WHY I AM A DEMOCRAT

By Ismael R. Fernandez

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to say I am a Democrat in the State of Idaho. Not many of us can say that. However, I am vocal for several reasons. I am proud to be a democrat because I believe in a good educational system. In the 21st century, the most powerful skill a person can have is knowledge. The only way to gain that is through a high quality school system. It is vital that all people have access to the same educational opportunities. Education is not something that should be granted to only the few that are wealthy. I am proud to be a democrat because I believe that everyone has the right to have a voice in our government. Voting is an amazing experience that everyone is entitled to in this nation. We are a democracy. I do not believe that a person should be forced to give information they deem private just to have this right. Our forefathers did not envision us to be an oppressive country. I am proud to be a democrat because I believe in an effective criminal justice system. Crime is all too common in our nation and our state. We must control these unfortunate events. They have affected too many of our families. We must find a way to control drug abuse, bullying, youth violence, and abuse of any kind. I am proud to be a democrat because I believe that an appreciation of the arts is necessary for a well-rounded life. It has been too many times that the arts are overlooked and cut from society. This is intolerable. We must ensure a quality humanities curriculum in our schools to ensure the best learning environment for our children. The arts are a wonderful way to make this nation and state better than they are now. I am proud to be a democrat because I believe in an effective immigration policy. I come from a family of immigrants. Seeing how hard it was for them to come here was unbearable. We are a generous and welcoming people. We must have an immigration policy that clearly shows the world how great we really are. I am proud to be a democrat because I support unions. Unions represent the backbone of our nation. They have brought so many amazing things that we all enjoy. Unfortunately, they are made villains by our opposition. We cannot allow this anymore. I am proud to be a democrat because I support small business and entrepreneurship. We must encourage new industries to bloom. This will allow the American workforce to grow tremendously. We must do whatever it takes to encourage our fellow citizens to make their

dreams of making a business into a reality. This must happen in order to help restore our economy. I am proud to be a democrat because I believe there is only one, human race. Everyone on Earth is equal. It doesnt matter what race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or gender identity. Our opponents want to keep the LGBT community down and make them feel subhuman. We must ensure that all humans, heterosexual or homosexual, black or white, catholic or protestant, enjoy the basic human rights our creator has endowed us with.

To sum it all up: I am proud to be a democrat. No one can every change my mind. Thank you so very much ladies and gentlemen. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.