By Melissa Martinez

News Editor

I think debate is healthy, especially when it deals with the future of our country. I’m not passive enough to say, “you know what? Believe what you want,” because most of the people I speak to about beliefs only assert what they’ve been told.

Just like they’ve been told how one side is going to benefit their family, they also should be informed of the benefits of our country. It should be no surprise that I am a very liberal Democrat. I was raised by parents with Republican views and all my life, my father has taught me to believe what he believes.

I went to college and became educated in politics. I realized that the majority of the country benefits not from the policies imposed by Republicans, but the policies proposed by Democrats. I learned that while foreign policy is important, so are the people living inAmerica.

Though I don’t agree with everything Democrat, I believe in most things liberal. I am not sorry for the millions of debates I’ve had in the past month or the constant ones I have back home. I’ve learned that politics isn’t something to be passive about and when you believe in humanity, truly believe in it, you are passionate. If you are silenced after this election because you’ve voted Romney, be proud of your vote. Stand by it. If you truly believed in him, show it.

However, if the basis of your beliefs stem from religion, think about this: We are a country that separates church and state. To base your moral beliefs on your religion isn’t fair. It is generalizing Americans and forcing them to adhere to YOUR religious beliefs, when most Americans probably don’t identify with it.

To take away affordable benefits like contraception, we are being incredibly naive. Regardless of whether you like it or not, or whether you practice abstinence or not, people are going to have sex and women have the right to affordable contraception. We are a country falling behind the world.

Where other countries recognized and legalized same-sex marriage, we are one who shames it. Where other countries offer health insurance for everyone, including those who aren’t able to afford it, we punish our citizens by taking it away. Unlike what most Republicans believe of Democrats, I don’t believe people shouldn’t work hard to get what they have. I am a firm believer in hard work and determination.

However, there has to be a middle ground. Without government loans, I couldn’t have afforded attending a university and my parents didn’t qualify for financial aid. Without loans, I would’ve stopped my education at high school, gotten a job and struggled the rest of my life to make ends meet. Even though my parents worked hard and were able to support us comfortably, they couldn’t afford college for nine daughters. Mitt Romney believes that if someone can’t afford college, they should ask their families for funds like he did. Not everyone has that luxury.

You have to give people the chance to be successful. Without funding for education, I wouldn’t have had that chance, along with hundreds of thousands of college students. So, if I’m “attacking” people based on their beliefs, so be it. I don’t hate people based on their beliefs. If they have valid reason, I respect them. If they don’t, I inform them. I’m not sorry for keeping quiet about my beliefs.

I’m not sorry for standing up to selfish people who only think about themselves. I’m not sorry for voting for the man who’s worked hard and has overcome obstacles that the other candidate couldn’t even imagine. I’m not sorry he’s our President. In my honest opinion, our country has broken barriers in the past four years. We’ve elected the first black president, something we as Americans should be incredibly proud of.

Instead of electing someone who will take our country and rights back 50 years, I’m so happy we’ve elected someone who will transition us to the future. In my honest opinion, I am so proud to be an American.