Voting day is fast-approaching, collegiates, and before you vote tomorrow make sure you really know and understand each candidate’s platform on the issues that most directly interest and impact you. The most important thing to keep in mind is that your vote has the power to directly shape your future, so don’t take it for granted! For your convenience, here’s a quick bio of the two candidates and their action plans for the next four years.
President Barack Obama
Political Party: Democratic
Vice President: Joe Biden
Assumed office: January 20th, 2009
Alma Mater: Occidental College, Columbia College, Harvard Law School
Governor Mitt Romney
Political Party: Republican
Vice President: Paul Ryan
In office: January 2, 2003- January 4, 2007
Alma Mater: Brigham Young University, Harvard University
Abortion & Birth Control:
Obama (D)- Supports abortion rights and his healthcare law requires that contraceptive are available for free for all women with workplace health insurance.
Romney (R)- Opposes abortion rights and, if elected, plans on ending federal aid to Planned Parenthood.
Economy:
Obama (D)- Wants to give tax breaks to U.S. Manufacturing companies, and tax companies outsourcing U.S. Jobs to incentivize businesses to create jobs in America
Romney (R)- Plans to lower taxes, spending, have less government regulation over economy, and generate more trade deals, energy production, and human capital for economic growth
Education:
Obama (D)- Opposes No Child Left Behind law. Has gained approval for more Pell grant money for low-income college students and wants congress to reduce federal aid for colleges that have unnecessarily high tuition.
Romney (R)- Supports No Child Left Behind law and believes that the federal government should have less control over education.
Environment:
Obama (D)- Spent a lot of money on green energy, and regulated heat-trapping gasses (which are blamed for global warming) and mercury pollution from power plants.
Romney (R)- Encourages coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy development and drilling in the outer continental shelves of the Atlantic and Pacific. Believes that the cause of climate change is uncertain.
Immigration:
Obama (D)- Issued a temporary order in June that immigrants illegally brought to U.S. as children be exempted from deportation and given work permits (if they apply). Is committed to passing a law that would create opportunities to obtain citizenship for illegal immigrants enrolled in college or in the armed forces.
Romney (R)- Opposes educational benefits to illegal immigrants and favors a U.S.-Mexico border fence. Supports offering legal status to immigrants who serve in the armed forces, but opposes the same for immigrants who attend college. Plans on ending immigration caps for spouses and children of legal immigrants.
LGBTQ Rights:
Obama (D)- Supports same sex-marriage and requires all hospitals (that receive Medicare and Medicaid) to grant visitation privileges to gay and lesbian partners of any of their patients. Has failed to issue an order prohibiting contractors from discriminating against employees that fall under the LGBTQ category.
Romney (R)- Opposes same-sex marriage and civil unions and believes they should be banned with a constitutional amendment.
Healthcare:
Obama (D)- Wants to put U.S. on a path to universal healthcare coverage with the intention that millions of uninsured people are provided insurance through the expansion of Medicaid
Romney (R)- Wants to repeal current healthcare policy because he believes healthcare should be regulated on a state, and not a federal level. Will work on policies that allow states to create healthcare plans to be determined by their citizen’s needs.
Taxes:
Obama (D): Wants to raise taxes on the wealthy so they pay at least 30 percent of income. Supports tax-cuts from Bush era for people making under $200,000 or couples making under $250,000
Romney (R): Wants to keep Bush era taxes for all incomes and drop tax rates by 20 percent. Wants to eliminate capital gains tax for families making under $200,000 and cut corporate tax from between 25 and 35 percent.
War & Military Spending
Obama (D): Plans to have all troops out of Afghanistan by 2014 and cut $487 billion in military spending over the course of 10 years.
Romney (R): Supports pulling troops out of Afghanistan by 2014, provided the conditions are appropriate, and plans to increase armed forces by adding $100 billion to Pentagon budget by 2016