In the United States we are divided between the left and right sides of the political spectrum; further divided into political parties such as Republicans, on the right, and Democrats, on the left. These two political parties display philosophical differences through their views on important issues such as the economy, separation of church and state, abortion, and gun control. When it comes to the debate about our economy, Republicans generally believe strongly in the power of a free market system, lower income tax rates, more spending by citizens, and less spending by government. The Republican Party wants the tax rate not to be affected regardless of a person's wealth and wants the tax rate reduced to create more private spending. According to the Republican National Convention website, Republicans “believe that government should tax only to raise funds for its essential functions,” such as protecting citizens from criminals and maintaining basic infrastructure and national security (Barton). That said, taxes should not be increased, but rather decreased, to lead to more free market spending and less spending by the federal government. The money the government uses to spend comes from taxpayers, and Republicans believe that those taxpayers have the right to use their money in other ways, such as spending it in the free market or saving it for the future. In turn, the Republican idea is that when taxes on things are lower, people will spend more, which creates a steady, stable economy. The Republican Party would like to see a deregulated economy with fewer taxes and more spending. In contrast, Democratic advocates believe in a regulated economy to help distri...... middle of paper ......onomics/ 09/us-parties-republican-democrat-taxes.asp>.Skiba, Katherine. “House Republicans and Democrats Discuss Economy – U.S. News & World Report.” US News & World Report | News and rankings | Top universities, top hospitals and more. U.S. News, Feb. 26, 2008. Web. July 22, 2011. “The Differences Between a Democrat and a Republican.” The differences between Democrats and Republicans. 4 June 2011. Web. 22 July 2011. "Religious freedom". Texas Democratic Party. Network. 22 July 2011. "Context on abortion". OnTheIssues.org - Candidates on the issues. On The Issues.org. Network. July 23 2011. .