Let's Build a Wall-Democrats vs Republicans on Immigration

The infamous quote from Donald Trump "let's build a wall", stirred up more controversy then ever before on the concept of immigration. Since the passing of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality act which reshaped the face of America, this has been one issue in our society that continually has held vastly different views based on the different political parties.

Republicans view Immigration on a more conservative stance.They believe in immigration laws and immigration reforms that address the needs of national security.The party as a whole believes that a system needs to be put in place to ensure that immigrants who enter this country illegally are not provided with the same benefits  that legal citizens are given. The republican party believes in keeping track of when illegal immigrants enter and when they live.They believe that granting amnesty for illegal immigrants only encourages lawbreaking.Republicans also favor state's efforts at passing harsh immigration laws against illegals, and that illegal immigrants are endangering the American workers.The Republicans are in strong favor of legal immigration.Republicans seem to favor enforcement.

Democrats view Immigration in the basis of the idea that the United States is a country based on immigrants and because of that, they value and support the past and future immigrants.The believe in providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.Democrats do not believe that every illegal immigrant should be given amnesty or a path to citizenship. They state that undocumented workers who “are in good standing must admit that they broke the law, pay taxes and a penalty, learn English, and get right with the law before they can get in line to earn their citizenship.” Democrats view the current immigration system as being extremely damaged and wish for a comprehensive reform of the immigration system.Democrats are in favor and support the DREAM Act which is legislation put in place to to ensure young people who want to contribute fully to society are able to become legal residents and citizens.Democrats seem to favor immigration reform.

The following are statistics from PewResearch which show the view on immigration  split among party lines:

Crime: Republicans believe 71% of immigrants in the U.S. are causing to crime to become worse compared to 34% of Democrats.Republicans are just half as likely as Democrats (24% vs. 55%) to say immigrants are not having much effect on crime.

Economy: 71% of Republicans say immigrants are making the economy worse, compared with 34% of Democrats who say the same. Looked at another way, Republicans are far less likely than Democrats (12% vs. 38%) to say immigrants are making the economy better.

Becoming a Part of Society:81% of Republicans say immigrants in our country today generally want to hold on to the customs and way of life of their home country, compared with 55% of Democrats who say the same.

How much Immigration:67% of Republicans say immigration to the U.S. should be decreased, compared with 33% of Democrats.Democrats are also  much more likely than Republicans (43% vs. 25%) to say immigration should be kept at our  present levels.

Now here are our current Presidential Candidates and their view on immigration:

Democrats 


Clinton and Sanders are very similar in their viewpoints of immigration.They both do not believe in a United States-Mexico border fence and do not want to end birthright citizenship.They want a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants as well.They both support President Obama's deferred action orders.Additionally, Clinton calls to end family detention and supports Obama's executive actions of deportation relief.Sanders calls for the dismantling of detention centers and border security that calls for more cameras and thermal imaging.

Republicans


Ted Cruz and Donald Trump are on the same stance for immigration on the Republican side as well.Both want to complete a U.S.-Mexico border and  do not believe in birthright citizenship for immigrants.They do not want a path for legal status for illegal immigrants, they also do not accept Obama's deferred action orders.Additionally, Trump calls for tripling the number of Immigration  and Customs Enforcement officers, increasing penalties for overstaying visas, and building a wall that Mexico would pay for themselves.Cruz calls for increasing aerial surveillance and ending sanctuary policies.

The Most Divisive Word in American politics-Healthcare

One of the most dividing issues of political parties is on the issue of Healthcare.It's an issue that rarely, if ever, gets agreed upon. It splits Democrats and Republicans, especially when it comes to cost and access.In this week's blog I will be highlighting the issue of healthcare and where Democrats and Republicans stand.

