On Friday, Nick Vrana claimed to have special insight into the basic beliefs of the Democratic Party. Though I am not a Democrat, I will attempt to provide a somewhat more realistic portrayal of his supposed insights. 1. Mr. Vrana rightfully claims that Democrats believe that the government is entitled to your money. The government is of the people, by the people and for the people. It is not a foreign entity, it is us. If we want our government to accomplish anything, we have to provide it with the funds to do so. If you like things such as public roads, libraries, public schools, hospitals, police, fire departments,and the armed forces, you have to be willing to pay for them through taxes. 2. Mr. Vrana asserts that Democrats believe that the federal government should make all decisions. Ignoring the incredibly unrealistic nature of this claim, everyone makes decisions for themselves, but if everyone had to make every decision themselves, nothing would get done. That’s why we elect representatives to coordinate larger public projects and make some of the decisions for us. We decide who will represent us at the local, state and federal levels. 3. Mr. Vrana claims that Democrats think Hollywood and guns are responsible for violence. Most Democrats I know believe that people are responsible for violence. Some also think that easy access to guns make violence easier, deadlier and more widespread, and that Hollywood influences people by exposing them to violent messages. 4. Mr. Vrana thinks that all Democrats support abortion and want to ban all guns. I think it would be very difficult to find anyone who thought abortion in general and for its own sake was a good thing. Many believe that it is essential to have it as an alternative, and to allow individuals to decide for themselves when it is necessary. As for guns, while some would advocate a total ban, many simply believe that gun ownership should be more closely regulated to aid in the prevention of crimes and accidental shootings. 5. Mr. Vrana says that Democrats believe guns are evil. Most rational people reject this animistic notion, but many oppose the widespread ownership of firearms because they give destructive or incautious individuals a greater capacity to do harm. 6. Mr. Vrana has essentially repeated his second point here. 7. Mr. Vrana claims that Democrats want to deploy the military all over the world, yet also wish to give the military’s funding to “entitlement” programs. Many people do believe that we can retain an effective military presence on a smaller budget, and that the excess money could be better spent on domestic programs such as education, health care and poverty relief. 8. Mr. Vrana believes that Democrats dislike tax cuts because they deplete the federal treasury, while supporting spending on “entitlement” programs which also drain the treasury. Many Democrats feel that the prosperous economy is a sign that people are doing well at the current level of taxation, and that decreasing public spending might have an adverse affect on the economy and the national well-being. 9. Mr. Vrana seems to think that Democrats hypocritically call attention to republicans’ inconsistencies while hiding their own. All political parties point out the flaws and inconsistencies of its rivals while trying to cover its own with excuses and explanations. No party has a monopoly on this. 10. Finally, Mr. Vrana assumes that Democrats hate rich people and want to punish them by making them pay higher taxes. People with more money can afford to spend more in support of public programs without suffering a loss in quality of life. Most people see it as a virtue to contribute more to the public good if you are able to do so, and a vice to hoard your resources and share as little as possible. Mr. Vrana goes on to suggest that anyone who agrees with these points or plans to vote for Gore should move to Europe. He seems to think that Europeans universally agree with these tenets, that the tenets are somehow un-American and Socialist, and that they will ruin his country. First and foremost, Nick Vrana should try to remember that this country is not just his country, it’s our country. It belongs to the Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Reformers, Libertarians, Communists, Socialists, Anarchists and the Independents. We, the people – all the people – determine what our country should be and what it stands for. Deportation of those that disagree with your political views is certainly more humane than exterminating them, but it’s not a strategy that meshes well with the ideals of the founding fathers. As Mr. Vrana should have learned in high school, our country is a republic, founded on the principles of democracy. Capitalism, socialism and communism are not forms of government. Those are economic models supported by governments. Our society is on the capitalist side of socialism, and some would like it to move more towards the center. This is not inconsistent with the democratic ideal or un-American in any way. If it is the will of the people, then they have every right to make it happen through the political process, just as those who disagree can oppose it by the same methods. Mr. Vrana believes that limited government and limited taxes were the ideals over which the Revolutionary War was fought. Those were the issues which brought about the war, but the ideals behind those issues were the right to participate in government and the right to have representation in taxation. Democrats and Republicans alike support these ideals. Voting for Al Gore or anyone else is not un-American. Suggesting that any American citizen has no right to participate in the political process is un-American. The greatness of the United States of America is that if you don’t like the way it is being run, you don’t have to move to another country. You can change it by voting for representatives who agree with your opinions. You can even run for a public office yourself and play a more direct role in making the changes if you feel up to the challenge. Matthew R Burack

Alumnus

Ames