I once asked my uncle what the difference was between Democrats and Republicans. He looked at me with a straight face and told me there is no difference. So I asked him how people know who to vote for at that moment. He said, "They don't." As Paul Goren perceives, “citizens rely heavily on partisanship and fundamental principles to construct their political preferences, to guide their evaluations of public officials” (881). Both Democrats and Republicans want our country to prosper, but they have different ideas about how to achieve this goal. These different beliefs are especially evident when it comes to tax policy, education, and gay rights. Both want to lead America to prosperity despite the various economic and social differences between each party. Republicans believe in a “free market economy” (Republican National Committee). They oppose policies that allow the federal government to “control industry and pick winners and losers in the marketplace” (Republican National Committee). They also believe in a tax policy that means lower tax rates for all income classes. As Sudhir Sen observes during Ronald Reagan's presidency, “They (the Republicans) also pledged to continue their efforts to lower tax rates” (1823). Ronald Reagan was a Republican president who famously embraced tax cuts for all. Even when budget deficits occurred during his presidency, he opposed any tax increases. Reagan once said he would never interfere in the federal tax deductibility of mortgage payments because that would “hinder the realization of the American dream of owning a family home (SOURCE FROM SUDHIR SEN). Reagan also during his administration approved the “25% tax cut of 1981” (SOURCE FRO...... middle of paper ......and the people who govern this great country. Even if they clash on the economic and social issues, both want America to prosper. Both want to lead America to prosperity despite the various economic and social differences between each party. Works Cited "Democrats.org Np, nd Web . "GOP - Welcome to the GOP. " Np, nd Web. 3 February 2014. .Goren, Paul. “Party Identification and Core Political Values.” Print.Hawthorne, Michael R., and John E. Jackson. “The Individual Political Economy of Federal Fiscal Policy.” The American Political Science Review 81.3 (1987): 757-774. Print.Sen, Sudhir Party”. 19.42-43 (1984): 1822-23.