There are two major political parties in the U.S. today. We know them as the Democrat and Republican parties. Both have been in existence for more than 100 years.
The Democratic Party is represented by a donkey and the color blue on political maps. Democrats typically support more government pro-grams and social services in their daily lives.
They are called liberals or left-leaning. They are against increased spending on the military.
Democrats support higher minimum wages, progressive taxes (higher taxes for those who earn more) and Social Security. They also favor more government regulation over businesses.
They are usually op-posed to the death penal-ty and are pro choice (support a women’s right to an abortion.)
Democrats generally support raising taxes to fund the government. They also support government provided universal health care.
The Republican Party is represented by an elephant and the color red on political maps. It is also called the GOP (Grand Old Party).
Republicans usually oppose more government programs and less governmental influence in their daily lives. They are called conservatives or right-leaning. They sup-port more spending on the military.
Some programs Republicans support are wages being set by the free market, a flat tax (same tax rate regardless of income) and the growth of private businesses.
They favor less government regulations over businesses. They usually support the death penalty and are pro-life (anti-abortion).
Republicans generally oppose raising taxes to fund more government. They also oppose government-supported universal health care services.
The independent parties are usually a combination of both Democrat and Republican political philosophies.
Hopefully, all eligible citizens will exercise their civic duty and cast their vote for their choice of candidates in the upcoming general election in November.
Silvestre Morena Jr.
Mercedes
