This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Republicans like to portray their party as the party of God and high morality, but with the recent election of disgraced former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford to the U.S. House of Representatives, this portrayal may be a bit tainted ("Ex-South Carolina governor Mark Sanford wins U.S. House seat," Tribune, May 8).
Not only was this man cheating on his wife, he was using state funds to visit his mistress in Argentina, all while saying he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. After being elected, Sanford thanked God for blessing him with this second opportunity.
Now this man may have the opportunity to vote on whether loving and faithful same-sex couples will we able to marry, whether a woman has the right to an abortion and how this country treats its poorest and most vulnerable. If Sanford's prior actions are any indication of Republican "morals," I pity those who will be affected by his decisions.
Hopefully, God will bless them the same way he supposedly blessed Sanford.
Matt Meranda
Murray