It is truly a sad day for the United States, when the citizens of the
world's greatest nation would rather keep a gay couple from gaining
hospital visitation rights than vote for a better economy, more jobs
and health care. When receiving a tax cut is more important than
helping your neighbor who is living in poverty, it is nothing less than
a shame. When you look at the distribution of votes in the U.S.,
you see key states consistently voting Democratic: New York, , New
Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, California, and Florida (from Orlando
south). These are the most progressive, modernized states in America --
and yet Ohio and Iowa take priority in the end. These progressive
states (particularly their cities) are a snapshot of what America is --
a diverse people in every sense of the term, committed to moving
forward. They vote Democratic because they understand the importance of
responsible fiscal policy, and they understand that though Republicans
claim that the U.S. health care system is the best in the world, the
infant mortality rate and life expectancy in the U.S. come in last when
compared with other industrialized nations. The infant mortality in
some parts of the U.S. -- Harlem, for example -- is higher than in
Bangladesh. [more]