Dear Editor:

At one time the Republican Party could be relied upon to announce itself as the party of “family values.” Not so much anymore. Its track record has been abysmal in recent years and this year, particularly has revealed a meanness and depravity of such depth as to make you wonder of the fate of humanity.

Children bear the brunt of the Republican policy. The number of children in poverty has risen as Republicans have waged their war on welfare recipients. The infant mortality rate has descended to that one would expect to find in an undeveloped country. In fact many so called undeveloped countries have better infant mortality rates than we do.

Republican leadership, along with Representative Hawke and Senator Dow, have done everything they can to block impoverished working families from getting adequate health care. Senator Collins and Congressman Poliquin have also done their part to undermine our healthcare system making health insurance ever more expensive and out of reach of even middle income workers. When our health insurance rates go up this fall you may start referring to our health insurance system as “CollinsCare.”

Republican Poliquin has also proposed drastically reducing funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program or CHIP.

But Republican Gov. LePage and Attorney General Sessions have reached new depth of moral depravity in asserting the state as the better arbiter in the welfare of children than their parents. LePage’s proposal at least is cloaked in some sort of moral rationalism but Session’s deliberate separation of children from their families is nothing less than reprehensible.

The Republican platform gives lip service to “family values” but really what they seem to mean is that government has no role in the welfare of children. In practice Republican policy has been decidedly detrimental to our children who are the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society.

Being a Democrat, I cannot hope to change the Republican platform or the actions of its leaders. But I do ask and plead with my fellow countrymen to open their eyes to the effect their policy making has on our children.