Someone asked me the other day why I am a Democrat. Before I could answer the question, they said something that bothered me. “I do not understand how people can vote for a party that encourages people to not work. We need everyone to work, that is what makes us successful.”
Now, before you berate this person, I need to say that they are not old enough to vote. So they are still learning. I decided in that moment to just keep my mouth shut. I did not have the time to get into it and did not feel like arguing with a kid.
Why do people assume that the Democratic party is about giving out free stuff and people not working? That is just such a stupid position. Obviously this is not what they represent. Fortunately it made me think about why I am a Democrat.
When I first registered to vote, during my freshman year of college, I registered as an independent. I voted almost exclusively for Democrats, but I did not want to be aligned to any party. I think when we moved over to New Germany, I decided to switch my registration to Democrat so I could vote in the primary.
When I look at just about any issue, I tend to line up with the Democratic Party (more specifically the progressive wing of the party). I think I have written a good bit about my beliefs on most of the major issues. I will not rehash it all here.
I think I can sum it up though.
-I believe that all people are equal in this country.
-I believe that the government should be a safety net for people who are in trouble.
-I believe that the government should use our taxes for things like healthcare and education.
-I believe that there should be sensible gun laws, such as universal background checks and possibly a national registry.
-I believe that climate change is man-made and one of the biggest threats to our future.
-I believe that in order to have a strong middle class, we need to increase wages.
I am sure there are plenty of things I am forgetting, but that is some of the really big stuff that I believe.
