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I recently took a look at the respective websites for the Berks County Democratic and Republican committees.

According to berks-dems.org, Berks County Democrats promise to “fight to preserve and improve” affordable college tuition, the Americans with Disabilities Act, consumer protection/Consumer Bill of Rights, environmental protection for clean air, water and soil, fair labor standards, health care, marriage equality, Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security, veterans’ pay and benefits, women’s rights and workers’ compensation.

According to berksgop.com, the core beliefs of Berks County Republicans are acknowledging our creator, love of country, traditional family values, sanctity of life, respect for the rule of law, Second Amendment rights, property rights, constitutional judges, national sovereignty, secure borders, less government, lower taxes, capitalism and personal responsibility.

I was a little taken aback to see “acknowledging our creator” at the top of the list since the First Amendment prohibits the establishment of a state religion.

I was also surprised to see “less government” on a list of the values of a party that wants to regulate women’s reproductive health and dictate who may or may not get married.

Most of all, I wondered how a party that values respect for the rule of law could support people who attacked law enforcement officers on Jan. 6, 2021, in order to prevent United States election law from being followed.

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