Below is the platform of the three major parties (Democrat, Republican and Libertarian) on major the issues: social security, jobs, economy, security/defense, legal/tort reform, tax reform, immigration, faith, education, abortion, energy, heathcare, foreign policy, campaign finance reform, environment, guns, gay rights.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
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Social security should remain a government sponsored insurance plan for retirees.
Encourage businesses to keep jobs here and not outsource them overseas. Supports unions and advocates for the rights of low income workers.
Increase taxes to cut deficit. Believes large deficit negatively affects government services and that low deficits stimulate the economy.
Believe in a limited missile defense. Oppose nuclear buildup in the U.S. Believe that peace is achieved through worldwide relationship building.
Oppose tort reform and oppose limiting liability of doctors and/or businesses.
Generally supports raising taxes on the wealthy, lowering taxes for the middle class.
Support illegal alien's ability and right to become citizens and giving them more protections under the law.
Strict adherence between the separation between church and state. Promote secular issues and a more secular nation.
Oppose vouchers. Increase NCLB federal funding. Enact new taxes to decrease class size and hire new teachers.
Generally pro-choice owning the mantra, "Safe, legal, rare."
Wish to find environmentally friendly energy sources and solutions. Oppose increased drilling, especially in the U.S.
Supports more federally funded healthcare programs.
Strongly supports worldwide coalitions and multi-national programs. Supports aid for disadvantaged countries. Supports the UN.
Favor more regulation with spending limits on individuals and corporations.
Generally puts the interest of the environment over business.
Wants to maintain federal land under government control.
Strict gun control.
Generally supports gay marriage although Democrats remain largely divided on the issue, as some only support civil unions.
REPUBLICAN PARTYSocial security should be privatized (not to be confused with private savings accounts, but rather, private investments).
Pro small business. Supports giving small businesses tax incentives so that more jobs can be created.
Supports free market competition and entrepreneurship, corporate deregulation and cutting entitlement spending.
Believe in a proactive military and defense. Supports building weapons and technology that serve to protect our nation. Believe that peace is achieved through strong defense. Increase defense and research budget.
Supports tort reform and limiting victims compensation, especially for frivolous lawsuits.
Supports tax cuts, low interest rates and the repeal of the death tax penalty in effort to stimulate the economy.
Generally supports closed or tight borders and tracking system for foreign travelers.
Religion strongly associated with Republican party. Advocate free exercise of religion.
Promote school choice/vouchers and homeschooling. Supports voluntary student supported prayer in school. Opposes gender and race quotes in colleges.
Generally pro-life with emphasis on promoting alternatives to abortion.
Oppose Kyoto treaty. Support tax incentives for energy production.
Keep healthcare private. Would like to impose caps on malpractice suits. Supports reformed medicare to give seniors more choices.
Spread Democracy. Supports UN reform. Wants to stop WMD proliferation countries. Believe that nations who support terrorist are just as bad as the terrorist themselves.
Generally support soft money contributions from individuals but supports limiting it from corporations. Also supports full disclosure.
Supports privatizing federal land. Believe in cap and trade market based air pollution reductions and that the market should regulate itself.
Limited gun control.
Oppose gay marriage. Supports constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
LIBERTARIAN PARTYBelieve in an "opt out" policy in which one can choose to privately invest (they believe this to be the better option) or go with a government sponsored social security plan.
Free market should dictate the job market.
100% Free Market.
Believe in reducing nuclear arms in the U.S. Military should be used to protect people's livery and property only.
Generally does not support tort reform.
Stridently opposes all government imposed taxes and employer withdrawal of employees money for tax purposes.
Support open borders.
Strong belief in separation of church and state and by contrast, Libertarians hold a strong belief in freedom of religion.
End government financial support of public schools, believe that all public schools should be privatized with tax credit for tuition.
Adamantly pro-choice but oppose any government financial aid to subsidize abortions.
Supports deregulation and believes all government energy resources should be turned over to private ownership. Opposes government conservation of energy.
Strongly supports a complete separation of healthcare and state. Supports the deregulation of the healthcare industry.
End all foreign aid because it's the same as welfare for nations. Believes that aid perpetuates independence on your government.
No restrictions on contributions form any legal resident. Believe that politicians holding an office should not be able to run for another seat until term is over.
Believes that land and animals should be sold to private organizations or ranchers and taken out of the hands of the government because private citizens will care for it better.
(Guns) No control whatsoever.
Pro private choice and equality including marriage.[/blockquote][/color]
My take is that some people are socially liberal and fiscally conservative while others are fiscally conservative and socially liberal. Even still some consider themselves liberal all around or conservative on everything.
It's up to us to know that no matter who we vote for, whether it’s an individual, a party, or an idea, our candidate will uphold his party’s platforms almost all the time.
For example there were close to 500 bills that went to vote in the House and/or Senate in the last four congresses that had some abortion proponent to it. Whether you're pro-life or pro-choice, the issue is more than just abortion being legal in this country. Among other things it includes things like parental consent in regards to minors, international funding, late term/partial birth abortions, funding that goes Planed Parenthood, etc.
It’s an eye opener when you see the bills that your candidates sponsor, co-sponsor, vote for, vote against and even skip altogether.
If the abortion issue was as simple as the legality of it in this country the political views of it wouldn’t be a seller or vote-getter for either political party.
Democrats preach pro-choice and the support of gay marriage because it’s part of the Democrat platform and they hope this stance gets them votes, just as Republicans tout pro-life and the banning of gay marriage because it’s a part of their platform and they hope repeating it drives their voters to the polls.
Republicans saying they’re for traditional values is just their way of appealing to their base. They are telling voters if you vote for me I will uphold this idea in every form with my voting, and almost 100% of the time, they do.
Democrats calling themselves progressives will vote as such, be inclusive and uphold progressive ideas anytime such issues come up. This is what they’re telling their base and almost 100% of the time, they vote accordingly.
It’s politics but it’s also real life. It’s up to us to separate the two.
