Wikipidia's definition of tax is a financial charge or other imposed on an individual or a legal entity by a state or a functional equivalent of a state.
I believe taxes are important in the governing of the U.S. however I don't agree with the spending direction of America's hard earned tax money. The Washington state sales tax is 6.5% of the price of every item I buy. My last pay check had over $200 taken for taxes. I'm only an 18 year old trying to juggle school and work and I've already discovered the rediculous price of taxes and the annoyances that the amount taken out can sometimes be as big as the paychecks themselves. Taxes are getting out of control, seeing the amount taken out every pay check wouldn't be so rough if i knew my tax dollars weren't being wasted on a trip to California so that the president can shake his head at the ashes, shake some hands, say God bless America, and then waste more money flying back. I don't mind when my tax dollars go to new equipment for troops in Iraq or construction workers filling in pot holes. I just don't want to see my hard earned dollar go to a waste.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Education - Democratic
Biden:
$3000 tax credit for college for anyone earning under $150K. (Sep 2007)
There needs to be performance-based pay for teachers. (Aug 2007)
Teach sex ed in schools; including prevention methods. (Aug 2007)
Sent kids to private school after death of their mother. (Jul 2007)
Overcome racial achievement gap with early education. (Jun 2007)
Pay teachers more to get better educational results. (Apr 2007)
FactCheck: Japan pays teachers more, but not India & China. (Apr 2007)
NCLB needs more resources, but also is fundamentally flawed. (Feb 2007)
Princeton was last Ivy holdout to admit women & minorities. (Jan 2006)
Clinton:
We have not yet reached consensus on education reform. (Sep 2007)
Incentive pay for school wide performance. (Aug 2007)
Universal pre-kindergarten; and make family the best school. (Aug 2007)
Working families cannot participate in school between 9 & 3. (Jul 2007)
It takes a village; American village has failed our children. (Jun 2007)
Establish right to education from pre-school thru college. (Jun 2007)
Supports public school choice; but not private nor parochial. (Oct 2006)
Transfer tax cuts from rich & corporations to student aid. (Jun 2006)
Teacher testing only for new teachers. (Oct 2000)
Testing only new teachers respects professionalism. (Oct 2000)
Reforms: teacher corps; more federal funding; modernize. (Sep 2000)
Buffalo teacher’s strike inappropriate; hope for negotiation. (Sep 2000)
Opposes merit pay for individual teachers. (Apr 2000)
Supports merit pay for entire schools. (Apr 2000)
Scholarships for teachers who go to urban schools. (Mar 2000)
Increase resources to meet increased standards. (Mar 2000)
Hold kids to high standards, starting at home. (Jul 1999)
Address teacher shortage with salary increases. (Jul 1999)
Teachers need more peer consulting & more recognition. (Jul 1999)
Social promotion cheats our children. (Jul 1999)
More after-school; smaller classes. (Jul 1999)
Read to young kids 20-30 minutes daily. (Jul 1999)
Entire school staff should focus on school safety. (Jul 1999)
Metal detectors at school are not much of an intrusion. (Jun 1999)
Arts education is needed in our schools. (Sep 1998)
Give kids after-school activities to prevent gangs. (Apr 1998)
Allow student prayer, but no religious instruction. (Sep 1996)
Supports structured inner-city schools, with uniforms. (May 1996)
Dodd:
Advocate for free community-college education. (Sep 2007)
Incentive pay for tougher schools, but not performance pay. (Aug 2007)
Daughter attends public school. (Jul 2007)
Reform No Child Left Behind to invest in failing schools. (Jul 2007)
Tragedy that Supreme Court overturns Brown desegregation. (Jul 2007)
Shame of resegregation has been occurring in our schools. (Jun 2007)
Highest priority is equal educational opportunity. (Jun 2007)
Kucinich:
End No Child Left Behind; end testing as be-all & end-all. (Sep 2007)
Free education from pre-kindergarten to college. (Sep 2007)
Fund universal pre-K with 15% cut in Pentagon budget. (Aug 2007)
Teach sex ed in schools; including AIDS prevention. (Aug 2007)
Sent kids to public school; apply that to all kids. (Jul 2007)
Stop funding war, start funding education; 15% DoD reduction. (Jun 2007)
Constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal opportunity. (Jun 2007)
