D

The Republican Party and the Democratic Party are the two major parties in the United States.The two parties do not have major differences toward the basic free market system of the economy or the general forms of government.But they do have big differences on a range of national issues.The Democratic Party generally believes that the government should play a significant role in promoting economic growth by investing in education and social welfare，while the Republican Party believes that economic growth comes from individual enterprise rather than government intervention.The Republican Party usually favors policies that benefit the wealthy，such as tax cuts，while the Democratic Party believes that no person who works should live in poverty and government should offer them opportunities to improve their lot through welfare programs.Republicans generally argue that it is individuals’own responsibility to take care of themselves，and they accuse welfare programs of creating a culture of dependence on the government among beneficiaries and of creating negative incentives that cause the breakdown of families（for example，because they believe welfare eligibility rules encourage low⁃income mothers to avoid marriage）.

On education，the Democratic Party supports public schools and opposes school vouchers，which allow students to use public funds to attend private schools，because they believe vouchers drain resources from public school systems.The Republican Party supports school vouchers because they see them as giving students freedom of choice in selecting schools.On the issue of abortion，most Democrats are“pro⁃choice，”meaning that they support women’s right to choose to have an abortion，while most Republicans are“pro⁃life，”which means that they believe in protecting fetuses against abortion.On homosexual rights，the Democrats support full civil rights for gays and lesbians while Republicans are opposed.Generally speaking，the Republican Party is closely identified with big business，while the Democratic Party has the support of labor unions and environmental groups.Both parties make great efforts to gain people’s support in order to win elections so they can implement their preferred policies.