2008 Iowa Caucuses

• *http://www.joebiden.com/
• * Education :“My mother has an expression, children tend to become that which you expect of them. I want a country where we expect much from America’s children. Every child must graduate from high school. Every child should go on to higher education. Today, just two-thirds of students entering high school graduate, and about two-thirds of those go on to college. We are losing too many children in this country, wasting too much talent, leaving so much potential untapped. We know what we need to do: First, stop focusing just on test scores. Second, start education earlier. Third, pay educators more. Fourth, reduce class size. Fifth, make higher education affordable.”
• The College ACCESS Plan:
• 1. Creating a since $3,000 refundable tax credit
• 2. Expanding grant assistance and tax benefits to low income families; and
• 3. Instilling the expectation that all students should and can attend college by engaging students in the preparation and planning process starting in 8th grade.
• * Labor/Employment: Protect Worker Rights to Organize: As president, Joe Biden will put a stop to George Bush’s war on labor. Joe Biden is a co-sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, and he will always work to ensure workers have the right to join unions without interference from employers.
  Defend Workers in Trade Negotiations: Joe Biden believes that US trade negotiations must protect American workers by insisting on basic labor and environmental standards. That’s why he opposed CAFTA and fast track authority for President Bush. He will continue to fight for better labor and environmental standards in trade agreements and will oppose new trade agreements that don’t meet high standards.
  Increasing the Minimum Wage: The minimum wage has been stagnant for too long in this country, no one should work a full time job and be too poor to meet their basic needs. Joe Biden supported raising the minimum wage to $7.25 from $5.15 —where it had been stuck for 10 years. As president, Joe Biden will continue to fight hard for better pay for all working Americans, beginning with the minimum wage.
  Supporting Workers Whose Jobs Have Moved Overseas: Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Trade Adjustment Programs. He opposes taking resources from the trade adjustment assistance program and believes that we need to make the assistance more substantive for those who qualify. Joe Biden believes we should ensure that all workers who are displaced by technological and economic change have access to resources and opportunities.
  Create Green Collar Jobs: As president, Joe Biden will work to create the new jobs that come with a new world. Green-collar jobs will make homes and businesses more energy efficient. Joe Biden has been a leader in the senate, co-sponsoring a worker training program that could help create 3 million new jobs as the U.S. builds a new energy future. (Source: Candidate website, December 2007)

Hillary Clinton

• * http://www.hillaryclinton.com/
  *Employment/Labor Issues: “Strengthening the Middle Class”
  “Income inequality has risen to the highest levels since 1929, and wages have stagnated. In the meantime, health care premiums and college tuition have skyrocketed, squeezing middle class families who have largely relied on their home equity to make ends meet. The burgeoning problems in the housing market further threaten many middle class families.
  Understanding that a vibrant middle class is essential to America's prosperity, Hillary will implement a broad set of policies to once again restore opportunity for all Americans.
• Hillary's economic blueprint to restore the American middle class includes:
  • Lowering taxes for middle class families.
  • Providing quality, affordable health care to every American.
  • Making college accessible and affordable.
  • Confronting the growing problems in the housing market.
  • Bolstering retirement security by promoting savings and investment.
  • Returning to fiscal responsibility and moving towards balanced budgets.
  • Harnessing innovation to create the high-wage jobs of the 21st century.
  • Creating a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund to jumpstart research and development of alternative energies.
  • Strengthening unions and ensuring our trade laws work for all Americans."
    (Source: Candidate website December 2007)
• * Health Care: “Hillary Clinton unveiled the third part of her plan to ensure that all Americans have affordable, quality health insurance. Building on her proposals to rein in costs and to insist on value and quality, her American Health Choices Plan will secure, simplify and ensure choice in health coverage for all Americans. This Plan covers every American - finally addressing the needs of the 47 million uninsured and the tens of millions of workers with coverage who fear they could be one pink slip away from losing their health coverage - with no overall increase in health spending or taxes. For those with health insurance, the plan builds on the current system to give businesses and their employees greater choice of health plans - including keeping the one they have - while lowering cost and improving quality.” (Source: Candidate website, December 2007)

  American Health Choices Plan Iowa website (news release, info, etc.): http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=3370
  American Health Choices Plan pdf site: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/americanhealthchoicesplan.pdf