Quality education is a core American right. (Nov 2006)
Vouchers divert public money away from public schools. (Jan 2004)
Stop making us a nation of test-takers: free education. (Jan 2004)
Establish universal pre-kindergarten programs. (Aug 2003)
Keep public education separate from private education. (Jul 1996)
Obama:
We need a sense of urgency about improving education system. (Sep 2007)
Nationwide program to reconstruct crumbling school buildings. (Sep 2007)
STEP UP: summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged. (Aug 2007)
We left the money behind for No Child Left Behind. (Aug 2007)
Pay "master teachers" extra, but with buy-in from teachers. (Aug 2007)
Sends kids to private school; but wants good schools for all. (Jul 2007)
Supreme Court was wrong on school anti-integration ruling. (Jul 2007)
Incentives to hire a million teachers over next decade. (Jun 2007)
Pay teachers more money & treat them like professionals. (Jun 2007)
Public school system status quo is indefensible. (Oct 2006)
More teacher pay in exchange for more teacher accountability. (Oct 2006)
Guarantee affordable life-long, top-notch education. (Jun 2006)
Provide decent funding and get rid of anti-intellectualism. (Jul 2004)
Address the growing achievement gap between students. (May 2004)
Will add 25,000 teachers in high-need areas. (May 2004)
Supports charter schools and private investment in schools. (Jul 1998)
Free public college for any student with B-average. (Jul 1998)
Richardson:
Start earlier with preschool for every child under 4. (Sep 2007)
Pay off college loans in exchange for national service. (Sep 2007)
Minimum wage for our teachers: $40,000 per year. (Aug 2007)
One-point plan on No Child Left Behind: Scrap it. (Aug 2007)
Scrap No Child Left Behind; it doesn't work. (Jul 2007)
Help failing schools; don't penalize by defunding them. (Jul 2007)
Minimum wage of $40,000 for teachers. (Jul 2007)
Supreme Court backstabbed equality of Brown v. Board of Ed. (Jul 2007)
Nobody asks how we pay for war; why do we ask on education? (Jun 2007)
Eliminate junk food in schools; statewide smoking ban. (Mar 2007)
Equip every 7th grader with a laptop computer. (Jan 2004)
Increase the salary of school teachers. (Jan 2004)
A plan that can reach straightforward education goals. (Jan 2004)
Charter schools show tremendous promise. (Jan 2004)
Expand the lottery scholarship program for college students. (Jan 2004)
No vouchers: they abandon public schools. (Oct 2002)
Provide parents with vouchers, even for religious schools. (Nov 1996)
$3000 tax credit for college for anyone earning under $150K. (Sep 2007)
There needs to be performance-based pay for teachers. (Aug 2007)
Teach sex ed in schools; including prevention methods. (Aug 2007)
Sent kids to private school after death of their mother. (Jul 2007)
Overcome racial achievement gap with early education. (Jun 2007)
Pay teachers more to get better educational results. (Apr 2007)
FactCheck: Japan pays teachers more, but not India & China. (Apr 2007)
NCLB needs more resources, but also is fundamentally flawed. (Feb 2007)
Princeton was last Ivy holdout to admit women & minorities. (Jan 2006)
Clinton:
We have not yet reached consensus on education reform. (Sep 2007)
Incentive pay for school wide performance. (Aug 2007)
Universal pre-kindergarten; and make family the best school. (Aug 2007)
Working families cannot participate in school between 9 & 3. (Jul 2007)
It takes a village; American village has failed our children. (Jun 2007)
Establish right to education from pre-school thru college. (Jun 2007)
Supports public school choice; but not private nor parochial. (Oct 2006)
Transfer tax cuts from rich & corporations to student aid. (Jun 2006)
Teacher testing only for new teachers. (Oct 2000)
Testing only new teachers respects professionalism. (Oct 2000)
Reforms: teacher corps; more federal funding; modernize. (Sep 2000)
Buffalo teacher’s strike inappropriate; hope for negotiation. (Sep 2000)
Opposes merit pay for individual teachers. (Apr 2000)
Supports merit pay for entire schools. (Apr 2000)
Scholarships for teachers who go to urban schools. (Mar 2000)
Increase resources to meet increased standards. (Mar 2000)
Hold kids to high standards, starting at home. (Jul 1999)
Address teacher shortage with salary increases. (Jul 1999)
Teachers need more peer consulting & more recognition. (Jul 1999)
Social promotion cheats our children. (Jul 1999)
