Taxes and Government Spending

Republicans and Democrats

Core Beliefs

Republicans believe that each person is responsible for his or her own place in society. Government should enable each person the ability to secure the benefits of society for themselves, their families and for those who are unable to care for themselves. The Republican philosophy is based on limiting the intervention of government as a catalyst of individual prosperity. Government should only intervene in specific cases where society cannot effectively act at the individual level.

Democrats believe it is the responsibility of government to care for all individuals, even if it means giving up some individual rights and/or subordinating enterprise and initiative. Democrat Party administrations have pushed for the centralization of power in Washington D.C., with only secondary consideration for the rights of both individuals and communities. Democrats have favored federal-level interventions that replace community-based solutions to community problems.

The Economy

Republicans believe free enterprise has brought economic growth and innovations that have made this country great. Government should help stimulate a business environment where people are free to use their talents.

Democrats believe that the economy is too complicated for individuals to navigate alone. They believe that business decisions should be guided by government officials and in the best interest of labor unions.

Taxes and Government Spending

Republicans work tirelessly to cut government spending and to eliminate government waste. Republicans believe individuals should control both their own and their government’s pocketbook – the people should authorize all tax increases.

Democrats believe that government knows what is best for individuals. They argue that federal bureaucrats better understand the needs of a community than a locally elected council and the federal government should define the tax burden necessary to meet its obligations, because this is too complicated for individuals to understand.

National Defense

Republicans believe in a strong national defense. Republicans know that defending the nation against its enemies must be a fundamental commitment of the federal government and this requires the best-trained, best-equipped and most effective military in the world. After the tragedy of 9-11, America must be ready to fight terrorism abroad in order to prevent it at home.

Democrats believe that true security comes from negotiations with foreign nations, even if they harbor or have financial ties to terrorist groups. In the past 10 years, Democrats have advocated for scaling down the military and reducing the money spent on military intelligence. Democrats believe that we must ask other nations for permission before we act to protect our own security.

Education

Republicans believe all students, regardless of race or socio-economic background, should become proficient in both reading and math. While it is desirable that children learn more than one language, mastery of the English language will allow our children to be competitive at the university level. Schools should be held accountable for student progress through testing, which can be used to identify individual childrens’ needs.

Democrats believe that tests burden teachers and waste classroom instruction time. They also believe children should be forced to stay in schools that fail to teach the basic skills. Democrats argue that literacy should be left for unions to define rather than local PTAs or other parent groups.

Immigration

Republicans recognize that the nation is enriched by immigrants. They agree that the lack of security along the borders has contributed to the flow of narco-trafficking, gang violence, and and slavery of women and children from foreign countries by human smugglers. Republicans believe that immigration policies should be followed and that securing the borders is vital to ensuring the safety of the citizens.

Democrats believe that as the world superpower, it is a fundamental right for the US to provide unconditional aid and comfort to the citizens of other nations.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 772