republicans and the Tea Party have repeatedly shown they do not support, or represent, the American people. By signing this petition, I pledge to vote them all out of office in 2012. It's time to take back our country, so it is once again, for the people, and by the people, not just the wealthy and big corporations.

To balance the budget, House Republicans want to target virtually everyone, except the wealthy and corporations. Their budget proposals slash funding for labor, health and human services, education, services for the poor, unemployed, and the elderly.They also want to abolish, or make severe cuts, to Social Security and Medicare, which the Bush administration depleted, by "borrowing" the surplus $1.7 Trillion from Social Security in 2005, but never paid back.

Republicans are against women's rights. Not only do they oppose abortion, but also health care coverage for contraceptives. However, they do not oppose health care coverage for men, that includes prescription coverage for Viagra, or vasectomies. Even more disturbing, in October 2011, House Republicans passed the “Protect Life Act.”, also known as the “Let Woman Die” act. This radical measure will allow hospitals that receive federal funding to reject any pregnant woman seeking an abortion in any circumstance, even if it is necessary to save her life. Another example of this attack on women are laws recently passed in Texas and Virginia, that require women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound. Even more preposterous, a proposed law in Arizona could give employers the right to fire women who use birth control, and grants employers the right to ask for proof that contraceptives are being taken for non-contraceptive reasons.

It is evident the main objective of the Tea Party and GOP is to benefit, and protect, the special interests of the wealthy and big corporations, with tax credits and loopholes, while hurting everyone else. They have failed to pass any legislation that would help the economy or promote jobs, and in October 2011, a national Tea Party group posted a pledge online asking small business owners to stop creating jobs and sink our economy even further.

Rather than work with President Obama on his jobs proposal, House Republicans have attempted to undermine, and one up, the President on numerous occasions with their own jobs plan. Their jobs proposal gives tax cuts to the wealthy, and would repeal any and all regulations, including those that protect workers, consumers, and the environment, as well as repealing the Affordable Health Care Act. Not one job would be created from the GOP's jobs plan, that panders solely to the wealthy and big corporations.

The GOP has intentionally roadblocked any, and all, efforts by President Obama to improve the economy and promote jobs, in a vindictive attempt to make him look bad, because of their true agenda: to make him a one term President; a vow they took from the day they were elected into office. They do so at the expense of the American people, by purposefully allowing the economy to worsen. Their actions have resulted in dramatic drops in the stock market, the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, and millions of job losses. This is unacceptable.

In addition, Koch Industries, a multi-billion dollar company that backs Republican political campaigns, is responsible for the rise in gas prices. They are deliberately inflating the price of oil and gasoline, to discredit President Obama. Traders working for Koch Industries not only gave PowerPoint presentations outlining their plans to drive up the price of oil, but openly boasted about gaming the market in the business press. Koch began buying up oil and storing it in massive containers both on land and offshore to lock in the oil for sale later at a set price. They also did this back in 2008. At the beginning of February 2012, Koch and about 300 other, invitation only, individuals pledged approximately $100 million to defeat President Obama in the 2012 elections at a private meeting in California. It is not coincidental that there was a distinctive rise in gas prices at the end of February 2012. Their intent to cripple the economy and consumers, in an effort to hurt the President's approval rating, and hinder his re-election is an outrage!

Republicans have other tricks up their sleeves to manipulate elections. Legislation has passed in several states to change electoral votes, while mandating strict Voter ID requirements. Some states have resorted to even more devious tactics, as demonstrated by the actions of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer who began an impeachment process for removing members from the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, to seek a more Republican-friendly redistricting map.

These legislative changes are a deliberate and underhanded attempt to prevent millions of people from excercising their right to vote in upcoming elections, while undermining the democratic voting process. It is their intent to hinder votes for the Democratic Party, and specifically target minority and low income individuals, to stop them from casting their vote in 2012; a violation of their Amendment rights.

By signing this petition, I am putting all my elected officials on notice of my intent to vote out, and against, all Republicans, and members of the Tea Party, in all upcoming future elections, as they do not represent the best interests of the American people.