Obama: General Issues

Abortion~

Obama’s belief on abortion has varied according to the situation the mother is in.  Actually, just recently Obama has voted against late term abortion unless the mother’s life is at risk.  He believes that if a mother is not ready to have a child; she should have an abortion as early in the pregnancy as possible.  He also believes that another ‘solution’ can also be adoption, that way, the child can live, and the mother does not take on a responsibility that she is not ready to handle.

Education~

Obama believes that education is one of the most important issues in this election.  He ensures that if elected president, every child will have access to high-quality learning programs.  He sees charter schools as a way to keep competition within public schools, and if elected president, he will double the funds for these schools. He would also like to have well-educated, qualified teachers to teach the children. Obama also states that education is the path to success, and it determines many things in life.

Death Penalty~

Obama believes that the death penalty does, “little to deter crime”.  Although, he states it is appropriate for some circumstances including terrorists, and the harm of children.  Obama exclaims that we have had our problems with the death penalty, and that is why the monetarism was placed.  He also believes that it should be fair and uniformly applied.  Also, more than one person should decide whether or not somebody deserves this harsh punishment.   

Environment~

Obama stated that if he is elected president, he will do many things to help the environment.   He believes global warming is a critical issue, and that it was wrong for Bush to think of it as a hoax.  Obama also stated that he plans to charge every power plant for every bit of pollution that they send into the atmosphere.  This will make them want to stop and find better energy sources that will not pollute the environment, so they can save money.  Obama is also planning to increase the fuel efficiency standards to 40 miles per gallon.  After he do this, this country will save the equivalent of all of the oil imported from the Persian Golf.

Health Care~

If Obama is elected president, he will create a health care program for people who do not have employer-provider health care, or they do not qualify for any other program.  He believes that all children should have health care, but it is not mandatory for all adults to have health care.  He also believes that people under the age of 25 should be covered under their parents plan.   He would also give the people a choice between private or public insurance programs, depending on their needs.  

Immigration~

Obama is a great believer in national security, and he is against immigration.  He actually supported Bush-Backed Immigration Reform Legislation.  This would have, “Increased funding and improved border security technology, improved enforcement of existing laws, and provided a legal path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants.”  Obama also voted for a 700-mile fence across the US Mexican border, for more protection.

Iraq War~

In this election, the tenacity from the candidates on whether or not they are for the Iraq war will make a great impact on their votes. Obama states that he is not “against all wars, just dumb wars”.  He also proclaims that if he is elected President, he will remove one or two combat brigade’s each month, as well as having all of the American troops out of Iraq within sixteen months.  Also, he will take two billion dollars and support more than four million Iraqis, to ensure our countries safety.    He is also planning to make it clear that the US does not wish to have a permanent base in Iraq.  This action is also done to ensure our countries safety.

Economy~

Obama supports the $700 billion Wall Street bailout package.  He said that, "America is facing one of the greatest financial crises in history, and today's passage of an emergency rescue plan was absolutely necessary to prevent an economic catastrophe that could have cost millions of jobs and forced businesses across the country into bankruptcy." His rescue plan includes that every business will receive a 3,000 refundable tax credit for each additional, full time employee.  He also proposed that he would loke to create a $25 billion infrastructure investment, to build roads and bridges. This action will save, and provide many jobs.  

Poverty~

Because of the economic crisis, many people are suffering from poverty.  These people are unable to take care of themselves, or their family.  If Obama becomes the next president of the US, he is planning to lower taxes for the middle class, and senior citizens.  He also wants to create a “Promise Neighborhood,” which would basically offer many benefits from birth, till college.  Obama also supports the Global Poverty Act.  This act is said to cut extreme global poverty in half by 2015. 

Stem Cell Research~

Obama is against the increase of stem celled research, and he opposes the creation of human embryos for research purposes. He also opposes cloning and any other experiments done on humans.  In fact, he stated that, "We owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases."  Obama was also part of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007.