Reply #165: I think your question illustrates my original point

[maui9002]

I very much believe in helping the working class/working people. I believe in unions, but also believe that you should have the right to work without joining the union (I live in Arizona which is a right to work state). I was very much opposed to the new bankruptcy legislation, which I believe was very unfair to working class/working people. I believe the current income tax, particularly with respect to capital gains, is now unfairly geared toward the interests of the wealthy (if you haven't had a chance, read "Perfectly Legal" by David Johnston, a book that demonstrates how the tax code has been gamed to favor the wealthy). I also believe there should be some form of national health care that protects all of us from financial ruin due to catastrophic illness, although I'm still not certain what form of solution would be best. But because I indicated I favored international trade and NAFTA, and because I expressed my view that the minimum wage was not the best way to help low skilled workers (I actually said low paid workers, but a poster who responded pointed out that it was probably more accurate to use low skilled, and I agree), a number of posters have concluded that I'm an anti working class conservative Republican and I suspect not welcome in the Democratic Party. If that's the case, you're going to end up with a very small party because there are lots of Democrats who share the same views as I do. What the Democratic Party should do is agree on a set of common principles that define the party, and accept anyone who agrees with those principles, while welcoming healthy debate on the best way to achieve those principles.