A common reason citizens decide not to vote is that they feel as if they are not able to make an informed decision. They simply feel as though they don’t know each candidate’s stance on the major issues. So, here are a few quick summaries of each candidate’s views on the major issues.
Obama
Economy
“Now, four years ago, when I stood on this stage, I said that I would cut taxes for middle-class families,” Obama pointed out during the first presidential debate of the election. He’s right! Obama has cut middle-class taxes by over ten times during his four-year term and promises to continue the trend as part of his economic recovery plan. Mr. President believes that by cutting personal income taxes (for the lower 98 percent of citizens), the economy will grow due to spending and investing on behalf of the people.
Another way Obama plans to stimulate the economy is by rewarding small businesses with tax credits when they hire new full-time employees. Obama would like to bring manufacturing back to the forefront of America’s business industry and bring jobs back to our soil. He proposed that a tax refund of 3,000 dollars be given to small businesses on their tax return for each new full-time employee hired. Therefore, if a company hires five new full-time employees, the company will receive 15,000 dollars with its tax return. By doing this, Obama aims to encourage companies to grow in size and hire American citizens.
Over the last year President Obama has also mentioned his intentions to keep an eye on the eurozone sovereign debt crisis of Europe. Obama, according to Politico.com, spends a great deal of time in the oval office discussing major decisions of European leaders and its economy. He believes that European leaders must be sure to weigh each major decision carefully because the United States’ economy is directly impacted by those decisions.
Another major part of Obama’s recovery plan is to reintroduce the importance of education and rebuild the system. In fact, in the 2012 State of the Union Address, Obama discussed his proposal of new restrictions for high-school dropouts: students would not be able to drop-out unless they were eighteen years old; otherwise, they had to graduate. Obama argues that an educated future is a more financially responsible future.
Homeland and National Security
One of the major accomplishments of the Obama administration was when, on his authorization, the U.S. Navy Seals assassinated Osama bin Laden. Obama himself noted that it was “the most significant achievement to date.”
Additionally, the Obama administration, in the past four-years has rescinded many of the Bush administration’s counterterrorism policies; for example, the use of waterboarding and other “inhumane” investigative techniques have been banned. The administration is also working on shutting down the prison at Guantanamo Bay.
Obama does, however, continue to expand a few Bush counterterrorism policies and techniques such as the use of drones for killing threats of national security. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the use of targeted killing through the use of drones in both foreign combat and counterterrorist efforts on U.S. soil has increased in the past few years.
Overall, the President plans on continuing the war on terrorism, improving central intelligence, national cybersecurity, nuclear and biological security, and keeping tabs on international organized crime.
Immigration
Over the past few years, Obama has discussed simplifying the process for illegal immigrants to obtain a visa, rather than deportation—especially younger illegal immigrants. According to the President’s executive order, which he highlighted at the second presidential debate on October 16, “These are young people who studied in our schools. They play in our neighborhoods; they’re friends with our kids; they pledge allegiance to our flag. They’re Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one — on paper.” The President believes that by halting the deportation of immigrants under thirty-five years old, and allowing them to apply for renewable, two-year work permits, the economy will prosper.
Health care
In March of 2012, Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), later nicknamed “Obamacare.” America’s status as one of the only industrialized nations without universal health care creates much controversy on both sides of the ideological spectrum. Obamacare would be a tool to increase the number of those covered under health care. The policy proposed cuts for Medicare payers and increases of national medical spending.
As a result of Obamacare, companies must accept new members, regardless of any pre-existing conditions. Health insurance will cover children under their parent’s plan until they are 26 years old. All citizens will be required to purchase healthcare insurance.
Mitt Romney
Economy
Romney’s “fifty-nine point economic plan,” more commonly referred to as the five point plan, is extremely detailed and includes tax cuts on all levels, reduction of government spending, new regulations on the free market and the power of labor unions, and the revocation of Obamacare.
He promises to create jobs and economic growth as early as his first day in office through five Congressional bills and five executive orders. According to cfr.org, altogether, these ten actions, if completed as planned, would reduce the corporate tax rate 10 percent, explore new energy outlets, reduce non-security spending by 5 percent and place newly consolidated federal retraining programs under the power of the states. His five executive orders would include removing the secretary of Health and Human Services, returning health care management back to the states (eliminating Obamacare), creating incentives and investments for oil drilling companies on American soil, and reversing many of the Obama-era regulations on organized labor.
Romney also promises to cut individual tax rates by twenty percent. Unlike President Obama, he does not plan to impose a higher tax rate for the wealthiest citizens of the nation. “The top 5 percent of taxpayers will continue to pay 60 percent of the income tax the nation collects,” Romney explained in the second presidential debate at Hofstra. Rather than increasing tax rates for the wealthy, he pledges to close loopholes currently available, and eliminate deduction opportunities of which these wealthier citizens might take advantage.
Homeland and National Security
With experience as president of the Olympic Games 2002 organizing committee, Romney has already dealt with the issue of homeland security on behalf of the nation. Again as Governor, Romney delved into the issue of homeland security and advocated intelligence fusion centers. In fact, while Romney was governor, he advocated the opening of two fusion centers in the state of Massachusetts. These centers aim to make intelligence sharing easier and more efficient on a national and interstate level, according to politico.com.
Along with the need for physical homeland security, Romney recognizes and emphasizes the importance of cybersecurity–an issue he has vowed to address within his first hundred days in office if elected.
Immigration
During the debate in Jacksonville, Romney stated that he is in fact “pro-immigrant,” but that he wants immigrants to enter this country legally. According to MSNBC, as Governor of Massachusetts, Romney vetoed a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition. He also enforced regulations and checks that would assure employers that their employees are legal immigrants.
Romney has given opportunities to legal immigrants, specifically students, that are studying science, math, technology and engineering fields by giving them special visas. He believes that these visas would encourage entrepreneurship and innovation and business will prosper in future years.
Furthermore, the Republican candidate has discussed making the process of legal immigration easier. Romney speaks of a plan that would allow immigrants to bring their families with them with allocation green-card visas. Romney plans to repeal Obama’s executive order which, issued within the last month, temporarily halts the deportation of undocumented immigrant children; instead, he will introduce a path of guaranteed citizenship through military service.
Health care
Taking steps to wipe away Obamacare is one of Romney’s main goals. He plans to remove the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and return the power to regulate health care for the elderly, sick and impoverished back to the states. Romney speaks of a plan that will allow states to create their own health care programs to best fit the needs of the citizens of those states. “I believe the better course is to empower the states to determine their own health care futures,” Romney explained on his campaign website, mittromney.com. Through this approach, competition will lead to the creation of better health care systems for lower prices in order to entice citizens.
The federal government would support states that are reforming their health care by allocating block grants for Medicaid, allowing flexibility to help those that are uninsured, or in high-risk pools, and by offering grants that will allow states to explore different options for health care alternatives. He also plans to help those who are chronically ill by preventing insurers from discriminating against them.
Although many citizens feel that they are not informed enough to vote, there is in fact plenty of information on the candidates’ websites and other media outlets that is available to anyone willing to look for it.
It’s apparent that the candidates this year oppose each other on many of the major issues, as expected, but what’s not obvious is who will win the election. This may be an indication of where the people of the nation stand on the issues as well–split. As a matter of fact, before the October 22, 2012 debate in Boca Raton, Florida, CBS announced that the popular vote was predicted to be split evenly between the candidates, 47 percent and 47 percent. Considering that the race is so close, yet the candidates’ policies so contrasting, it should be an intriguing Election Day full of surprise and anticipation on both sides.