More after-school; smaller classes. (Jul 1999)
Read to young kids 20-30 minutes daily. (Jul 1999)
Entire school staff should focus on school safety. (Jul 1999)
Metal detectors at school are not much of an intrusion. (Jun 1999)
Arts education is needed in our schools. (Sep 1998)
Give kids after-school activities to prevent gangs. (Apr 1998)
Allow student prayer, but no religious instruction. (Sep 1996)
Supports structured inner-city schools, with uniforms. (May 1996)
Dodd:
Advocate for free community-college education. (Sep 2007)
Incentive pay for tougher schools, but not performance pay. (Aug 2007)
Daughter attends public school. (Jul 2007)
Reform No Child Left Behind to invest in failing schools. (Jul 2007)
Tragedy that Supreme Court overturns Brown desegregation. (Jul 2007)
Shame of resegregation has been occurring in our schools. (Jun 2007)
Highest priority is equal educational opportunity. (Jun 2007)
Kucinich:
End No Child Left Behind; end testing as be-all & end-all. (Sep 2007)
Free education from pre-kindergarten to college. (Sep 2007)
Fund universal pre-K with 15% cut in Pentagon budget. (Aug 2007)
Teach sex ed in schools; including AIDS prevention. (Aug 2007)
Sent kids to public school; apply that to all kids. (Jul 2007)
Stop funding war, start funding education; 15% DoD reduction. (Jun 2007)
Constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal opportunity. (Jun 2007)
Quality education is a core American right. (Nov 2006)
Vouchers divert public money away from public schools. (Jan 2004)
Stop making us a nation of test-takers: free education. (Jan 2004)
Establish universal pre-kindergarten programs. (Aug 2003)
Keep public education separate from private education. (Jul 1996)
Obama:
We need a sense of urgency about improving education system. (Sep 2007)
Nationwide program to reconstruct crumbling school buildings. (Sep 2007)
STEP UP: summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged. (Aug 2007)
We left the money behind for No Child Left Behind. (Aug 2007)
Pay "master teachers" extra, but with buy-in from teachers. (Aug 2007)
Sends kids to private school; but wants good schools for all. (Jul 2007)
Supreme Court was wrong on school anti-integration ruling. (Jul 2007)
Incentives to hire a million teachers over next decade. (Jun 2007)
Pay teachers more money & treat them like professionals. (Jun 2007)
Public school system status quo is indefensible. (Oct 2006)
More teacher pay in exchange for more teacher accountability. (Oct 2006)
Guarantee affordable life-long, top-notch education. (Jun 2006)
Provide decent funding and get rid of anti-intellectualism. (Jul 2004)
Address the growing achievement gap between students. (May 2004)
Will add 25,000 teachers in high-need areas. (May 2004)
Supports charter schools and private investment in schools. (Jul 1998)
Free public college for any student with B-average. (Jul 1998)
Richardson:
Start earlier with preschool for every child under 4. (Sep 2007)
Pay off college loans in exchange for national service. (Sep 2007)
Minimum wage for our teachers: $40,000 per year. (Aug 2007)
One-point plan on No Child Left Behind: Scrap it. (Aug 2007)
Scrap No Child Left Behind; it doesn't work. (Jul 2007)
Help failing schools; don't penalize by defunding them. (Jul 2007)
Minimum wage of $40,000 for teachers. (Jul 2007)
Supreme Court backstabbed equality of Brown v. Board of Ed. (Jul 2007)
Nobody asks how we pay for war; why do we ask on education? (Jun 2007)
Eliminate junk food in schools; statewide smoking ban. (Mar 2007)
Equip every 7th grader with a laptop computer. (Jan 2004)
Increase the salary of school teachers. (Jan 2004)
A plan that can reach straightforward education goals. (Jan 2004)
Charter schools show tremendous promise. (Jan 2004)
Expand the lottery scholarship program for college students. (Jan 2004)
No vouchers: they abandon public schools. (Oct 2002)
Provide parents with vouchers, even for religious schools. (Nov 1996)
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Caucuses and Primaries
January 3 - Iowa caucus - Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee
January 5 - Republican Wyoming caucus - Mitt Romney
January 8 - New Hampshire primary - Hillary Clinton and John McCain
January 15 - Michigan primary - Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney
--Special Note: Obama and Edwards both dropped their name from the ballot due to Michigan scheduling their primary too early.
