Are Republicans better than Democrats?

Are Republicans better than Democrats?

Economic development and prosperity are essential in every nation. The American dream has always been centered on prosperity and growth, among other national issues of concern. The Republicans and Democrats are two broad Parties in the political system of America. These parties have differing views concerning the American economy. However, it is evident that once any of the parties cling onto power, their actions rarely coincide with their promises. That is why it is nearly impossible to assert which party’s president is better than the other. This paper explores elements to determine which party (Republican or Democrat) is better than the other.

Economic prosperity and growth

According to Democrats, income equality can foster economic development and prosperity. Therefore, the party gears its economic policies towards the lower and middle-class income individuals. Low-income individuals and families tend to spend more money to purchase the necessities for the households; hence, an increase in demand for the essentials. Besides, Democrats believe in the economic theory of Keynesian, which requires the government to incur expenses to curb recession. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s economic Bill of rights in 1944 was inclusive of tax laws, food laws, and war negotiation laws. Thus, Democratic Presidents have tried implementing their economic views (Kannan et al. 2019). In 1949, President Harry signed for a Fair Deal with statutes to support and enlarge the American Dream. Come in 2010, President Obama implemented the dream and further expanded it to the Affordable Care Act, which was the support of good health care services.

On the contrary, the Republicans support a tackle-down form of economy. To them, investors and businesses are paramount. They propose a cut on the amount taxed on businesses since it helps firms and investors to hire more workers leading to a higher demand for well produced. Moreover, Republicans wish to have a government that does not interfere with any form of prosperity. Thus, according to them, self-discipline, savings, and investments are essential in achieving the American Dream. The business-friendly approach makes investors and business owners fall for Republican’s American Dream views for a better economy. However, carefully looking at both views indicates that Democrats have a better economic prospect as compared to Republicans.

Job creation and employment: According to Republicans, tax cuts create employment opportunities. This is not the case with Democrats because they propose government spending as a source of job creation. President Bill Clinton created more jobs as compared to all the American presidents, followed by Ronald Reagan and Roosevelt, respectively. President Obama used both tax cuts and government spending to create job opportunities for American citizens (Kannan et al. 2019).

Minimum wages

The Democratic Party supports the minimum wage that consents living age. The minimum wage was created by the FDR, which acted as a protective cushion to the workers against the Great Depression era. When the minimum wage was invented, it was only $0.25 per hour. But in 2007, the Democratic Congress raised this amount to $7.25 per hour and made it effective from 2009 up-to-date.

Furthermore, the Democrats propose an increase in the minimum wage to $15, which would be indexed to inflation (Kannan et al. 2019). On the other hand, Republicans perceive that a higher minimum wage will mean some workers will lose their jobs. This allegation is partially true because, according to the Congressional budget in 2014, the budget indicated that increasing the minimum wage improves the economic status of about 900, 000 but in return, this will lead to the termination of about 500,000 workers from their jobs.

Health care

Health care is a concern in every nation and citizens, or voters need a leader or party that seeks to address their medical or health care challenges. Low income and middle-class families do not afford higher medical bills, especially for chronic diseases. Most of them need insurance and subsidies to cater to their Bills. Republicans do not agree with universal health care. They argue for the protection of the current health care system of private insurance (Kannan et al. 2019). They propose for block grants instead of Medicaid. For instance, Trump’s plans to change health care can be seen through this block grant and private insurance issue. However, Democrats suggest that the Federal government should be responsible for the provision of affordable health care to the American citizens. For instance, the Hillarycare program was aimed at controlling the medical bills, but it never worked since the Republican Congress voted against it. However, health reforms such as HIP and the 1996 Accountability Act allowed employees who have lost their jobs to use their health insurance for 18 months. Besides, the Children’s Health care Insurance helps children from wealthy families since it subsidizes their pay on medical bills (Kannan et al. 2019). The children do not qualify for Medicaid since families earn more than what is required to be eligible for Medicaid. Furthermore, Obama’s 2010 PPAC Act aimed at reducing the cost of health care.

In conclusion, the American Dream is for a prosperous and economically developed nation. Both the Republican and Democratic parties have differing views on how to realize the dream. However, when a president from any of the parties assumes officers, they hardly act towards their set goals. That is why it is difficult to tell which party is better than the other. However, the above determinants indicate that a good party focuses on citizen welfare as well as ensuring economic growth in the country.

References

Kannan, V. D., Brown, T. M., Kunitz, S. J., & Chapman, B. P. (2019). Political parties and mortality: The role of social status and personal responsibility. Social Science & Medicine, 223, 1-7.