Now that I live in the suburbs, with all my fellow financially stable neighbors, many of us with our own little McMansions, I am often asked (actually accused) “You’re smart, your wife’s a doctor, why are you a Democrat?” This is partly said in jest and partly in amazement over how a seemingly intelligent person can actually be so dumb. 

A friend of mine offered an explanation for my irrational political judgment. He concluded that as an immigration lawyer it was a matter of simple self-interest that I had no choice but to favor the Democratic Party because my livelihood, in the form of more legal opportunities for immigrants, derives from Democratic party-backed politicians.  This type of thinking, that everything comes down to one’s own economic self-interest, or more properly getting away from this type of thinking, is why I am a Democrat.

All human beings are selfish, myself included.  Somehow our capitalistic economy uses this discovery about human nature to our benefit.  The economic theorist Adam Smith helped explain how an economic system based on each of us pursuing our own self-interest works best; and it has, and it does.  But few people, Republicans included want a system where the winner takes all, where might makes right, where domination controls justice.  So our political system has checks and balances.  Even our economic players still face anti-trust laws so that bullies can’t rule the playground without a monitor.

Because self-interest, which serves our economic system so well, dominates much of our thinking generally, we need a type of cultural check and balance so that we don’t become bullies with the power our money has created.  Religion used to play that role somewhat.  But now, most people take more trips to the mall than to the church, synagogue or mosque, if they go at all.  And even religious institutions have a tended to become entrenched bureaucracies trying to conserve their own power. 

In my suburban town we recently voted on whether to renovate and expand our high school.  A Republican friend of mine said that he didn’t want to miss the vote because he had decided to send his children to private or parochial school and he obviously did not want to pay both the tax increase to fund the new school building and the tuition for his own children’s schooling.  In fact, at the actual vote, most, if not nearly all the people who had children in public school voted for the buildings’ renovation most town residents without school-attending kids voted against it.  Far fewer people were motivated by the fact that education and an educated populace is a value and principle worth supporting and cherishing, whether their children will benefit or not.

This is why I am a Democrat.  I find Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to vote against their own economic self-interest for the good of society.  I dislike others and myself most when we are being overly competitive with each other for ourselves.  I like others and myself most when we search for and commit to finding ways to make life work for everyone, including ourselves.

We as Democrats have our own limitations.  The Democratic Party is overly influenced by power brokering unions who have their own self-interest and power much more in mind than the general good.   Traditional Democratic doctrine sometimes fails to acknowledge that if poor people don’t do more to help themselves there is not much the rest of us can do to help them. And even the most diehard Democrat must admit that government bureaucracies generally do not function as efficiently as the private sector. 

When upper middle class people vote Democratic Party they vote against their own financial self-interest.  But it’s the right thing to do.  The redistribution of wealth creates a more level playing field for the people who may lack only an opportunity.  It also helps people, to a reasonable extent, who are not as achievement oriented as upper middle class people.  I say this as a supporter of the welfare reforms that have now curtailed some of the worst abuses of those programs.  But I surely would pay for and support tax dollars that help needy students go to college, especially community colleges, at very reduced rates.  Day care is also needed for mothers who work at low paying jobs so long as we limit day care subsidy to a mothers’ first two children, (because that’s how many kids most middle class families limit themselves to for financial reasons).

Tax cuts are needed, but only for the middle and working classes, who work hard yet struggle to make ends meet.  The I.R.S. must clamp down on wealthy individuals who create offshore shell corporations, partnerships and fictitious small businesses, which exist solely as tax havens to allow owners to avoid paying their taxes.  There should be no business deductions for entertainment (as opposed meals and travel expenses).  Why should the taxpayer subsidize corporate employees going to go to ballgames?  Tax relief directed at particular companies or industries, often in response campaign donations to the re-election committees of the politicians voting on the tax breaks, is reprehensible.  The estate tax should never have been repealed, and its elimination should not be made permanent.  Let’s have all children start their lives knowing that they have a real chance and a personal obligation to make their own way in life.

Some Republicans chose their political party not to protect their wealth but because they have a conservative outlook about all things, including the government’s ability to improve the condition of people’s lives.  Others truly believe in supply-side economics despite the evidence against it.  Other Republicans have a genuine philosophical belief in the freedom of the individual.   These people are Republican out of principle.  But there are many more who just don’t want you near their pocket and rationalize their lack of commitment to the less well off by citing the inherent limitations and inefficiencies of government programs. If you’re unsure of this; ask Republicans who argue for the freedom of the individual to extend their principle of freedom to gay rights, abortion, drug use, or the right not to say ‘in God we trust’.  The right of the individual to be free from government dictates is not consistently applied across the board by most Republicans; its only trumpeted when you request their tax dollars to aid society generally.