January 19 - Nevada caucus / Republican South Carolina Primary
January 26 - Democratic South Carolina Primary
January 29 - Florida Primary
February 2 - Republican Maine Caucus
February 5 - Super Duper Tuesday (19 states) Primaries
February 9 - Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, Kansas Caucuses
February 10 - Democratic Main Caucus
February 12 - District, Marylan, Virginia Primaries
February 16 - Guam Territorial
February 19 - Hawaii, Wisconsin, Washington Primaries
February 23 - American Samos, Virgin Islands Caucus
February 24 - Puerto Rico Primary
March 4 - Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont Primaries
March 8 - Democratic Wyoming Caucus
March 11 - Mississippe Primary
January 5 - Republican Wyoming caucus - Mitt Romney
January 8 - New Hampshire primary - Hillary Clinton and John McCain
January 15 - Michigan primary - Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney
--Special Note: Obama and Edwards both dropped their name from the ballot due to Michigan scheduling their primary too early.
January 19 - Nevada caucus / Republican South Carolina Primary
January 26 - Democratic South Carolina Primary
January 29 - Florida Primary
February 2 - Republican Maine Caucus
February 5 - Super Duper Tuesday (19 states) Primaries
February 9 - Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington, Kansas Caucuses
February 10 - Democratic Main Caucus
February 12 - District, Marylan, Virginia Primaries
February 16 - Guam Territorial
February 19 - Hawaii, Wisconsin, Washington Primaries
February 23 - American Samos, Virgin Islands Caucus
February 24 - Puerto Rico Primary
March 4 - Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont Primaries
March 8 - Democratic Wyoming Caucus
March 11 - Mississippe Primary
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Education - Background
Background on Education
Education Buzzwords
Social Promotion: Candidates debate whether students should advance a grade merely to keep up with their peer group. 90% of K-12 students are promoted (10% per year are retained).
Teacher Pay: K-12 Teachers’ salaries average $34,200; college instructors average $63,000; compared to $50,700 for similarly educated non-teachers. Public school teachers earn 25% to 100% more than private school teachers. Generally, any reference to ‘increasing teacher pay’ implies opposition to vouchers while negative references to teacher’s unions implies support of vouchers.
Teacher Testing: Current law is that states certify teachers and decide what their requirements are; there are currently no national standards nor testing. Liberals favor raising teacher pay and oppose teacher testing on the grounds of treating teachers more ‘professionally’.
Student Testing: Many conservatives advocate for national testing standard or other forms of ‘standards-based education’. Generally, any reference to ‘standards,’ or especially to dealing with ‘failing schools’, implies support of school vouchers.
Smaller Class Size: Many liberals advocate for smaller class sizes, and/or building more schools to achieve them. Generally, any reference to ‘smaller classrooms,’ or especially to ‘building public schools’, implies opposition to funding private schools.
School Prayer: Current law is that schools allow religious groups to organize on school grounds as if they are any club. Schools are not allowed to conduct prayers at the beginning of school, but neither are they allowed to stop a student from praying.
Bilingual Education: Schools may conduct classes in Spanish or other languages using federal ‘Title VII’ funds, which totaled $380 million last year (1% of total spending). 13% of K-12 students speak a language other than English at home. Generally, liberals favor bilingual education while conservatives favor ‘official English.’
DOE: The Department of Education spent $38 billion last year (2% of the federal budget). But federal spending only accounts for 9% of education spending; most of the annual $600 billion comes from state & local sources. Hard-core conservatives favor abolishing the Department of Education, which was a Republican Party platform plank in the 1980s.
