Wondering who to vote for on November 6th? Are you still not entirely sure of the two major party candidate’s stances on policy issues? This election seems like it has lasted forever, but it is almost over…and now, it is time to vote! Of course, with class and coursework, extracurricular activities, and trying to keep some type of social life, following the presidential campaign may have proven to be more difficult than you had thought! So, I have compiled information on President Obama and Mitt Romney’s policy stances about a few important issues this election cycle. There are more candidates in the race, but I have only looked at the two major party candidates – the Democrat and the Republican – for the sake of time and space.
The four issues that I am dealing with are the following: education, women’s issues, health care, and the economy. This is in no way a list of all of the important issues this election, but I would have to write a book to include them all.
On Education:
Barack Obama
- Plans on doubling the amount of Pell Grants and establishing a college tax credit
- Believes in giving states the flexibility to create their own plans for reform instead of the restrictions of No Child Left Behind
- Plans to invest more in community colleges and career-training programs
- Has implemented and expanded a Post-9/11 G.I. Bill to help veterans and their families pursue an education
Mitt Romney
- Plans to provide incentives to the states to increase choice in schools to parents
- Reform No Child Left Behind through transparency by having public report cards of schools available to parents and the public
- With higher education, desires to decrease regulation of the schools, simplify the financial aid system, and allow the private sector to be more involved in university education
On Women’s Issues:
Barack Obama
- Pro-Choice – believes that a woman’s health care decisions should be left to the woman and her doctor without politicians’ interference
- Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to work against pay discrimination
Mitt Romney
- Pro-Life – believes that life begins at conception and that the court decision Roe v. Wade should be overturned
- Romney has not taken a position on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, but his Vice President, Paul Ryan voted against it
On Health Care:
Barack Obama
- Supports the Affordable Care Act
- Wants to provide free access to preventative care services and lower costs on prescription drugs
- Will put an end to health insurance companies charging women more than men for the same coverage
- Will hold insurance companies accountable for capping or dropping your insurance when you get sick
Mitt Romney
- Does not support the Affordable Care Act; Wants to repeal it
- Plans to limit federal standards and requirements on both private insurance and Medicaid coverage
- Wants to allow consumers to purchase insurance across state lines
- Wants to prevent discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions who maintain continuous coverage
On the Economy:
Barack Obama
- Plans to eliminate tax breaks for companies that take jobs overseas
- Wants to invest in education, manufacturing, and infrastructure
- Plans to increase taxes on individuals making at least a million dollars each year
- Will make tax cuts for the middle class permanent
- Take on China’s unfair trade practices and double exports
Mitt Romney
- Will cap federal spending below twenty percent of the economy
- Wants to stop the increases in regulation of small business
- Wants to consolidate agencies and make compensation of federal workers align with their private-sector counterparts
- Build stronger ties in Latin America
- Wants to stop the unfair trade practices of China
My information came from each of the candidates’ websites, so it represents how the candidate wants to be viewed by the American public. This is something to be aware of because it is not necessarily unbiased, but I thought it was fair to give the policy stances that the candidates put forth on each of their websites to avoid using news sources that are biased for one candidate over the other. This way the information is pulled entirely from the candidates’ websites without analysis from news sources. If you are interested in more analysis of the policy stances, searching national news sites could be a great way to get this information!
Everyone should get out and vote on November 6th!