The Republican candidates
John McCain
War in Iraq
John McCain plans to bolster troops on the ground and implement a new counterinsurgency strategy. He wants to strengthen the Iraqi Armed Forces and police, and create the security necessary for political progress and stability. Planning to accelerate political and economic reconstruction in a secure environment, he also wants to keep senior officers in place, call for international pressure on Syria and Iran, and win the home-front.
Health Care
John McCain hopes to bring costs of health care under control in order to stop the erosion of affordable health insurance. He believes in protecting private health benefits for retirees. Saving Medicare and Medicaid are plans he wants to work toward, along with providing access to health care for all citizens, and allowing veterans to carry their VA dollars to a provider of their choice.To promote competition throughout the health care system and reform the payment systems in Medicare to compensate providers for diagnosis, prevention and care coordination are goals he wants to work toward. Next, he plans on facilitating the development of national standards for measuring and recording treatments and outcomes. By permitting providers to practice nationwide and promoting rapid deployment of 21st century information systems, he hopes to build genuine national markets.
Education
Allowing all students access to all schools of demonstrated excellence, including their own homes is a hope of Senator McCain. He thinks parents should be empowered with the choice to send their children to the school that can best educate them. He also thinks all federal financial support must be predicated on providing parents the ability to move their children, and the dollars associated with them, from failing schools. He plans on pursuing reforms that address the underlying cultural problems in our education system.
Energy and the Environment
John McCain has not issued a statement indicating his stance on this subject.
source: www.johnmccain.com
Mike Huckabee
War in Iraq
Iraq is a battle in our generational, ideological war on terror, and Huckabee believes setting a timetable for withdrawal is a mistake and that withdrawal would have serious strategic consequences for us, as well as horrific humanitarian consequences for the Iraqis. He supports a regional summit so that Iraq’s neighbors become militarily and financially committed to stabilizing Iraq.
Health Care
Huckabee advocates for Health Care policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs. He also values the states’ roles as laboratories for new market-based approaches. He wants Americans to have more control of their health care options and he wants to work with the private sector, Congress, health care providers and other concerned parties to lead a complete overhaul of our health care system. He recognizes that jobs don’t need health care, people do, and move from employer-based to consumer-based health care
Education
Huckabee believes every child should have the opportunity for a quality education that teaches the fundamental skills needed to compete in a global economy. He wants to provide every child these “Weapons of Mass Instruction.” A supporter of the rights of parents to home school their children, he also advocates the creation of more charter schools, and of public school choice. Huckabee makes a clear distinction between federal and state roles in education. While there is value in the “No Child Left Behind” law’s effort to set high standards, states must be allowed to develop their own benchmarks.
Energy and the Environment
He wants to send Congress comprehensive plans for energy independence in an attempt to achieve this independence by the end of his second term. Huckabee hopes to explore, conserve and pursue all avenues of alternative energy: nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal, biodiesel and biomass.
source: www.mikehuckabee.com
Mitt Romney
War in Iraq
Romney’s plans involve increasing the size of our military by 100,000 troops and transforming and strengthening domestic civilian international efforts to meet a new generation of challenges. He hopes to strengthen strategic planning and protect the homeland, in part by creating a special partnership force that will integrate all elements of national power under a new force. Hopes of launching a new type of Marshall Plan unifying non-military sources of power in order to support moderate Muslims and strengthen global alliances also lie in his future plans.
Health Care
Encouraging states to eliminate insurance regulations that drive costs up and providers out of the market is Romney’s plan for deregulating state markets. He also plans to fix the tax code by making all health care expenses tax deductible. He wants to use some of the money currently spent on providing expensive “free care” for the uninsured at emergency rooms to instead help others buy health insurance. He believes in instituting federal caps on non-economic and punitive damage awards to eliminate frivolous lawsuits, and would like to give states flexibility to spend their Medicaid dollars in whatever way they find most efficient. He wants to improve quality and enhance transparency by introducing the same competitive forces that drive innovation in other sectors of the economy.
Education
More local control of school systems, promoting school choice and providing a tax credit to help defray education expenses for parents who home school their children is Romney’s plan for education. He would like to improve and enhance No Child Left Behind by giving states that meet or exceed testing requirements additional flexibility in measuring student performance and focusing more attention on individual student progress, rather than the overall progress of schools. Performance-based pay and other initiatives that encourage the best teachers to teach in highest-need schools are ideas he supports.
Energy and the Environment
Romney wants to establish energy dependence as a top administration priority, invest in research, increase focus on energy security, promote nuclear technology and increase domestic energy production.
source: www.mittromney.com
Ron Paul
War in Iraq
“We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing America and bring the troops home. No war should ever be fought without a declaration of war voted upon by the Congress, as required by the Constitution.
Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations.
