Essay on Democratic Party vs Republican Party in the US

A countrys political history goes a long way in explaining its political environment. The United States of America is a country with a rich political history that dates back both pre and post independence. America has two major political parties, the democrat and the republican parties. The Democrat party was established to cater for the disadvantaged Americans by enabling them to have a say in governance and ensuring the government prioritized the welfare of the people. The Republican Party was established based on the principle of non-interference where a republican government would not involve itself in the daily lives of the American people. Differing ideologies between both parties usually arise due to policy formulation and legislation procedures. The primary cause of the difference between both sides is because Democrats tend to embrace the liberal principle while those belonging to the Republican Party tend to be more conservative in the way they handle issues. Differences revolve around core issues such as the provision of essential services like health and education, policy making and the justice system.

Significant differences exist concerning the way each party approaches its role in governance. The duty of government to the citizens of the United States is primarily to govern and ensure the welfare of Americans is met by providing easy access to essential services and a stable economy, conducive for carrying out various economic activities. Conservatives believe that it is the governments responsibility to control the economy and ensure the people have a social safety net. Democrats principles require that governments role in managing the economy should be geared towards the proper care of its citizens, for example through redistribution of resources towards the poor. Another strategy includes improving the welfare of the citizens by providing subsidized services in education, health, and purchase of foodstuff. On the other hand, Republicans agree that the government does indeed have a role in taking care of its citizens but has no responsibility towards each particular individual. Republicans policies are founded on personal responsibility principles where people are free to determine how to live their lives without any interference from the government. Further, they believe that it is an individuals choice to acquire education, employment, and access health services and that the government does not play a role in determining the access to such services.

The Democrats tend to have a softer approach on issues of immigration, while the Republicans have stiffer policies to restrict it. In an industrialized country such as the United States, labor is a major factor in the production of various goods and services. Immigrants who provide cheap labor, especially from foreign countries into America have been on the rise and immigration is, therefore, a sensitive matter that draws differing opinions from both parties. According to Democrats, immigrants are an asset to the country by providing affordable labor. Also, immigrants contribute to Americas economy through their commitment to various industries in the country which helps the country compete effectively with the rest of the world using cheap as cheap labor provides a great incentive. Due to this reasons, Democrats have pushed for comprehensive reforms which allow immigrants from various countries to enter America, acquire valid documents to help them to obtain jobs and employment opportunities. Republicans, however, argue that in this age of social evils such as terrorism, human drug trafficking, it is important to eliminate the presence of immigrants in the country altogether. The party has called for heightened border security and the institution of an online verification system that ensures jobs are available to legal workers only. Both parties agree that there should be some form of punishment towards criminals; each party bears a different opinion on how such issues should be handled. Liberals are of the view that criminals who are in jail cannot cause any harm to the general public which is why they support mandatory sentencing to prison. In addition to this, Republicans propose policies which aim at rehabilitating such criminals when they are released from jail. On the other hand, the Democrats deal with criminals through empowering the justice system. For example, reforms to introduce extra funding to keep police officers on the street are some of the strategies that have already been put in place. Such funding also goes to improve police infrastructure and enhance crime fighting strategy.

The two parties address issues of education and health differently; however, the objectives of both parties are to maximize accessibility to these public goods. Democrats go to great lengths to ensure that education is easily accessible. They are determined to make sure that children in America have access to world-class education from the many public institutions established by the government. Resources have been made more flexible to improve the already existing education levels, and policies to prevent teacher layoff and better pay for teachers have been implemented. Republicans equally support the need to provide education, but have a rather different approach to it. By leaving the choice on whether to acquire education or not be left to an individual, liberals take an independent stand by not interfering in an individuals choice. Consistent with a partys ideology, the Democrats support and help the government to provide a healthcare plan that includes citizens from all walks of life. Conservatives strive to ensure each citizen can access medical care by requiring every single citizen to purchase insurance provided by the government. A Republican-led government provides services like insurance are present for the citizens but will not go the extra mile and ensure people purchase the insurance. Their strategy is to lower taxes on such services which make it affordable to individuals making it easier for them to purchase it on their own.

As noted in the paper, Democrats seem to have more inclusivity in their approaches to different matters dues to the embrace of liberalism, while the Republicans are more radical based on the fact that they uphold conservatism. Differing approaches to handling issues especially in a government provides an avenue for the opposition party to keep checks and balances on the ruling party. Democrat ideologies prefer heavy government interference to ensure each citizen is well taken care of while the Republicans prefer to leave the choice of acquiring services up to the individuals. The presence of differing methods of running a country and a government is, in fact, a benefit to the citizens because this competition ensures quality policies and laws are passed which do not satisfy the interest of a particular group of people. Each political party, therefore, has an integral role to play in ensuring proper governance and the welfare of its citizens is met.