‘Not all Republicans are pro-life, anti-women’s rights, Jesus lovers’

A common theme, especially in this election, is for people to be polar. If you are voting for Hillary Clinton then you probably hate Donald Trump and his supporters. If you support Trump, you probably think Hillary’s supporters are a bunch of liberals who want to take your rights away.

I totally understand feeling this way because until about two weeks ago I felt the same. I thought anyone who could dare be part of the Republican Party was pro-life, anti-women’s rights, and relied on Jesus Christ for every single move they made. I was wrong, and so are many people like me.

I cannot speak for the older generation, but I thought for a second about my beliefs and how they mostly come from my parents and how I hadn’t done much research for myself. So, with that in mind, I sat down with two of my friends- Emily and Marisa – both of whom are Republicans.

Abortions

EMILY: I am pro-choice, but I personally would not get one. I don’t care what someone else does but for me specifically, I would not get one.

MARISA: I feel the same way.

Additionally, I believe that it is every single person’s right to do with their own body whatever they choose. On this, we all agree.

Immigration

EMILY: I think it’s important to make sure that people come in legally, so that the people that are following the rules and dealing with the system don’t get cheated out. America is a great place already, and we are built on immigrants. It’s unrealistic to think that we can keep people out based on who they are and what their beliefs are.

MARISA: I think the immigration process should be made easier, because right now I think the reason that people immigrate illegally is because its too hard to get here. I also think at this point it’ll be more expensive and unrealistic to deport all of the people here, so if they’re law-abiding people I think they should get a path to citizenship. My only problem with illegal immigrants is that they don’t pay taxes, but giving them a path to citizenship would solve that.

Again, I agree with both of them.

Economy

EMILY: I prefer small businesses and their right to make their own decisions. I also do not think college should be free and I do not think we should raise the minimum wage.

MARISA: I want a hand-off approach by the government.  I think college is a privilege and not a right, but college should probably be slightly more affordable.  If everybody had a college degree, everybody would have to get a masters and so on.  Society tells us everybody has to go to college, and that’s not true.  Some people make more money going to trade school, etc.  I think raising the minimum wage is unnecessary because more jobs will be lost, because they’ll hire less people.  Also, for example, if hiring people becomes too expensive, somewhere like McDonalds can replace some workers with computers.

I personally do not think it is fair that big business run everything, but that doesn’t mean they don’t help the economy. I’m definitely conservative when it comes to money- I can’t lie. I don’t think the minimum wage should be raised because it would cause layoffs but it’s also not fair for a single mom with four kids to make $7.50 per hour, so it does have a little bit to do with stepping stones. Higher education costs too much but should not be free.

Gay marriage

EMILY: I have no negative opinion on gay rights. I don’t care what they do. I can’t tell them what to do or who to love. Do your thang.

MARISA: I agree. I’ve always supported same-sex marriage—I think all states should allow gay marriage but I think the Supreme Court overstepped their boundaries.

I’m all for gay marriage. I don’t care who loves who or why. The heart wants what it wants and it quite literally sickens me when people suggest that it isn’t OK for someone to love someone of the same sex. I don’t see how it affects anyone I think love is beautiful.

Equal pay

EMILY: In a perfect world, sure, there would be equal pay, but what’s the plan to fix it? That isn’t the government’s job, although it would be so wonderful if they could fix it.

MARISA: I think it’s a much more complicated issue than people think, especially in business. So many factors go into somebody’s pay—their education, how wanted they are by other companies, etc. Truth is, some fields that want woman (such as information sciences) actually pay women more.

At first I thought, “well of course the government should force equal pay” but when I spoke with these girls and thought about it, I realized that although it is unfair when men get paid more than women for the same job, it can work both ways. I agree with both Marisa and Emily. It depends on the industry and level, and probably isn’t the government’s business, but what do I know.

National defense

EMILY: National defense is important. I’m okay with spending money on the military. If we feel that the military budget needs raised, then it’ll have to be supplemented by cutting something else.

MARISA: I think national defense is one of the major reasons I’m a Republican.  I really care about making sure we have a strong military, and military experts should decide how much money is necessary.  I also think the surveillance we do on terrorists right now is 100% okay. Also I’m definitely okay with waterboarding.

I think we have a pretty well set military. I spoke to some people who have friends in the military and it seems as though we’re doing pretty well in that department I’m no expert. I’m not all that well versed on military spending but I think they can figure it out for themselves, and whatever they need should be provided for them granted they are fighting for our freedom.

Gun rights

MARISA:  I do think gun laws need to be stricter across the country.  For example, where I live, in order to get a gun there is a long process, but here in Pennsylvania almost anybody can just walk into a store and get one.  Ideally, I would LOVE for there to be no such thing as guns and nobody would get shot and all that, but I also recognize this is not a perfect world and even if guns were illegal, criminals would STILL GET GUNS.  Also, we saw in Nice (the terrorist attack where somebody drove a car into a crowd of people) that if somebody wants to kill people, they will find a way to do so. There are sick people, which is a bigger issue than guns are. I also don’t think people on terror watch lists should be able to get guns.

EMILY: Not everyone should own a gun, obviously. I think Marisa covered my view pretty well.

I feel like we need way more regulation. It isn’t OK for someone to just walk into a store and buy a gun. Some Conservatives continue to say that Dems want to take their guns away, but we do not. We want background checks. Marisa, Emily and I are on the same page.

Tax breakdown

EMILY: I think it’s sort of unfair to tax people based on how much money they make. Just because someone makes more money doesn’t mean they should be taxed more. On the other hand, how is it okay that someone that makes $7.25 an hour gets taxed the same as someone that makes $30 an hour? How do you fix it? What is fair? It’s hard to decide.
MARISA: I’m not an expert on taxes, but when I’ve heard people talk about it I agree with using a flat percent.

I agree with Marisa. I disagree with using the tax bracket, and I feel as though a set percent makes sense because I’ve watched my parents work their butts off for the money they make which makes me believe it is fair that they keep a good amount of it, though I’m no economist. I also think lifting taxes on the rich makes no sense.

Unemployment

EMILY: In an ideal world, everyone would be employed. I think that everyone should be trying to find a job that is able to and wants to. Giving up shouldn’t be an option, but unfortunately, that’s the only option some people have.
MARISA: I think when somebody is unemployed they should be able to receive welfare as long as they’re actively looking for a job.

I agree with both girls. It makes sense that someone is given help if they are searching for a job and unable to get one. There are circumstances like injuries or other health problems that make someone unable to work, but in most cases everyone should be trying to contribute.

Ultimately, it seems like we basically agree. I find that the difference between me as a Democrat and Emily and Marisa as Republicans is not our believes but our priorities. I prioritize social issues because someone’s right to their body or their heart should be no one else’s issue even though the government is part of it. Emily and Marisa prioritize the government and national defense.

Additionally, I find that in a place like Pitt it is easy to learn about the Liberal side of things but it is rare to hear the Conservative side unless you calm down, take a seat, and listen. I encourage everyone to hear the other side out before making general accusations.