No question, I'm a Democrat. Sadly. I don't like the Democrats. They're pushovers, and can't get anything done. For instance, they had the White House and both houses of Congress for two entire years, during which they accomplished almost nothing besides a watered down ineffective health care law. Now, don't start thinking that I'm one of those "Obamacare is going to turn us into a socialist state, and we're all going to be unemployed and standing in breadlines soon!" types. Because I'm not. I like the idea of government healthcare. I want a public option. I'd like a system where I can have the option of paying more taxes, and in exchange, my health care plan is completely taken care of. That sounds good to me. Health care should not be left entirely to private industry. The goal of health care should not be to make a profit - it should be to improve the quality of life for as many people as possible.
As for my thoughts on the Republicans: I agree with them on a few things. I'm not in favor of affirmative action. Hiring minorities because they're minorities is no better than not hiring them because they're minorities. Fair treatment means fair treatment. If I, a white kid from Northern Virginia, can do a job better than a black guy who grew up in poverty in Northeast, D.C., I should get that job. If he can do that job better than I can, he should get that job. If we're equally capable, the guy hiring us should be able to find a tiebreaker that has nothing to do with race.
Other things I agree with Republicans on: well, I think taxes for small businesses should be slashed. That being said, taxes for corporations like Exxon-Mobile need to be increased, and the ridiculous tax breaks that companies like Exxon-Mobile enjoy while there are Americans living in poverty need to end.
Regarding the social agenda, besides affirmative action (this is where I'm very liberal): Republicans are completely backward. It seems that Republicans would happily have homosexuals ostracized from society, and sent off to live in some sort of colony set aside specifically for them, where they can't corrupt anyone else with their sinful ways. As far as I can tell, they'd like to have women barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. Unfortunately for them, that is an unrealistic goal in 21st century America, so they have to settle for using women as political pawns - trying to defund Planned Parenthood (a leading provider of health service for women) because it provides abortions is a perfect example of this.
Enough liberal ranting for one night (no worries, plenty more where that came from), there is playoff baseball to be watched.
On the topic of government healthcare, privatization is better because the private companies can do it better. Because there is no bureaucracy in a private company, they can accept a claim faster and give someone the insurance money they need faster than if the claim had to go through a bureaucracy. Also, privatization allows companies to compete in a free market system, which means that healthcare providers and insurance companies will have to offer high quality care and low prices if they want to stay in business.
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