The Democratic parties view on health care is based around the idea that "accessible, affordable,high quality health care"is at the heart of the American promise.And that Americans should have the security that comes with adequate health care.They also have the belief that no one should face financial destitution because of being ill or injured.In other words, "no one should have to choose between taking their child to the doctor or paying rent." Democrats are supporters of laws that prevent insurance companies from denying viable coverage to Americans simply because of pre-existing medical conditions or charging women based on gender.Another fact that may or may not be knowledgeable to some, is that they are supporters of young Americans who are just starting on the workforce, to stay on their parents health care plans. Senior citizens are also highly considered. They believe in preserving medicare and strengthening medicare. Medical research was also taken into consideration, where the Democratic party stand in support of stem cell research and other medical research.Based on the parties ideals, they are in support of tax credits to businesses who offer affordable, quality healthcare.As well as tax credits to Americans who are approaching 65 and not working so that they could continue to benefit from quality healthcare.Below, are the Democratic presidential candidates platforms on healthcare:

Hillary Clinton:

Clinton defends the Affordable Healthcare Act and its reliance on private insurance, but she would make changes to protect people from co-payments and deductibles that have been rising faster than their wages.Hillary would create a new tax credit  of up to $5,000.00 to families to help them pay high out-of-pocket medical costs.She would also require insurance companies to cover three visits to the doctors each year,before people start paying to meet their deductible.

Bernie Sanders:

Mr.Sanders bold call for “a fundamental transformation of the American health care system” would resemble plans  in many other industrialized nations that many times achieve better health outcomes at lower costs. he wants a single-payer,Medicare-for-all healthcare program.He also supports an expansion of Medicare, whereas the failure of states currently to expand Medicare through Obamacare is estimated by experts to contribute to more than 7,000 deaths a year because of people's lack of adequate assistance.Sanders is also in support of 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave.

Both candidate's stand against the sometimes exorbitant prices for prescription drugs that manufacturers set without any proper justification.

The Republican party believes in a patient-centered healthcare system which is based on free markets, fostering competition and driving health care costs down. They share the belief that a healthcare system ran by the government  will reduce the efficiency of healthcare and the standard of care, compromise the patient-physician relationship and increase healthcare waiting periods.They support the idea of individuals being able to manage their own healthcare costs through medical savings accounts and flexible savings.The ability for those who have flexible saving accounts to be able to rollover their unspent funds each year instead of losing it, is one of their beliefs as well.Republicans believe that medical savings accounts should be offered to all workers without restrictions, as permanent within tax law.As-a-whole,the Republican Party believe that the more freedom the people have in choosing their healthcare and managing their own healthcare costs, the more effective the healthcare system will be.The Republican party believes that Medicare should be designed to give older citizens more options instead of a one-size-fits-all program.They believe the administrative complexities must be reduced within Medicare,so that the providers will be able to financially continue for patients.Below, are two Republican presidential candidates platforms on health care:

Ted Cruz:

Ted Cruz is for repealing Obamcare, and believes socialized medicine is and would be, a disaster for our country.He is pro allowing people to purchase insurance across state lines that will essentially drive down prices and expand the availability of low-cost insurance.He would also de-link health insurance from employment, so that you will not lose your health insurance if you lose your job.He would also expand health savings accounts.But he has not addressed how the uninsured would be covered if Obamacare is repealed.

John Kasich:

Kasich would like to replace the Affordable Healthcare Act  with a health care system that would be market-driven.He would lie to shift us back to a quality healthcare system not a quantity health care system.In an interview with NPR back in July 2015 he illustrated his healthcare plan like this ,"with the primary care doctor being the shepherd to shepherd us through our health care needs, with insurance companies and hospitals working together to share profits, to share the gains they make by keeping people healthy rather than treating them on the basis of how they're sick.” He also opposes paid maternity leave, instead he would like to implement alternatives in flexibility like allowing women to work from home online, because when they are on leave they fall back on experience level.John Kasich also supports the purchase of healthcare from other states and would give incentives for people to live a healthy lifestyle.


The current Democratic and Republican presidential candidates and the political parties, are at two ends of the spectrum when it comes to healthcare policy and what is the best viable option for the American people. When it comes to healthcare it seems that there really is no one-size-fits-all option for everyone.The questions really is what is the best option for the largest amount of people?

Second Amendment

This week's post will be covering the Democrats and Republicans viewpoints on the topic of gun control. This has always been a difficult and dividing topic in our country, and it will most likely continue to be one.

