In response to the Republican Party advertisement — “Why are you still a Democrat?”

I am still a Democrat because I believe being pro-life means supporting the things that sustain life: good health care, a fair, living wage for the working class, good public education, clean air and water.

I am still a Democrat because I believe the right to bear arms does not include the right to bring weapons of war and mass murder into our streets, schools and churches.

I am still a Democrat because I believe in the power of rational thought and science. Science is telling us that our current use of fossil fuels is not sustainable and self-destructive. Every modern nation on earth except ours is preparing for a future based on sustainable energy. If we stubbornly refuse to accept reality, the future will belong to others.

I am still a Democrat because I believe in fiscal responsibility. Republicans talk about reducing the deficit — Democrats actually do it.

Above all, I am still a Democrat because I believe in the fundamental goodness of the American people. I believe that people with different views are not enemies, and that the people who seek to divide us based on race, gender or religion for short-term political gain are sowing the seeds of their own destruction.

That is why I am still a Democrat, and proud to be so.

Tara Reynolds Bales, Mars