July 17, 2009 - Democrats vs Republicans

To be, or not to be...a Democrat, Republican or a Independent...that is the question. Why do we join one party over another? Lets look at a few facts:

DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Oldest party, is number one in registered voters with 72 million last year and has the majority in the Senate and Congress. Polls show 34-36% self-proclaimed Democrats.

REPUBLICAN PARTY: Established in 1854, second in number of registered voters with 55 million last year. Polls show 21-26% self-proclaimed Republicans.

INDEPENDENT PARTY: This is a party who are considered "centrist" that either leans slightly to the left (Democratic) or to the right (Republican). Due to the size of the party, it has little power in politics.

When I was a child, my father was a dogmatic, registered Democrat. Why? Because it was widely accepted that the Democrats were for the "working man" and the Republicans were for the "rich man." Was that actually so then and is that so now? Some still view these parties in the same way that my Dad did back in those days. Generally speaking, I think he might have been basically right in that it was the Republicans who owned most of the businesses, who in turn provided jobs for the Democrats who did most of the work. Remember, I said "generally speaking."

Well, it is certainly it not true today for me and some of my Republican friends/acquaintances, because we are certainly not "rich" and the businesses are owned and run by members of all three parties. I think the parties have either changed and whether you agree or disagree, this is the generally accepted definition of the parties now:

Over the years, due to the liberal media, the Democrats have "allowed" themselves to "default" into the party that represents the liberal Americans who tend to favor socialism, establishing a "nanny state" and includes the ultra-liberals who believe in "if it feels good, then do it." Are all Democrats flaming liberals? No, there are plenty of conservative Democrats who do good things.

On the other hand, the same liberal media has caused the Republicans to "default" into the "conservative" party, standing for moral values that are pretty much along biblical teachings. Are all Republicans conservative, moral, honest and trustworthy? No, there are plenty of Republicans who do unsavory acts.

The Independent Party does not have enough power, due to its size, to affect politics dramatically. Ross Perot made an impact, although he did not win. Actually, I would like for the O'Bama administration to consider using some of Perot's colorful charts to explain to us what they are doing because most of us cannot understand what they are attempting to do. Maybe a chart would help!

I was once very good friends with a couple, who have now passed away, who owned several businesses, were rich, and was "conservative" in their thinking but insisted that they were "registered Democrats" and would always vote along party lines, and was proud of it. They both had been raised by "working class" parents who were Democrats. Are you a Democrat or a Republican simply because your parents were Democrats? Then its time you grew up and evaluated what is going on in the world today.

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER A PERSON IS A DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN OR AN INDEPENDENT, as long as the "brain" is in gear before the hand hits the "vote" button. Be flexible enough to cross over party lines and vote for the person that you think will be the best man/woman for the job.