Why should I vote Democratic?

[magical thyme]

36. point by point, on the off chance you are not a troll...

1. Bill of Rights supports the right to bear arms in a well regulated militia. The vast majority of gun owners are not in any militia, and those who are in home-grown militias are not well regulated. Plus, Democrats don't want to ban guns, just regulate them to ensure responsible ownership. There is no legit reason for war weapons. If riots break out in the big cities, having a semi-automatic weapon will not protect you. Many democrats are responsible gun owners. I live in an area where much of the population hunts to eat. My first major purchase when I sell my house and move will be training and a gun for self protection.

2. I used to make enough money that I reached social security cap. It struck me then as wrong and it strikes me now as wrong. The wealthy are not being "punished" by being required to pay more in taxes. They have benefited the most from what our society has to offer, which is and should be paid for by everybody. They have many, many ways to reduce their tax load that the rest of us will never see. Study after study has shown that business prospers when tax rates are higher for the wealthy. The more money that is invested into the people and infrastructure of the US, the more everybody prospers. The more everybody prospers, the more they can participate in our economy. And the better *everybody* does, including the wealthy.

To paraphrase the famous Will Rogers, higher taxes on the wealthy doesn't really take their money away from them. It just gives it a chance to pass through the hands of the "little guy" on its way back to the wealthy.

On the Bush tax cuts, I have no idea what you are writing about. We wanted the Bush tax cuts to expire and the Republicans refused. We still want them to expire, only with a tax cut to the middle class and below to help us get back on our feet as we slowly pull out of the recession. Again, we are the people who keep the money moving.

Speaking of the so-called "fiscal cliff," it is a myth and we are more than happy to step over it, even though it will lead to massive cuts across the board. The Republicans are the ones who seem to be afraid of going off the cliff. We aren't. We want to see the military cuts that will result from the "fiscal cliff" deal and we want to see them made permanent.

3. Just because we the people elected a black man as president does not mean that racism in hiring and treatment is not alive and well at every level. The same is true of sexism. Until we get much closer not only to equal pay for equal work, but *equal opportunity* then we have lost ground to make up for. I say this as a sometime winner over sexism and recent major loser in sexism (in the hospital lab where I currently work).

4. Birth control isn't free. It should be covered as part of health insurance.

I'm sorry you have a problem paying for a portion of birth control. Personally, I have a serious problem paying for viagra, which is currently provided under...you got it...health insurance. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. You wanna play, you gotta pay.

Furthermore, reduction of unwanted pregnancies means lower costs to society over all. Fewer abortions, fewer unwanted children born to people not able or ready to give them even decent, never mind quality, homes and upbringing. Fewer crimes and deadbeats down the road.

5. You are very wrong. A natural forest has tremendous diversity of growth and life forms, reducing the risk and size of forest fires, and improving the health of the trees. Monoculture of any type opens the door to many blights, insects, and other pathogens that can wipe out entire forests or even tree types once they get a good grip.

Also, most medicines were originally derived from the diversity of plant life that grows in wild areas.

6. I agree that we don't have the "right" to health care, however the fact is that as a society we can decide what we offer as rights. The Constitution states we have the right to the pursuit of happiness. But the fact is that is a small group of men who decided and chose to adopt that as a right.

I do believe we should have the equal right to *access* health care. Having said that, and working in the health care delivery system, I believe our entire healthcare system is a disaster. The main reason our costs are so high is because of our piss-poor life style coupled with lack of preventive care. Most illnesses are preventable by a quality diet and lifestyle. I personally don't want an insurance bureaucrat between me and my doctor any more than I want a government bureaucrat there. I don't see any real fix in that arena.

7. I'm not sure what your point is about Fast and Furious, but instead of relying on Glenn Beck, I suggest you do some simple research and find out what the investigation showed actually happened there. I expect you will be quite surprised. (Hint: IIRC it also started and ended with a single rogue cop who, imho, should have been dealt with more harshly early on.)