What a Democrat in Indiana Believes

Eric Alterman asked Democrats last week to try and articulate what we truly believe. I obviously can't speak for everyone, but I still came up with my own list and wanted to share it. With Repugs running everything, we should all have a long time to think about this stuff. . .

I believe the President of the United States should tell our troops - and the nation - the truth about why we do or do not go to war.

I believe it helps to have global allies when fighting a global war on terror.

I believe we should immediately undertake initiatives to secure our ports, railways, chemical plants and nuclear plants.

I believe that vets returning to the United States from wars abroad should have every possible resource available to aid in whatever physical or mental rehabilitation they might need.

I believe cheering for a war is very different than fighting it yourself.

I believe Rush Limbaugh's three failed marriages were not the result of homosexuals "undermining" the institution.

I believe that homosexuals have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - including sharing their lives with someone they love.

I believe what an American does in his or her bedroom with a consenting adult is none of the Government's business.

I believe Government should stay out of the Religion business, and Religion should stay out of the Government business.

I believe every person in the United States of America should have a basic package of health care coverage, so that no family will ever have to choose between saving a loved one's life and selling/losing everything for which they've worked a lifetime.

I believe that medical decisions (including reproductive and end-of-life decisions) should be made by patients, families and doctors - not by Tom DeLay.

I believe in paying our bills as we go rather than passing them along to future generations.

I believe giving huge tax cuts to corporate CEOs and other seven-figure earners doesn't magically make the economy roar for the rest of us.

I believe that corporate America should stop hiding behind loopholes, lawyers and business addresses in the Cayman Islands - and pay their fair share.

I believe in the right of workers to bargain and form unions.

I believe in transparent elections where every vote is counted and paper trails exist to add a level of confidence to the results.

I believe that Election Day should be a national holiday.

I believe in checks and balances.

I believe we have three co-equal branches of Government with unique responsibilities - not a political royal family that runs everything.

I believe corporations can make money and be moral, responsible enterprises at the same time.

I believe that my Government should play a major role in protecting our citizens from corporate fraud, unsafe products and toxic waste.

I believe that the ends don't always justify the means.

I believe in an independent judiciary full of qualified judges who are immune from political pressure and the passions of the day.

I believe the President of the United States should challenge our nation to make renewable energy and environmental clean-up national priorities, with the goal of total energy independence.

I believe the United States of America should attempt a Mars mission by 2020.

I believe in upgrading our national power grid, communication systems, roads, bridges and railways to 21st-century standards.

I believe in Evolution.

I believe public schools should have a robust math and science curriculum, and that laptop computers should be as fundamental today as spiral notebooks were to the previous generation.

I believe that teachers are professionals - not babysitters.

I believe in an honest and independent media that asks tough questions and demands answers on behalf of the American people.

I believe that some issues are more complicated than a bumper-sticker slogan and might demand more than 30 seconds of my attention.

I believe Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Ann Coulter might not be telling us the truth about everything.

I believe people awarded three Purple Hearts, one Bronze Star and one Silver Star in Vietnam shouldn't have to prove - 35 years after the fact - that they deserved those medals when the evidence is overwhelming that they did.

I believe the people of the United States have the right to question their leaders without being accused of being unpatriotic, hating America, or wanting the terrorists to win.

I believe that welfare should be a helping hand up and not a way of life.

I believe that more cops on the street make those streets safer.

I believe that gun ownership comes with responsibility.

I believe that any American who wants an assault weapon should join the military.

I believe that we're all in this together, and the goal of forming a more perfect Union is always worth the pursuit.