Phonics: Phonics is a method of teaching children to read by sounding out phonemes (groups of letters that represent sounds). Generally, a favorable reference to ‘phonics’ implies a conservative viewpoint on all the other education issues listed here.
School Choice‘School Choice’ generally refers to a school district allowing parents to decide which school within the district to send their kids to. The political issue is whether to allow the choice to include private schools, parochial schools, and home schooling at taxpayer expense. Taxpayer funding of parochial schools potentially violates the Constitutional separation of church and state. Taxpayer funding of private schools is controversial because it subsidizes parents who are currently paying for private schools themselves, and are usually more wealthy than the average public school family.
Charter Schools‘Charter schools’ are publicly-funded and publicly-controlled schools which are privately run. They are usually required to adhere to fewer district rules than regular public schools.
Vouchers‘Vouchers’ are a means of implementing school choice -- parents are given a ‘voucher’ by the school district, which entitles them to, say, $4,000 applicable to either public school or private school tuition. The value of the voucher is generally lower than the cost of one year of public education (which averages $5,200), so private schools (where tuition averages $8,500) may require cash payment in addition to the voucher.
Education BuzzwordsGenerally, any reference to ‘standards,’ or especially to dealing with ‘failing schools’, implies support of school vouchers. Generally, any reference to ‘smaller classrooms,’ or especially to ‘building public schools’, implies opposition to funding private schools. Further decoding of education buzzwords are detailed under Education.
K-12 Education Statistics
Total spending is $260 billion, (7% federal; the rest split state & local) rising by 5% per year.
Student population is 50 million, rising slowly (1 million per year) since 1984.
Public school spending is $5,200 per student, staying about even with inflation.
Parochial school costs $4,200 per student, not discounting church-provided buildings & other subsidies.
Private school costs $8,500 per student, not discounting scholarships or other financial aid.
90% attend public schools; about 6 million attend private & parochial schools.
78% of schools have Internet access; 97% plan to by the year 2000.
27% of classrooms have Internet access; lower in poor and minority schools.
College Statistics are detailed on the ‘Education’ page.
College Education & Cost Statistics
61% of high school graduates continue on to some post-secondary education.
43% enroll at 4-year colleges; 33% graduate college.
Race strongly determines the percentage enrolling at college (49% for Asians; 38% for Blacks; 28% for Hispanics).
Socioeconomic status even more strongly determines percentage enrolling at college (19% from the poorest ¼ of families vs. 70% from the richest ¼ of families).
Tuition plus room and board at public colleges averages $6,700, and at private college $18,500.
Public college costs 15% of the average family’s income, and the percentage is holding steady (tuition rises are keeping pace with median income rises).
Private college costs 42% of the average family’s income, and the percentage is also holding steady.
K-12 Statistics are detailed on the ‘School Choice’ page.
(Straight from On The Issues . org)
Education Buzzwords
Social Promotion: Candidates debate whether students should advance a grade merely to keep up with their peer group. 90% of K-12 students are promoted (10% per year are retained).
Teacher Pay: K-12 Teachers’ salaries average $34,200; college instructors average $63,000; compared to $50,700 for similarly educated non-teachers. Public school teachers earn 25% to 100% more than private school teachers. Generally, any reference to ‘increasing teacher pay’ implies opposition to vouchers while negative references to teacher’s unions implies support of vouchers.
Teacher Testing: Current law is that states certify teachers and decide what their requirements are; there are currently no national standards nor testing. Liberals favor raising teacher pay and oppose teacher testing on the grounds of treating teachers more ‘professionally’.
Student Testing: Many conservatives advocate for national testing standard or other forms of ‘standards-based education’. Generally, any reference to ‘standards,’ or especially to dealing with ‘failing schools’, implies support of school vouchers.
Smaller Class Size: Many liberals advocate for smaller class sizes, and/or building more schools to achieve them. Generally, any reference to ‘smaller classrooms,’ or especially to ‘building public schools’, implies opposition to funding private schools.
School Prayer: Current law is that schools allow religious groups to organize on school grounds as if they are any club. Schools are not allowed to conduct prayers at the beginning of school, but neither are they allowed to stop a student from praying.