Too often we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we become despised. Too often we have supported those who turn on us, like the Kosovars who aid Islamic terrorists, or the Afghan jihadists themselves, and their friend Osama bin Laden. We armed and trained them, and now we’re paying the price.
At the same time, we must not isolate ourselves. The generosity of the American people has been felt around the globe. Many have thanked God for it, in many languages. Let us have a strong America, conducting open trade, travel, communication, and diplomacy with other nations.”
Health Care
Paul says he will work toward making all medical expenses tax deductible, eliminating federal regulations that discourage small businesses from providing coverage and giving doctors the freedom to collectively negotiate with insurance companies and drive down the cost of medical care.He wants to make every American eligible for a Health Savings Account, and remove the requirement that individuals must obtain a high-deductible insurance policy before opening an HSA. He hopes to reform licensure requirements so that pharmacists and nurses can perform some basic functions to increase access to care and lower costs.
Education
Paul wants to give educational control back to parents, abolish the unconstitutional authority to fund or control schools by removing federal subsidies and run schools by local taxes, and give tax credits to families to help with the cost of schooling.
Energy and the Environment
Paul would like to enforce private property rights, which will correct environmental wrongs while increasing the cost of polluting. He hopes to restore a free-market in energy, work with Congress to repeal federal regulations and taxes that impede the development of new energy sources, and look toward nuclear energy.
source: www.ronpaul2008.com
Rudy Giuliani
As of Tuesday night, due to the results of the Florida primary, Giuliani will drop out of the Republican race for the presidential nomination.
The Democratic candidates
Barack Obama
War in Iraq: Obama plans to remove troops from Iraq upon election. Each month, he plans to remove one to two combat brigades — a process that will last 16 months in total. Obama plans to keep some troops in Iraq in order to protect the U.S. embassy and diplomats.
Health Care: Obama has plans in place to set up a national health plan for Americans that is meant to be affordable for all. He also wants to closely monitor private health insurance, and require health insurance for children.
Education: Obama has detailed plans for early childhood education, as well as K – 12. His plan will provide “critical support” to young children and their parents, in hopes to better prepare them for kindergarten. Included in this plan is a focus on affordable child care. For K-12 students, he plans to revamp the No Child Left Behind reform by changing standadized tests and placing more focus on science and math education. Obama wants to address the high school dropout rate. He wants to focus on recruting, preparing, retaining and rewarding teachers. Lastly, Obama plans to make higher education more affordable by ensuring that the first $4,000 of a college education is “free for most Americans,” and he plans to streamline the financial aid process.
Energy and the Environment: Upon election, Obama wants to reduce carbon emissions through incentives that reward those who actively participate in practices that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. He wants to invest $150 billion over 10 years to “advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure,” as well as on other initiatives. By reducing oil consumption, Obama wants to decrease dependencey on OPEC nations.
Source: www.barackobama.com
Hillary Clinton
War in Iraq: Clinton wants to start bringing troops home within the first 60 days of her administration. She would support the appointment of a “high level” U.N. representative. She would focus on stabilizing Iraq instead of “propping up the Iraqi government.”
Health Care: Clinton wants to offer the “same choice of health plan options that members of Congress receive” to Americans in need of healthcare. But, for those who already have healthcare, Clinton plans to let Americans keep those policies. She wants to lower costs of coverage as well.
Education: Clinton wants to focus on early childhood education through programs such as nurse home visitation programs to help with the development of parenting skills. All four-year-olds would be required to enroll in pre-kindergarten under Clinton’s plan. Clinton wants to end the No Child Left Behind program and focus on providing jobs for young people as well as reducing school energy costs. If elected, Clinton would establish a $3,500 college tax credit, increase the maximum Pell Grant and strengthen community college programs, among other initiatives.
Energy and the Environment: If elected, Clinton plans to launch an agressive agenda to reduce electricity consumption. She also wants to invest in alternative energy sources as well as increase fuel efficiency standards. And, she wants to work to make it easier for low and middle-income families to live in green homes.
Source: www.hillaryclinton.com
John Edwards
War in Iraq: If elected, Edwards wants to withdraw 40,000 to 50,000 combat troops immediately. And, he thinks the U.S. should intensify efforts to train the Iraqi security forces.
Health care: Edwards plans for families without coverage to get healthcare at an affordable price. Families with insurance already will pay less and have more security and choices.
Education: Edwards wants to focus on preschool education by making it universal. Also, Edwards plans to reward teachers with raises in wages, as well as better train them by creting a national teachers’ university. And, Edwards wants to “overhaul” No Child Left Behind and improve tests.
Energy and the Environment: Edwards plans to reduce greenhouse gas pollution beginning in 2010. He also wants to commit other countries to pollution reduction through a climate treaty. Lastly, Edwards wants to auction off $10 billion in greenhouse pollution permits and repeal subsidies for “big oil companies.”
Source: www.johnedwards.com
