I am a Democrat. I always have been a
Democrat and most likely will always be a Democrat no matter what individual is
running. That's right, you read it right. I will never vote for the
person. It all started back when I was a teenager and asked my
non-voting father what the difference was between the Democrats and
Republicans. He answered quite simply, “Democrats are for the poor
people and Republicans are for the rich.” Even though he didn't
vote he considered himself a Democrat. Which is a shame but so true
for lower income earners as he didn't think his vote counted. While
this is possibly over simplistic it still rings true.
You see, I grew up in a trailer parked
in a trailer park. My father was a simple butcher and my mother
didn't work. Since we didn't have any government aid I do not
consider my childhood as poor, but rather lower middle class. I am
now right smack in the middle of middle class. I live comfortably but
still if the economy sunk, so would I.
I
have a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from UTEP. In that
school of thought, the professors tried their very best to convince
their students of Republican virtues. It all sounds great. People
should take care of people. Corporations have an obligation to take
care of their employees and should give to charitable organizations
(not to mention the tax deduction) to make society stronger.
Employees will spend thus building a stronger community and charities
will take care of the needy. This way, government will be able to
take care of the larger picture. Trouble with that picture is people
are greedy and like to line their own pockets. In 2009 Dan
Gerstein
wrote in
Forbes.com,
“Big banks on the brink of collapse rewarding the folks who put the
country on the brink of depression with $18 billion in bonuses.
Citigroup (nyse: C - news - people ) going a tone-deaf step further
in buying a $50 million luxury jet.” Not to forget the AIG gave
$218 million bonus payments after receiving $170 billion bailout. In
the recent Al Smith dinner that Romney and Obama attended, Romney
pokes fun at Obama indicating his time in office is limited, “Of
course we’re down to the final months of the president’s term…As
President Obama surveys the Waldorf banquet room, with everyone in
white tie and finery, you have to wonder what he’s thinking. So
little time, so much to redistribute.” I'd rather have a Robin Hood
as a President than one whose wife wears $900 t-shirts.
That's why voter id is pushed by
Republicans because poor people tend to be apathetic like my father.
There is very little voter fraud. Any voter id laws are promoted by
Republicans to make it difficult for the indigent to vote. The
Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University of Law draws
the following conclusion (each point is further explained at
http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/policy_brief_on_the_truth_about_voter_fraud/
)
*
Fraud by individual voters is both irrational and extremely rare.
*
Many vivid anecdotes of purported voter fraud have been proven false
or do not demonstrate fraud.
*
Voter fraud is often conflated with other forms of election
misconduct.
*
Raising the unsubstantiated specter of mass voter fraud suits a
particular policy agenda.
*
Claims of voter fraud should be carefully tested before they become
the basis for action.
I recently dropped a former colleague
and who I thought was a friend from Facebook because of her bashing
of Obama. She was blaming him for the economic recession, her
son-in-law's death in Afghanistan and other reasons. Though she is
educated, her rantings were the opposite. She was basically voting
for Romney, not for his campaign platform but to vote against Obama.
First off, Obama is not to blame for
the recession. He also didn't start the bailouts. George W. Bush left
office already having approved a federal bailout in of the American
International Group for $85 billion September of 2008. This crisis is
the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. “It
has become one of the rare things that binds the two men, the
controversial automotive bailout that was begun
by former President George W. Bush and completed by his successor,
President Barrack Obama,” stated Paul A. Einstein of the Detroit
Bureau
in his February 12, 2012 article “Bush Would “Do it Again” on
Auto Bailouts”.
The $17.4 billion automotive bailout was made in December 2008. My
point is the worst financial crisis is not going to turn around in
just four years, yet the country overall is recovering. The bailouts
were a necessary government move in order to avoid a second Great
Depression.
I
feel sorrow for the loss of my former colleague's son-in-law. I feel
sorrow for the loss of any son or daughter lost in war—on either
side. I think it is a shame that in this modern age we still have to
resort to barbaric war tactics to settle disputes. But also, I think
that a person should own up to personal responsibility. If a person
joins a killing machine (Army, Navy, Marine Corp, Air Force) for
whatever their personal reasons, s/he should understand that her/his
possible death is part of that assignment. But lets also remember, we
were in Afghanistan before Obama took office.
I
feel that a person should have the right to affordable health care
and not have to worry how his/her medical bills will get paid at the
worst possible time: while they feel sick. A woman should have a
right over her own body. A person should be able to choose who they
love and marry, regardless of sex. It is no threat to me, I've made
my choice, other people should be able to make their choices. I feel
that a person should be able to eat, no matter what his/her income
bracket. I feel everyone should feel that their vote counts. That's
why I am a Democrat.
The Republican party is not what it used to be. If the Democratic party changes and leaves its current platform, then I will have to realign myself to a party that supports equality for all: poor, sex, religion, rights, healthcare for all, marital rights for all.
