John McCain once said “Elections have consequences.” Sen. McCain was right. It’s only a few short days until we get to vote. Who they are as a decent human being is important. What they believe deep down in their soul is also very important.

I’ve been hearing about how thousands of women nationwide are now choosing the Democratic Party over the Republican Party. I’ve also (especially locally) heard of some people (mostly men) are changing from Democrat to Republican. Democrats tend to be more liberal/progressive in philosophy and ideologies. Republicans are typically more conservative. Some of us progressives are somewhat conservative on some issues, also. (It’s good to conserve something worthy of conservation). Some Republicans are progressive on some issues. But generally speaking, there is a huge divide in ideologies and philosophies.

I’ve heard some people say both parties are exactly the same. I do not believe that, so I did some research. I found many major issues where there was a definite difference. I’ve listed a few of them below.

The Battle of the Ideologies: Conservatives vs. Progressives.

Most conservatives were opposed to the issues below. Most progressives fought for them: the American Revolution; poor people voting; public education; compulsory education; the abolition of slavery; black Americans voting; anti-trust laws; labor rights; worker safety laws; child labor laws; the National Parks; Native Americans voting; women voting; ending prohibition; Social Security; the 40-hour work week; the eight-hour work day; paid vacations; the Interstate Highway System; civil rights; desegregation; inter-racial marriage; Medicare; unemployment insurance; workman’s compensation; welfare laws; environmental protections laws; the Endangered Species Act; family leave laws; banking and speculation regulations; emergency loans to U.S. automakers; the Affordable Care Act.

Jim Johnson

Danville