Once again,Republicans believe in smaller government with fewer regulations,This political posture extends to their opinions on the rights of Americans to own firearms.They believe they have the right to own,carry, and use guns.They believe it a right which was antedated in the Constitution and confirmed by the second amendment.The NRA believes, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." And Republicans generally hold the same opinion.They advocate "stand your ground laws" that encouraged people to use guns to settle arguments.They also seek for both open-carry and concealed-carry laws on a "shall issue" basis, which means the government presumes that you should get the license unless they can prove you fall into the certain categories of offenders.Republicans also believe in the right to obtain and store ammunition without registration.They also advocate for increased public hunting land and  hunting/safety clinics for adults and children. They are usually in opposition to federal licensing of law-abiding gun owners  and national registration as a violation of the second amendment  and invasion of privacy.

Democrats recognize the American tradition of bearing arms and the preservation of the second amendment.But they also believe that the right to bear arms is subject to reasonable regulation.They wish to see stricter gun regulation, especially on banning of  assault weapons and expanding background checks.They also believe in ending the sale of high-capacity magazines and closing loopholes to make it harder for people convicted of domestic abuse or stalking, from owning a gun.They have issued laws such as Brady's Law of 1993 which instituted mandatory federal background checks in the U.S.As well as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban which prohibited the sale of assault rifles and certain semi-automatic machine guns to U.S. citizens.Democrats usually believe that crime and homicide will severely mitigate if more stringent gun laws were enforced

Each side have been battling with the issue of gun control for the past few years, and it is one of the main topics discussed in the current political debates. One side is advocating for less government control and wanting the protection of rights, while the other side is advocating for increased gun laws and regulations, while the opinions of the U.S. citizens are greatly divided on the matter as well.

Education-Democrats vs. Republicans

With the upcoming election it is important that our peer group be knowledgeable on where they stand on political issues. We all know the two major political parties Republicans and Democrats, but many of us do not know the parties opinions on specific issues. Since we are college students, I wanted to start off this blog by highlighting the variance in opinions that these two political parties hold on the topic of education.

Generally Republicans hold a conservative political ideology when it comes to policy.Since Republicans believe in limited government when it comes to education, they want to extremely limit the role of government in education policy.They believe the local government should be in charge of the schools and policy.The local school boards should be in charge of curriculum and academic standards.Republicans also advocate for more parents choice when it comes to elementary and secondary education.They are big supporters in homeschooling and school vouchers.School vouchers are a cash/tax credit that parents can use to select private secondary or elementary schools for their children in favor of public education.They are in favor of the free market instead of the government when it comes to higher education, which means that they believe the federal government should get out of the student loan business, because of the belief that subsidized loans are too easy to get and therefore allow higher institutions to increase tuition and fees.Another opinion they hold is the opposition of Affirmative Action, which is the policy that seeks to provide equal opportunity in education and employment to people that are in historically discriminated classes such as minorities and women.Instead they believe students should be admitted based on the individual efforts they put towards their own education.Again Conservatives emphasize personal choice/responsibility with limited government action.

Democrats hold a liberal or progressive political ideology when it comes to policy. Progressives believe that a significant amount of inequality today is a result of socioeconomic conditions out of the controls of the individuals.Democrats want to ensure education equality therefore they advocate for increase federal governments role in education.They advocate federal funding education especially those targeted towards at-risk students.One program they advocate for is Head Start. Head Start provides early childhood education or children from low income families that cannot afford preschool education that middle to upper class families might be able to afford more easily.They are also supporters of uniformed academic standards to ensure that all students are able to be educated to a minimum level of competency in the core areas such as math,science, and english i.e common core.Democrats also believe that the federal government should help support and fund higher education such as funding subsidized loans and grants for students who need assistance in paying for higher education. Their idea is that all people, regardless of socioeconomic status, have access to a higher education.Progressives also believe the Affirmative Action is higher education.Their belief is that it is necessary to counterbalance the fact that minorities and women have been at a historical disadvantage in attaining a higher education and therefore action has to be taken. The idea behind Democratic education policy is to provide equal opportunity for all people by leveling the playing field by eliminating disadvantages due to privilege/discrimination.






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