After researching the views of both the Democratic and Republican parties, I would classify myself as a conservative Democrat. When it comes to social issues, I tend to take a more liberal stance, but I have very conservative views on the economy. In general, Democrats are more open to change and are more in favor of a larger federal government while Republicans are more in favor of the morals of the founding fathers and prefer a smaller federal government to larger state governments. According to “On The Issues”, Democrats believe in focusing on public schooling while Republicans believe in a wide variety of options and choices. Liberals favor college tuition to qualify for a tax deductible as well as making preschools affordable to everyone. They believe that in order to achieve excellence in schools, we must provide safe and modern classrooms with the most up-to-date technology. Eighth grade computer literacy and the mastering of basics before high school graduation are also more liberal views. Not only do Democrats wish to ride achievement gaps between races, the also want to provide “life-long education” meaning that trade schools and higher education are available to a person throughout their entire life. Democrats also believe that schools should teach students good values to create productive character as well as providing students who have been expelled an opportunity to attend a “second-chance school”. While I agree with all of these liberal opinions, I do not believe in creating new schools, as do liberals. Instead, I want to see preexisting schools receiving the improvements and maintenance they require. The Republican Party Platform states some different and some similar views. Conservatives favor letting students and parents decide to send their child voucher, charter, public, or home school. Regarding the transferring of schools as well, Republicans believe that students should be allowed to transfer to safe schools if they feel their school does not provide enough security. They defend the right to prosecute youth who carry guns and any adult(s) who provide them. Giving priority to programs that increase a student’s likelihood to reach higher education and ensuring that all students can read are also issues that Republicans support. When it comes to deciding what school a student should attend, I feel that the student and parent(s) should always have a choice but should try to stay within the public schooling system. I agree with the above conservative beliefs, but I do not agree with the Republican belief that students should be allowed to initiate prayer in school, or that we should increase the number of charter schools available. I also disagree with giving benefits to students who take challenging courses because “challenging courses” differ from student to student. Stephen Moore states that Democrats believe in higher taxes and more government spending while republicans believe more in a laissez-faire economy with tax cuts. Democrats also tax unemployment benefits, while Republicans want to levy this tax. To expand upon the conservative view to favor tax cuts, Republicans want to instill a tax cut for small business equal to 20% of their total revenue to free up funds for the businesses to hire more people. I am very conservative when dealing with the economy because I, just like the majority of Americans according to Eric Cantor, shy away more from taxes than I do inflation. I am also very conservative when it comes to Social Security. Unlike Democrats who according to “On The Issues” believe in the sustainability of the system and believe that with time it will be all right, I do not think that Social Security is not sustainable. While, I see liberals’ fears about the disabled being cut first if privatization of the system occurred, I believe that people should have the right to invest their money privately. When it comes to military issues, I fully support Democratic values. I think it is imperative that the U.S. maintains honesty it’s to the troops and its citizens as well as honor our veterans. According to the Democratic Party Platform, liberals believe that we must secure weapons of mass destruction as well as nuclear weapons and we must secure the materials that make nuclear weapons as well. Not only should the government replace aging weapons with high tech ones, but it should also raise the pay and benefits of those who serve our country. While The 2008 Republican Platform agrees that pay and benefits of those serving should be raised, that we must eliminate as many weapons as possible, and that we must equip our armed forces with updated and innovative technology, it also states that homosexuals should not be allowed to serve in the armed forces. I am very much against this policy as well as the policy of building up our military to scare away our enemies. I believe this could lead to another arms race, resulting in tension between countries. “On The Issues” also reveals both the Republican and Democratic views on terrorism. Liberals believe that there needs to be a reform in intelligence here in the U.S.. They also support training those who work to defend our nation from terrorist attacks in languages of known or suspected terrorists as well as establishing a Director of National Intelligence. I believe these are great ideas that can really contribute to our nation. While Republicans also believe in establishing the position of a National Intelligence Director, they want to start another organization called the National Counterterrorism Center. I object to this because we already have the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, which focuses on the communication and tracking of terrorists. To find the political parties’ views on immigration, I referred to both of their party platforms. Democrats believe that undocumented immigrants who work hard, pay taxes, and clear a background check should be able to apply for citizenship. They also believe that it is essential to shorten the time immigrants must wait for citizenship due to backlog as well as protecting immigrants from exploitation by employers. One of liberals’ main priorities is to grant citizenship to reunite family and to offer more English language and civic education to immigrants. I also agree with the Republicans ideals of strengthening the border patrol and instilling stiff penalties for people who try to smuggle in illegal immigrants. I also think the Overhaul Labor Certification Program is a great idea, but I strongly disagree with giving border patrol officers the power to deport illegal immigrants before the have a hearing with