I am what the political world calls a RINO, Republican  in Name Only. I've been a registered Republican since 1998 and voted with my party in every election since then...except the last one. So disappointed was I in my party, that I voted the other way in nearly every single race.

What would it take for me to start voting Republican again?

1. Why is conservatism reserved for Christians? Isn't it plausible that Muslims, atheists, and Buddhists can all believe in strong families, fiscal prudence and small government/state's rights? Our country was founded on religious freedoms, shouldn't our party be?

2. Speaking of families, stop trying to so narrowly define what is and isn't a family. Blended families, families of mixed ethnic origin, grandparents raising grandchildren, same-sex parents, adoption, surrogacy and single parent homes all exist in today's world. Shouldn't we celebrate the fact that our unique culture allows these families to not only exist but to thrive? Isn't it our diversity that makes us great? If we don't all look the same, why should our families all be the same?

3. Roe v. Wade, let it go. It's been upheld for more than 30 years. Please stop wasting resources on trying to overturn it or passing legislation to circumvent it. Instead how about putting those same resources into helping women avoid having to make that kind of decision in the first place. Start by making sure that women have access to affordable contraception, including the Plan B pill. Allowing women and families to determine the timing and number of children is to empower women economically. No politician, doctor or pharmacist should be able to impose their religious beliefs on patients. Additionally, we need to work to ensure that women and young girls know their worth and have the confidence to take control of their sexual health. Rape victims should be protected while offenders need to be prosecuted swiftly and to the fullest extent of our laws. Sex education needs to be part of the curriculum in health education, not because it encourages sexual activity (which it doesn't) but because it's useful and important information for people to have. Just as a final note: not voting to pass an inclusive version of VAWA and saying incredibly insensitive and inaccurate things about rape, do nothing to dispel the War on Women accusations. Rapes do result in unintended pregnancies, they do occur on college campuses and they are not blessings form God.

4. Speaking of the War on Women, Pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the ERA. How can the U.S. reach it's full economic potential if over half of the population has one hand tied behind their backs?

5. Climate change is real and it's a problem, admit it. As much as we all hate to say it, Al Gore was right. I have no idea who said it first but "The great thing about science is, you don't have to believe in it for it to be real." Believing in science and religious faith are not mutually exclusive of one another. Lots of people have figured out how to rationalize the two within their own minds. I invite you to try and do the same.

6. Stop legislating for Big Pharma, Big Ag, Big Oil, the NRA, ad nauseam. Seriously, the gig is up. We know about lobbyist and how that works and we have a vague understanding of how campaign finance works. We also know there are politicians on both sides of the isle taking fat campaign checks to get elected and then returning the favor at the expense of the American people, the environment and sometimes the world at large. Citizens United is a horrifyingly bad piece of legislation. It undermines the very notion of the people's representation in government and democracy.  At some point, someone is going to figure out how to win and election rather than buying it and then where will you be?