A strong democracy needs two healthy political parties in order to avoid totalitarianism. Though some American Catholics tend to favor one political party over another, Catholics are neither Democrat nor Republican. Catholics are guided by the Gospel rather than one political party platform. More precisely, Catholics choose how they vote based on principles found in Catholic social teaching which is, in simple terms, the Gospel applied to modern challenges. The role of government (Federal, state, and local) is “to defend and promote the common good of civil society, its citizens, and intermediate bodies” (CCC 1910). Thus, the government collects taxes and revenue from all peoples in order to provide services for all people – e.g., roads and bridges, recreational parks, public education, affordable health care, national defense, worker safety, clean water to drink and air to breathe, a stable economy in which to conduct business, and many others. When we decide our vote, we look for evidence of respect for human life in all stages, care for our common earth, and the welfare of our most vulnerable citizens, including children, elderly, and the poor. Pope Benedict XVI called this “social charity”. In addition, we look for opportunities for decent work at living wages, opportunities for legal status for immigrant workers, and for work towards an end to all forms of discrimination and human trafficking. We realize that there are various ways to achieve these ends. Some are proposed by Republican lawmakers and some by Democratic lawmakers. The questions we ask of any public policy is “How will this promote human flourishing and serve the common good?”, regardless of who or which party proposed the policy. By separating ourselves as political independents, we can force the parties to amend their platforms to match the Gospel priorities as they seek the Catholic vote. – – – Fr. Jim