an immigration judge. When it comes to gun control, I am extremely liberal. According to “On The Issues” Republicans are against gun licensing and registration. I am completely against this idea and fully support the democratic view of requiring photo license I.D., a background check, and a gun safety test whenever someone buys a handgun. I also agree with the liberal views of banning assault weapons and instilling mandatory safety locks. There are many aspects of both the Democratic and Republican views that I agree with when discussing the environment. I am very much in favor of making and installing new state-of-the-art pollution control (an issue Republicans push for) as well as building high-speed rail systems (a Democratic push) but I am not sure if this is something our state and nation can afford at the moment. I fully support the liberals’ view of protecting wildlife habitats as well as setting aside wildlife preserves, and I believe that safe playgrounds, national parks, and hunting and fishing should be available to families as well. I agree with both parties that the economy and the environment should simultaneously advance, but I am not sure if I agree with the Republicans about privatizing land. At this moment I do not think that California nor the Nation can financially sustain the current amount of publicly owned land (I saw on the news that almost 100 national parks might have to go due to the lack of funding) but I would hate to see so much in the hands of so few. According to the views reported in “On The Issues” regarding abortion, I am very liberal. The only conservative view that I agree with is that we should promote adoption and abstinence. I do not agree that abortion should be outlawed by a constitutional amendment, or that judges who are against abortion should be appointed (I do not think that their view should matter, I believe judges have the responsibility of separating their own beliefs from their rulings and the law). I also think it is very important to advocate contraception as well. Democrats, on the other hand, believe that women have the right to choose if they want an abortion regardless of if they can pay for it. They also believe that stem cell research is a crucial investment that provides hope to 100 million Americans with serious illnesses, which I also fully support. I also believe that abortions should be safe, legal, and rare. I agree with the Democrats that we should promote family planning, education regarding family life, and continuing contraceptive research. Abortion is a really tough subject for me because I believe that a person who has unprotected sex is basically saying they know what could happen and they should know the possible consequences so in that case I think they need to own up to the responsibility of their actions. On the other hand though, I also know that some people who have unprotected sex without thinking about the possibilities do not have the resources and could possibly treat the child without love since they were a “mistake.” I do not think anyone should be born into a situation where they may be neglected or unloved. I also do not believe that rape victims should have to give birth to their rapists’ child, given that it could be even more traumatizing and they did not make the decision to have sex. I am also aware that even if a couple does have protected sex, there are always exceptions and sometimes things go wrong such as a condom breaking. But as I said before, I think abortions should be rare and not used as a source of contraception. I think that both parties have some good ideas and some ideas that I am strongly against referring to drugs. The Republican Party Platform states that every adult has the responsibility of teaching children the dangers of drugs. I agree with this statement as well as the Republican belief of funding school drug testing and keep anti-drug programs accountable. Providing drug treatment to those who willingly admit and want to curb their drug problems is a conservative idea that I truly believe in as well. But I am very much against allowing capital punishment for drug traffickers. Republicans claim that they take the lives of millions of innocent people but the victims of drugs chose that way of life, thus they are not completely innocent. The Democratic Party Platform wants to convict those who bring drugs to America, increase the efforts to combat drug trafficking in the Caribbean and hold up drugs at the border. I am in favor of instilling such actions as well as breaking up the drug rings that plague our streets and expanding drug treatment for at-risk youth. Democrats have the correct mindset in keeping all schools drug-free. But I am extremely against the liberals’ policy that once prisoners have gotten clean they can get out of prison. The Democratic Party Platform wants to instill more crime prevention and to increase community watch programs. Democrats aim to crack down on gang violence and drug crimes as well as instill tougher punishment for violent crimes. Along with these values, I also fully support liberals’ views of extending the death penalty to cop killers and terrorists, using DNA testing in death penalty cases, and thoroughly reviewing all death row cases after they have been convicted I agree with both the Democratic and Republican views of protecting the victims’ rights stated in both parties’ platforms. I completely stand by conservatives’ stance on making sure that violent felons actually do time and refusing to release prisoners early because of prison overcrowding. I think effective rehab programs and enforcing existing laws are important as well. I do not agree with Republicans’ proposal to reform the Exclusionary Rule. I think that warrants must be obtained in searches and seizures and I agree that the Exclusionary Rule protects the rights of the people. I believe the Democratic Party is the best political party for America because it values what the heart of America really is: diversity. Liberals are more open to change and more willing to evolve with the times. They want to make sure that ALL people have equal rights and to protect the freedom of choice. When dealing with social issues, they see past race, gender, and sexual orientation and focus on the greater good. As opposed to Republicans who want to divide the country by instilling more power in the states instead of the federal government, Democrats want to unite our country and recognize that yes states are great but they are all apart of a larger home: America. Thus, the Democratic Party is better for America because it is always moving forward.