Why should I vote Democratic?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

73. You've got a lot to learn, but I hope you do.

Unfortunately, I think you've been conditioned by the right wing talking heads and that's a lot of bullshit to deal with here. I hear a lot of strawmen from you that have been repeated ad nauseum by Rush Limbaugh and the like.

You seem most preoccupied on the gun issue. What else can I say except very few Democrats and liberals want a total ban on all guns. They simply want reasonable restrictions on sales, licensing, waiting periods, allowable types of weapons, where they can be carried, etc. Personally, I'm not going to knock anyone if they have a pistol in their home in a safe and secure location for self-protection. I'm a little uneasy about CCW but that's a subject for debate. It's when people who have serious mental problems are allowed to legally purchase weapons capable of holding high capacity clips without so much as a sneeze where I have a real issue. But the NRA controls the debate and any attempt to discuss any regulation of weapons by calling anyone who dares breach the subject a "gun grabber" or "prohibitionist." Sadly--as you learn--we can't even have that debate on here, a liberal message board.

Taxes are not punishment. They are a matter of paying one's fair proportional share as part of living in a civilized society. No one is being punished for making a lot of money, they simply are being asked to chip in a proper part of what they make so that everyone, including those rich people, continue to benefit. A tax system geared towards the consumer middle class benefits everyone. A tax system geared toward the benefit of the very top, such as a flat tax system, cannot sustain itself. Trickle down is a farce. And flat taxes are woefully unfair on the lower income earners who must give a greater share of their income than those who make a lot.

Regarding race, affirmative action is not quotas. The idea that a lesser qualified minority is hired over a more qualified caucasian simply due to race alone is a fiction served to you by the RW blabber mouths. Affirmative action simply means race can be one factor among many to be considered in hiring or admission. Take it like this: If I have a minority candidate and a white candidate, both with equal qualifications, and minorities are greatly underrepresented in my company or my school, I have no problem with choosing the minority based on that additional factor above the basic qualifications.

Greater access to contraception means less selective abortions. To me, everybody wins in that scenario. If only the stubborn minded leaders of my church were able to pull their heads out their collective asses to realize that simple fact instead of creating non-existent controversies......

Regarding environmental protection, the idea that enviromnetalists want you to live in trees or only ride bikes is another Rush parrot point. Environmentalists are actually the most forward thinking, progress oriented people out there. They don't want to be tied to old non-renewable sources of energy. They want to develop new, cheap, clean and ultra efficient means of renewable sources of energy. The ones stuck in the past are the people in the oil and coal industries who don't want to change and want us stuck with energy sources that are both dirty and finite. Again, turn off the Rush.

And healthcare is a right. Period. There is no reason why a rich person should have access to a life saving medical operation and a poor person should not. If you don't understand that, better check your soul. (Not to mention that not all rich people are rich because of "hard work." Paris Hilton, anyone?)

Fast and the Furious is a manufactured scandal. So is Bengazi. The republicans desperately want anything to try to bring a Democratic president down, no matter how baseless. It's why they impeached a popular Democratic president over a white lie about a personal matter in an irrelevant line of questioning in a politically motivated lawsuit.

As to drugs, I'm a bit of a moderate on that issue compared to some others here. As to marijuana, I'm for legalization for legitimate medical use and decriminalization for recreational use. I don't see any benefit, however, into legalizing harder drugs such as heroin, cocaine or meth. I do think that as it relates to users of those drugs, the emphasis should be on treatment and not punishment.

It's sad that you've let your position on guns govern your vote. There is one issue (I don't feel the need to mention which one) where my beliefs fall outside the typical Democratic/liberal zeitgeist (although I don't think they fall in the Republican/conservative catagory either), but I don't let that govern my vote. Don't be a slave to single issue voting. Don't vote against your own best interest.

Good night and good luck! Hope we help you on the right track!