Food For Thought© copyrighted
Bush and Kerry's Platforms
The Issues
July 22, 2004
David Lawrence Dewey
"Reading provides knowledge...
knowledge leads to answers."
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Food For Thought © copyrighted Bush and Kerry's Platforms The Issues July 22, 2004 | by columnist David Lawrence Dewey "Reading provides knowledge... knowledge leads to answers." |
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Report
 President Bush |
ISSUES PLATFORM |
 Senator Kerry |
| Says tax cuts have helped boost economy to create jobs. Would give small businesses tax deductions for equipment so they can expand, leading them to hire new workers. | < < BUSH JOB CREATION KERRY > > |
Would eliminate tax breaks for companies that create jobs overseas. Would use savings to cut domestic corporate taxes and give tax credits for creating U.S. jobs. |
| Taxes Cut top tax rates in 2001 and 2003. Repealed estate tax. Cut capital gains taxes. Also gave lax credits to middle-class families with children. Wants to make tax cuts permanent. | < < BUSH TAXES KERRY > > |
Would repeal 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for families earning more than $200,000 a year. Would use savings to pay for other initiatives. |
| Has signed trade agreements with nations including Australia and a coalition of Central American countries, Supports liberal trade policies. Created tax credit loopholes to go overseas. | < < BUSH TRADE KERRY > > |
Would order review of all existing trade agreements for labor and environmental standards. Would require such standards in future agreements. Would ask World Trade Organization to crack down on trade practices by other countries that violate international agreements. |
| Pushed a new Medicare law that created a prescription drug discount card for Medicare recipients to u~e this year and in 2005. In 2006, Medicare will introduce voluntary prescription drug insurance that can be purchased from private entities such as pharmacy benefit managers and health insurance companies. The discount card has been a dismal failure among the elderly. The original costs of the program were not reported correctly by the Adminstration. Mainly benefits the pharmaceutical companies. | < < BUSH MEDICARE KERRY > > |
Would have Medicare, not private HMOs, administer prescription drug coverage for seniors. Would allow prescription drugs to be bought from Canadian pharmacies for lower prices. Would have Medicare negotiate for lower prices on bulk purchases of drugs. |
| Signed law allowing tax free for uninsured medical savings accounts to cover health costs, Would give $3,000 tax credit to families to help get insurance. Supports association heallh plans and letting small businesses negotiate coverage with insurers. 45% of Americans are without health insurance. 30% cannot afford the high preminums. This will do little for the working class. | << BUSH HEALTH CARE For Uninsureed KERRY > > |
Would let all Americans buy into federal workers' insurance plan. Have federal government pay for most expensive patients of insurers cut premium costs. Shift Medicaid costs to the federal government if states cover all uninsured children |
| Has pushed other countries to join fight against terrorism. Supports Israel's plan to build fence along border with West Bank and to pull out of Gaza Strip and has endorsed notion of Palestinian state. | < < BUSH FOREIGN POLICY KERRY > > |
Has criticized Bush administration for alienating allies, Would involve United Nations more in Afghanistan. Supports two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict |
| Plan for Iraqi sovereignty says United Nations will manage transition now that power has been transferred from U.S. rule, Says coalition of allies shows the world is behind U.S. effort in Iraq. It is estimated U.S. military will be in Iraq for at least another year, possibly two. | < < BUSH IRAQ KERRY > > |
Would ask NATO to take over responsibility the Iraqi security. Would turn oversight for political transition aver to the United Nations. Voted to authorize war in 2002, but has criticized Bush administration's postwar efforts |
| Would give temporary legal status to workers from outside the United States to fill jobs Americans don't lake. Would give same undocumented workers legal status. Keep in mind that over 1,000 illegal immigrants are crossing the southern border daily | < < BUSH IMMIGRATION KERRY > > |
Would allow undocumented workers to earn legal status after five years if they have been working and can pass background checks. Would expedite naturalization for armed forces personnel. Would restore welfare and health benefits to legal immigrants only. |
| Supports renewing antiterrorism Patriot Act, adding more Border Patrol agents and building missile defense system | < < BUSH HOMELAND SECURITY KERRY > > |
Would scale back wiretap, search warrant provisions of Patriot Act. Supports adding more Border Patrol agents. Would cut taxes to give money to more emergency first responders |
| Opposes mandatory funding for veterans' health care, but has not increased its budget for each year. Would bar veterans from seeking federal health seeking federal health treatment problems not related to military service | < < BUSH VETERANS KERRY > > |
Would make funding for veterans health care mandatory, protecting it from annual battles over costs. Would allow disabled veterans to receive pensions and disability benefits |
| Pushed No Child Left Behind Act that toughened standards for teachers and students. It has not been adequately funded | < < BUSH EDUCATION KERRY > > |
Would amend No Child Left Behind Act to reduce emphasis on standardized tests. Would set up national education trust fund with billions of dollars set aside for schools |
| Opposes abortion except in cases of rape or incest or when the woman's life is endangered. Has appointed Judges who oppose rights to federal courts. Opposes using federal money to fund new research using stem cells from human embryos, which scientists Ihink could lead to promising discoveries. Keep in mind that not all stem cells come from human embryos. Stem cells develope even before an embryo is formed. | < < BUSH ABORTION KERRY > > |
Supports keeping abortion legal. Would only appoint justices who favor abortion rights to the Supreme Court. Would allow federal funds to pay for stem-cell research |
| Supports amending Constitution to ban same-sex marriages | < < BUSH MARRIAGE KERRY > > |
Supports civil unions for same-sex couples. Voted against Defense of Marriage.Act, which left gay- marriage issue up to states. Opposes constitutional amendment |
| Supports drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as atternative to relying art Middle East. The Refuge is a protected park already established by Congress. Has no plans for developing alternative clean energy sources. | < < BUSH ENERGY KERRY > > |
Opposes drilling for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Wants 20 percent of U.S. electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020. Supports tougher fuel effeciency standards for cars. has plans for alternative clean energy sources. |
| "Healthy Forests" plan to aflow timber companies log some national forests in exchange for removing small trees and other fire hazards. His "Clean Skies" plan would companies to bade emissions allowances. Rejected 1991 Kyoto treaty on global warming, which would have required United States to reduce carbon dioxide emissions below 1990 levels. Has basically ignored global warming reports | < < BUSH ENVIRONMENT KERRY > > |
Would restore Clinton administration rules protecting millions of acres of roadless land in national forests from development or logging. Has not said whether he would sign on to Kyoto treaty requiring lower carbon dioxide emissions which he helped negotiate |
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