Bertha Said:

Republicans vs. Democrats?

We Answered:

Social programs

Not abortion because many republicans are pro-choice

Not immigration because Bush himself is pro-illegal immigration whereas many democrats are against it.

Handling of the war in Iraq.

Failure to capture B. Laden.

War on terror because that is not a war but an idealogy.

Healthcare.

Outsourcing

Corporate welfare.

Republicans are trying to reverse FDR's New Deal

Social security - we should NOT privatize it.

No school vouchers - that is crazy. that is like dooming the extreme poor to crappy schools and throwing away the key on those schools. Why not fix them.

More funding for college grants.

Less government sticking its nose in our lives.

Etc....

Vicki Said:

Republicans vs. Democrats?-10 points?

We Answered:

Both sides want to keep the homeland secure. But they believe in different approaches.

Republicans want to stay of the offensive against terrorist groups, which is one of the reasons they are reluctant to pull troups out of Iraq before Iraq is completely stable. You often hear Republican leaders talk about "fighting the enemy over there so we don't have to fight them here".

In addition, Republicans will take a more agressive approach to monitoring terrorist activities domestically (e.g. The Patriot Act). This includes wiretaps on phone calls into and out of the country that may involve terrorist groups. Although some agrue that this violates the privacy of citizens, Republicans argue that the right to use such surveillance methods is essential to our safety.

Finally, another aspect of the Republican strategy for homeland security involves border security. Republicans are particulalry unhappy about the current situation with Mexico and believe the unsecured border that currently exsists is a disaster waiting to happen, as it provides an entry point for terrorist groups wishing to cause harm.

Democrats on the other hand want to take a different approach to homeland security. They do not believe that our efforts in Iraq are helping the situation, and want to bring the troops home. They believe that it is more important to establish good relationships with some countries in the Middle East which have historically disliked the US. While Republicans believe this is a sort of appeasement of terrorists, Democrats beleive that the middle east can not be stabilized without the support of countries such as Iran.

Democrats want to bring out troops home, and with the money saved, invest in better technology to fight terrorism here. This would include improving airport security, etc.

Democrats have also historically been against security measures such as the Patriot Act, and believe that the privacy of citizens should not be infinged upon. They argue that surveillance can be done just as effectively without invading people's privacy.

Democrats do not link homeland security with the border security, although they do recognize a problem. They are more interested in putting together a plan to deal with the huge number of illegal immigrants in this country, and would only secure the border if it is linked to a plan for the millions here.