January 14, 2008

Let's take a look at some of the major candidates who are currently ahead in the running by some measures. I've been very fortunate to have the help of a very bright person who has compiled a great deal of research for me. These are the claims of the candidates for what they plan to do as president.

First we'll look at Republican Sen. John McCain. He's for the Iraq war and government spending reform, as well as gun rights and judges faithful to the Constitution. He's against illegal immigration, abortion (at least to the extent that he wants the decision returned to the states), and tax increases, and he believes in global warming. As far as health care, Sen. McCain wants families to control their plan, and for individuals to be able to get insurance from anywhere they want, including across state lines. His immigration plans are to secure borders and screen cargo at ports, as well as assimilating immigrants by requiring them to learn English.

Republican Gov. Mitt Romney has different opinions on how to handle illegal immigration. He doesn't want there to be any amnesty or pathway to citizenship for people who come to the country illegally. He also wants to cut off federal funding to municipalities that offer sanctuary to illegal aliens. Gov. Romney wants to encourage legal immigration through streamlining the process. Gov. Romney is generally for the Iraq war, and also believes that Iran must be further isolated. Gov. Romney is for energy independence and school choice, and is against abortion (also believing the decision should return to the states,) homosexual marriage, universal healthcare, and tax increases. He wants a presidential line-item veto so the president can reform government spending by eliminating wasteful projects in otherwise good bills. For healthcare, he wants to improve services by introducing competiton, and an end to frivolous lawsuits.

On the other side of the aisle, Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton is for universal healthcare, desiring a system where individuals keep their current plan if they like it, and insurance companies are required to accept and maintain coverage for anyone who can pay the premium. She is for abortion and increased family planning services, as well as preschool education and energy independence. The senator believes in global warming. Sen. Clinton is against illegal immigration. She is against the Iraq war, promising if she is elected to create a plan to bring the troops home and to arrange billions of dollars of international aid for refugees and the Iraqi people.

Similarly, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama promises to have removed all combat brigades from Iraq within 16 months, leaving only troops to defend our embassies, and also promises $2 billion for refugees. He is for universal healthcare in the form of a public plan, and requiring private insurers to cover people with preexisting conditions. He is for preschool education, energy independence, and pre-filled income tax forms. He wants to reform government spending via an online database of items such as campaing finance filings and lobbying reports, an end to no-bid contracts over $25,000, and rules requiring either budget cuts or changes in taxes to fund new programs. Sen. Obama will reverse tax cuts on the wealthy while maintaining them for the middle class and lower class. The senator believes in global warming. He is against illegal immigration, and his plan involves punishing employers who hire illegal immigrants, increasing personnel and infrastructure to secure borders and ports, and requiring illegal immigrants who are "in good standing" to pay a fine, learn English, and "go to the end of the line" to become citizens. He also holds that promoting Mexican economic development will reduce illegal immigration.

I encourage all Americans to further research the candidates and their positions on the issues, and think about which candidates best reflects one's own stances. I was recently informed that the site http://www.VoteHelp.org features a detailed quiz that can help with this process.