Democrats vs. Republicans In the United States, there are only two major political parties to choose from. The two main parties are the Democrats and the Republicans. There are also many other political parties to choose from, called third parties. Third parties may include political parties such as the Socialist Equality Party and the Peace and Equality Party. People can choose to be a part of any party they want, but most go with the two common major parties, Democrats and Republicans. Democrats and Republicans have many similarities and differences. These mainly occur in international, social, economic and national issues. Economics is the study of currency and how it is produced and distributed throughout our economy. Taxation is one of the main issues in this category. Both Democrats and Republicans consider taxation an important issue, but both try to address the problem in different ways. Democrats believe it is appropriate to extend tax cuts to middle-class American families earning less than $250,000 a year, while raising taxes on extremely wealthy corporations to help parents pay for college (“Democrats Unveil” ). While the Republican Party says it will “seek to eliminate taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains altogether for low- and moderate-income taxpayers, it will also work to repeal the estate tax and alternative minimum tax” (“Democrats Unveil” ). Both want to change tax policy to try to help pay off our debt and/or help Americans live easier lives. Another key issue in this category is Medicare. Both parties believe that Medicare policy should be changed. “Democrats strongly oppose any effort to privatize or voucherize Medicare” as Republicans pledge… middle of paper… Works Cited “Democrats Unveil Their National Platform.” CBSNEWS. The Associated Press, September 5, 2012. Web. March 18, 2014. “Republican Party Platforms, Then and Now.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, August 28, 2012. Web. March 18, 2014. Pullman, Gioia. “Research and Commentary: Democratic and Republican Party Education Platforms.” The Heartland Institute. N. p., September 12, 2012. Web. March 18, 2014. “Obama Verses McCain on Science and Education.” Structural and molecular biology of nature. 15.10 (2008): Academic research 999-1000 completed. Network. March 18, 2014.Gribbin, Bill, ed. Republican Platform 2012: We believe in America. Arrangements Committee for the 2012 Republican National Convention. 2012. Network. March 07. 2014.