Home » Uncategorized » Which party best represents the middle class

Which party best represents the middle class

We are fast approaching an election that will make or break our country.

I will vote for candidates based on their attention to the needs of what’s left of the middle class. This is clearly, for better or worse, the Democratic Party.

The Republicans under George Bush inherited a budget surplus. They then calmly turned it into a record-setting deficit, essentially by invading a foreign country and not budgeting to pay for it.

They have done nothing to offset these costs. Instead, they established a gridlock in Washington until they could get back to embracing all-out trickle-down economics.

Supposedly, if we give the rich and the corporate elite greater subsidies and tax breaks, they will create jobs that will improve the quality of life for the working class here in America. Instead, the corporate elite have hoarded their money, paid their CEO’s enormous salaries, outsourced jobs, and created an income inequity in this country unheard of since the Great Depression.

They do not even pay their fair share of taxes based on a percentage of income. Indeed, they take their profits and invest obscene amounts of money to elect a preponderance of Republicans. In return, Republicans would allow them free rein to control economic policy for all Americans – profiting from war, from investments in nonsustainable energy while ignoring very real environmental destruction, from the health care industry – to do whatever benefits them regardless of whether this destroys our economy/our society.

Further, Republicans, in order to draw attention away from their failed economic policies (generated by groups like ALEC and the Koch brothers), have decided to blame our economic woes on the poor, minorities, the elderly, the disabled, and women – calling them lazy and irresponsible whiners who deserve to be ignored.

The Democrats, at least, recognize that supporting the middle class is the crux to solving the problems of the economy: put the money in the hands of the consumer and they will have more buying power and stimulate the economy. They have put together an affordable and accessible national health care program, not perfect, but which, at least, requires insurance companies to invest 80 percent of their premiums in actual health care and not further bloating CEO salaries. They are attempting to shore up Medicare by decreasing spending while increasing coverage. They have cut taxes on small business. They would decrease tax breaks and loopholes for the rich so that they can begin to pay their fair share.

Ultimately, these policies would decrease some of the tax burden faced by working families to pay for education, health care, the rebuilding of the infrastructure, and developing sustainable energy programs, thereby granting these families more money to invest, not only in their own welfare and prosperity, but also the society at large.

They came right out and said “we’re all in this together,” instead of throwing at least 47 percent of Americans under the bus.

This is why I’m voting for the Democrats. This is why I cannot vote for the Republicans.

Scroll to Top