Bilingual Education: Schools may conduct classes in Spanish or other languages using federal ‘Title VII’ funds, which totaled $380 million last year (1% of total spending). 13% of K-12 students speak a language other than English at home. Generally, liberals favor bilingual education while conservatives favor ‘official English.’
DOE: The Department of Education spent $38 billion last year (2% of the federal budget). But federal spending only accounts for 9% of education spending; most of the annual $600 billion comes from state & local sources. Hard-core conservatives favor abolishing the Department of Education, which was a Republican Party platform plank in the 1980s.
Phonics: Phonics is a method of teaching children to read by sounding out phonemes (groups of letters that represent sounds). Generally, a favorable reference to ‘phonics’ implies a conservative viewpoint on all the other education issues listed here.
School Choice‘School Choice’ generally refers to a school district allowing parents to decide which school within the district to send their kids to. The political issue is whether to allow the choice to include private schools, parochial schools, and home schooling at taxpayer expense. Taxpayer funding of parochial schools potentially violates the Constitutional separation of church and state. Taxpayer funding of private schools is controversial because it subsidizes parents who are currently paying for private schools themselves, and are usually more wealthy than the average public school family.
Charter Schools‘Charter schools’ are publicly-funded and publicly-controlled schools which are privately run. They are usually required to adhere to fewer district rules than regular public schools.
Vouchers‘Vouchers’ are a means of implementing school choice -- parents are given a ‘voucher’ by the school district, which entitles them to, say, $4,000 applicable to either public school or private school tuition. The value of the voucher is generally lower than the cost of one year of public education (which averages $5,200), so private schools (where tuition averages $8,500) may require cash payment in addition to the voucher.
Education BuzzwordsGenerally, any reference to ‘standards,’ or especially to dealing with ‘failing schools’, implies support of school vouchers. Generally, any reference to ‘smaller classrooms,’ or especially to ‘building public schools’, implies opposition to funding private schools. Further decoding of education buzzwords are detailed under Education.
K-12 Education Statistics
Total spending is $260 billion, (7% federal; the rest split state & local) rising by 5% per year.
Student population is 50 million, rising slowly (1 million per year) since 1984.
Public school spending is $5,200 per student, staying about even with inflation.
Parochial school costs $4,200 per student, not discounting church-provided buildings & other subsidies.
Private school costs $8,500 per student, not discounting scholarships or other financial aid.
90% attend public schools; about 6 million attend private & parochial schools.
78% of schools have Internet access; 97% plan to by the year 2000.
27% of classrooms have Internet access; lower in poor and minority schools.
College Statistics are detailed on the ‘Education’ page.
College Education & Cost Statistics
61% of high school graduates continue on to some post-secondary education.
43% enroll at 4-year colleges; 33% graduate college.
Race strongly determines the percentage enrolling at college (49% for Asians; 38% for Blacks; 28% for Hispanics).
Socioeconomic status even more strongly determines percentage enrolling at college (19% from the poorest ¼ of families vs. 70% from the richest ¼ of families).
Tuition plus room and board at public colleges averages $6,700, and at private college $18,500.
Public college costs 15% of the average family’s income, and the percentage is holding steady (tuition rises are keeping pace with median income rises).
Private college costs 42% of the average family’s income, and the percentage is also holding steady.
K-12 Statistics are detailed on the ‘School Choice’ page.
(Straight from On The Issues . org)
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Abortion
This blog is about each candidates view on abortion. I will also add in a general Republican view and a general Democratic view. Finally I will close the blog with my own view. You decide.
