Sometimes I think Republicans try to punish women by inventing new obstacles to abortions when a multitude of restrictions already exist. I've never met anyone who is comfortable with abortions, but they are legal and women who seek them shouldn't be punished. Why do I say punish? Because Republicans don't pursue laws to hold men accountable for fathering unwanted babies, nor do they pursue laws that reach out to pregnant women in their time of need. We should work to prevent unwanted pregnancies and protect unborn babies without punishing women.

I'm pretty sure Republicans seek to punish gays because they have proposed laws that make it legal to discriminate against gays. We may not embrace or understand the gay lifestyle, but punishing them for being gay is wrong.

I wouldn't so much say that Republicans seek to punish immigrants by not allowing a path to citizenship, but I do believe that Republicans are unsympathetic to immigrants. A lot of this country was built by immigrants, and now we have millions here with little hope of becoming legal. There should be a path to citizenship, even if it's a long and hard one.

And I don't necessarily think Republicans seek to punish the poor by limiting Medicaid, cutting food stamps, etc., but there does seem to be a double standard. We agree that government spending is out of control, but the Republicans are usually OK with subsidies, tax breaks for the rich, bank bailouts, price supports, corporate welfare, business incentives, etc.

GARY L. GAINES, Cape Girardeau