To the editor:

Republicans are rapidly becoming solely anti-tax, anti-spending and socially conservative. The first position is being forced on them by Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform, which pressures Republicans to veto any tax initiative. The second is the Tea Party’s support for Rep. Ryan’s “Roadmap to Prosperity.” The last is currently promoted by Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition. Reed, do recall, was partnered with Abramoff (serving time) in bilking six Indian tribes out of millions.

Reed’s faith is apparently that of the Old Testament: retributive justice and betrayal with an overwhelming self-righteousness. His social agenda, which includes the surprising declaration that Israel belongs only to the Jews and includes Samaria and Judea (Palestine), is like those who believe that the stars in their courses fight for their personal agendas. They are to the rest of us a nuisance at best and a menace at worst.

The more troubling declarations about taking away funding reduces our representatives of every vestige of real power. Representatives will lose their social roles, competence and political consequence. What will remain will be the new PACs, holders of political franchises and owners of vast corporations. Removing funding for social programs (Social Security, Medicare, health care), firing government workers (reducing jobs) and cutting taxes (multimillionaires and corporations benefiting the most) will make the deficit far worse. These same programs made Calvin Coolidge’s era collapse economically.

Have Tea Party Republicans lost faith in charity toward their fellows? Norquist gives us one answer when he reportedly declared at Reed’s recent F&FC conference, “We don’t need a president with ideas.”