Huckabee - Pro-Life - no states rights for moral issues; no tax funding for organizations that promote abortion; believes that to hate abortion but allow it is like hating slavery but allowing it
Hunter - Pro-Life - defines that life begins at conception
Keyes - Pro-Life - only exception is to preserve life of mother; not okay to kill child of six, not okay to kill child in the womb; abortion is unjust and immoral
McCain - Mixed - support adoption and foster care, work together on abortion; restrict abortions, no partial-birth, no public funding
Paul - Pro-Life - federal government out of abortion decision
Romney - Pro-Life - would be delighted to sign federal ban on all abortions; government should not intrude; cloning changed his mind from pro-choice to pro-life; personally against abortion, but pro-choice as a governor
Thompson - Pro-Life - believes life begins at conception and abortion takes a life; state's should decide policy on abortion; opposes partial birth ban; voted against Planned Parenthood
Republican
Giuliani - Pro-Choice - Ultimate decision by woman, her conscience, and her doctor; in 2000 ran as a pro-choice candidate; forever against abortion, but respect others' choice; encourage adoption, ban partial-birth abortionHuckabee - Pro-Life - no states rights for moral issues; no tax funding for organizations that promote abortion; believes that to hate abortion but allow it is like hating slavery but allowing it
Hunter - Pro-Life - defines that life begins at conception
Keyes - Pro-Life - only exception is to preserve life of mother; not okay to kill child of six, not okay to kill child in the womb; abortion is unjust and immoral
McCain - Mixed - support adoption and foster care, work together on abortion; restrict abortions, no partial-birth, no public funding
Paul - Pro-Life - federal government out of abortion decision
Romney - Pro-Life - would be delighted to sign federal ban on all abortions; government should not intrude; cloning changed his mind from pro-choice to pro-life; personally against abortion, but pro-choice as a governor
Thompson - Pro-Life - believes life begins at conception and abortion takes a life; state's should decide policy on abortion; opposes partial birth ban; voted against Planned Parenthood
Democratic
Biden - Mixed - No public funding for abortion; supports partial-birth abortion ban; accepts view that life begins at conception
Clinton - Pro-Choice - keep abortion safe, legal and rare into next century; lift ban on stem cell research to cure devastating diseases; fought for "plan B" contraceptives; late term abortion only if life or health are at risk
Dodd - Pro-Choice - conduct stem cell research; courts should decide abortion cases based on woman's health
Edwards - Pro-Choice - government should not decide for woman on partial-birth abortion; right to abortion is constitutionally protected
Gravel - Pro-Choice - any abortion decision should remain between woman and doctor; no limitation on stem cell research
Kucinich - Pro-Choice - women's right-to-choose is essential to gender equality; abortions should always be legal; women can't be free unless they have the right to choose; life begins at conception
Obama - Pro-Choice - against banning partial birth abortion; trust women to make own decisions on partial-birth abortion; pass the stem cell research bill; protect a woman's right to choose
Richardson - Pro-Choice - stem cell research as part of preventive healthcare; resist any effort to weaken a woman's right to choose
Republican overall
Pro-Life
Democratic overall
Pro-Choice
Me
I do not agree with abortions, but I believe in a woman's right to choose. By choosing to keep the baby, a pregnant woman is not giving up their choices. They still have the choice to keep the baby or to put up the baby up for adoption. Adoption is not always a good thing, however it gives the baby a chance to live.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Select a Candidate!
I just took the quiz provided by our government teacher on his website as a resource or a fun activity. I believe that this quiz was not only very fun to take but also gave me more of an idea of which candidate my views matched the most. Although, definitely not my favorite candidate, my top person was Hilary Clinton. I certainly do not plan on voting for her, but it was refreshing to be able to compare my beliefs to those actually running for office. I honestly didn't realize that being a split-party person, that my beliefs were more leaning to those of a Democratic. It was interesting to discover that although declaring a party, many of the candidates, Republican or Democratic feel the same about certain issues.
Wanna take the survey?
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/select_a_candidate/poll.php?race_id=13
Wanna take the survey?
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/select_a_candidate/poll.php?race_id=13
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Presidental Candidates:
For the republican side there is:
-Rudy Giulani
-Mike Huckabee
-Duncan Hunter
-John McCain
-Ron Paul
-Fred Thompson
For the Democratic sides there is:
-Hilary Clinton
-Barack Obama
-John Edwards
-Dennis Kucinich
-Bill Richardson
-Joe Biden - droppout January 3
-Chris Dodd - droppout January 3
-Rudy Giulani
-Mike Huckabee
-Duncan Hunter
-John McCain
-Ron Paul
-Fred Thompson
For the Democratic sides there is:
-Hilary Clinton
-Barack Obama
-John Edwards
-Dennis Kucinich
-Bill Richardson
-Joe Biden - droppout January 3
-Chris Dodd - droppout January 3
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