Meet the Presidential Candidates
November is approaching fast. Here are some facts voters should know about the presidential candidates. Whether you are registered as Republican, Democrat, Independent or Libertarian, knowing about each presidential candidate’s stance is highly important.
In today’s fast paced world it is hard to find time to educate yourself on all issues that the presidential candidates will have to work out in their four years of presidency. This is only the tip of the iceberg, but hopefully some of these facts will help you understand more about our presidential candidates.
OBAMA
Vice President: Joe Biden
Political party: Democrat
Taxes: President Obama wants to make sure that the middle, working class families receive less taxes than those who make millions of dollars. Taxes are a hot topic in the upcoming presidential election.
Education: President Obama has implemented the “Pay As You Earn” program to help students pay back their student loans as they work. The “Pay As You Earn” program caps the monthly student loan replacement at 10% of their monthly income.
Women’s Rights: Through Obamacare, some insurance plans fully cover birth control without co-pays or deductibles. President Obama is also pro-choice and wants to ensure government funding of Planned Parenthood. Obama also has voiced his opinion and support for same-sex marriages.
Jobs and the Economy: U.S. manufacturing has grown to employ more than half a million people since January 2010. Obama also plans to eliminate tax breaks from companies that ship jobs overseas in hopes to bring jobs back to the U.S., so there will be more products made in America. Also, the Wall Street Reform tries to ensure that big banks will no longer need bailouts.
Foreign Issues/National Security: President Obama has pulled out troops from Iraq and plans to end the War in Afghanistan by 2014. He also wants to secure nuclear materials to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
ROMNEY
Vice President running mate: Paul Ryan
Political Party: Republican
Taxes: Romney wants lower marginal tax rates that will help build entrepreneurship in the American economy. For individual taxes, he wants to make a stabilized 20% cut in marginal rates and eliminate taxes for those with AGI (adjusted gross income) below 200,000 dollars on interest, dividends and capital gains. For corporate taxes, Romney plans to lower the corporate rate to 25% and implement a territorial tax system.
Education: Romney wants to include private sector participation in higher education and also wants to put more effort into making the financial aid system easier and stronger for young, American adults.
Women’s Rights: Romney is pro-life and believes in the Hyde Amendment, which deems that federal funds should not be used for abortions. Romney believes that marriage should be between a man and woman.
Jobs and the Economy: Romney plans to amend the NLRA (National Labor Relations Act) to minimize labor unions. He believes in the free choice for workers to either join labor unions or not. He also supports the states’ right in Right-To-Work laws. He wants to prohibit the use of American worker’s paychecks to fund on politicking.
Foreign Issues/National Security: Romney insists that withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan will rest on the conditions of U.S. military commanders. He will work with both the Afghan government and the Pakistan government to ensure that America has leverage over both nations that will help them become peaceful and will implement free and fair elections as stated by the Afghan constitution.
As stated before, these facts are only the beginning to understanding each presidential candidates platform. For more information on deciding which candidate you will vote for please visit:
• www.barackobama.com
• www.mittromney.com
Don’t miss the first presidential debate tonight at the University of Denver, starting at 9:00pm ET. The next presidential debates are on October 11th, October 16th and October 22nd.
photo courtesy of morguefile.com