• * http://chrisdodd.com/
• * Education : Higher Education and Student Loans (Excerpt)
  Ending Corporate Welfare on Student Loans: The Dodd Plan will end the outdated corporate subsidies for banks and increase competition for lower interest rates on student loans by requiring banks to compete in a federally run auction to offer federal student loans. Student loans would become cheaper for taxpayers as lenders auction down the amount of federal subsidy they require to do business. The auction will be regionalized with each auction including a mix of national lenders, regional lenders and nonprofits. The federal auction will generate a minimum of $18 billion in government savings over four years. Savings will be used to provide additional financial aid for students and improve college-readiness.
  Community College for All: The Dodd plan will partner with states to subsidize in-state tuition at public community colleges for students earning credit towards an associate’s degree.
  Putting a Spotlight on the Skyrocketing Cost of Tuition: A Dodd Administration will use the power of the Presidency to bring to light schools whose tuition unreasonably outpaces inflation. By annually publishing a tuition inflation index and a list of colleges and universities whose tuition exceeds it, Chris Dodd believes we can provide students and families with a better idea of how much they can expect to pay for higher education while encouraging schools to act responsibly.
  Protecting Students from Unscrupulous Lenders: President Dodd would extend new protections to private student loans in order to improve transparency, prevent unfair and deceptive private lending practices and eliminate conflicts of interest. Lenders would be prohibited from using data in their underwriting that may have a disparate impact on the loan products, terms, or conditions available to student borrowers based on race, age, and other personal factors, or the institution they attend. Lenders would be required to provide a clear and concise disclosure of the rate, terms and conditions of a private loan prior to their signing the promissory note. Truth in Lending Act (TILA) provisions would be made applicable to all private student loans. The Federal Reserve would be authorized to implement rules requiring private lenders to report student loan data aggregated by the race, gender, and age of the borrower as well as by type of institution. Federal banking regulators would be given authority to give financial institutions credit under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) for making “low-cost” private loans to low-income student borrowers. And, private student loans would be dischargeable upon bankruptcy.
  (Source: Candidate website December 2007)
• * Labor/Employment: Economy/Labor (Excerpt) “Chris Dodd believes it’s time we had a President who can break the deadlock between workers and employers in this country – who can bring people together to create an environment and an economy that respects work and builds wealth. For 32 years, he’s fought to protect collective bargaining rights, secure pensions, and fair wages. And he has worked to curb the outsourcing of American jobs. As President, Chris Dodd will bring the values and aspirations of working people into the White House.
  • Restore Workers’ Freedom to Form Unions. Chris Dodd believes the freedom to form a union is one of our most fundamental rights. He will use the power of the presidency to ensure that the right to organize is upheld and to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
  • Safeguard Pension Plans from Corporate Raiding and Protect Overtime Pay. Chris Dodd will enhance federal oversight of pensions. Employees should never have to forfeit their retirement security to pay for corporations’ mistakes. Chris Dodd will also fight to guarantee workers are always compensated time-and-a-half for overtime work and prevent employers from avoiding their obligations through unfair pay period calculations.
  • Enforce Trade Laws at Home and Abroad. Chris Dodd will insist that every trade agreement America enters into is fair, by ensuring that workers in those countries are guaranteed fair wages, fair working conditions, and strong environmental protections. Above all, Dodd will insist U.S. trading partners open their markets to American products.”
    (Source: Candidate Website December 2007)
• 
  * Health Care (Excerpt)
• Ensures all Americans will have quality, affordable health coverage in place during Chris Dodd's first term.
• The Dodd plan will create a health insurance marketplace called Universal HealthMart that is based on, and parallel to, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP). Every American will have access to the same plans that members of Congress have. Alternatively, people and businesses can keep their existing insurance arrangements if they want to.
• Universal coverage will be achieved through a shared mandate on individuals and businesses: universal coverage through universal responsibility.
• People and businesses will participate based on their ability to pay, a plan based on fairness first.
• Premiums will be affordable based on leveraged negotiating power, spreading risk, reduced administrative costs, and incentives for adoption of information technology and savings from better care.
• Coverage will be portable -- insurance purchased in Universal HealthMart will follow individuals regardless of their employment situation.
• Insurance company discrimination based on medical condition will be ended.
  (Source: Candidate Website December 2007)

* http://johnedwards.com/
* Labor/Economy (Excerpt): Demand Strong Labor Laws: Many overseas workers work 12 to 16 hours a day in dangerous conditions for poverty wages, without the right to form an independent union. Requiring our trade partners to adopt and enforce basic workers' rights will prevent a global race to the bottom and help build a global middle class. Edwards believes that all of our trade partners should be required to enforce at least the core labor rights defined by the International Labor Organization: the right to organize and bargain collectively and prohibitions against forced labor, child labor, and discrimination. Edwards will pursue these goals through linkage to U.S. trade preference programs, any new bilateral trade agreements, and future World Trade Organization negotiations.
Eliminate Tax Incentives to Move Offshore: The U.S. tax code encourages multinational corporations to invest overseas by allowing them to indefinitely defer taxation on their foreign profits. A recent $90 billion "tax holiday" for multinational corporations failed to create jobs, as President Bush promised, and many of these companies laid off employees instead. The effective tax rate on foreign non-financial income is less than 5 percent, which is well below the U.S. statutory rate of 35 percent. In some cases corporations actually receive subsidies to invest overseas through a "negative tax." Edwards will eliminate the benefit of deferral in low-tax countries, ensuring that American companies' profits are taxed when earned at either the U.S. rate or by a foreign country at a comparable rate.
Help Communities Recover from Mass Layoffs: When communities lose a major employer, there is a predictable downward spiral: retailers lose customers, home foreclosures depress property values, and falling tax receipts force cuts in public services. For too long, the federal government has stood by while plant closings devastate entire towns. And yet, which communities will struggle under new trade deals is usually predictable. Edwards will require the independent U.S. International Trade Commission to study which communities will face stiffer competition under new trade deals. When a plant closing appears imminent, Edwards will immediately deploy technical assistance and recovery specialists to work with affected employers, unions and local officials just as the government does for areas facing a military base closing. New resources will be available for shoring up the local tax base, attracting new family-sustaining jobs, and helping local businesses expand.
Strengthen the Safety Net for Workers Who Lose Their Jobs: Our unemployment insurance program has not been improved in over 70 years. Americans today are more likely to lose their jobs and less likely to receive unemployment benefits. TAA excludes millions of service workers facing trade-related competition. Edwards will help states provide UI coverage to 500,000 more workers a year, particularly low-wage and part-time workers. He will help the long-term unemployed by creating a standard 26-week extended benefit and expanding options for benefits during job training. He will also expand TAA's extended unemployment insurance and training benefit to all workers dislocated by globalization, regardless of their industry, making an estimated 600,000 workers a year eligible. Edwards' universal health care plan will ensure that workers who lose their jobs will not lose their health insurance.
(Source: Candidate Website December 2007)
* Health Care: “Universal Health Care Through Shared Responsibility” (Excerpt) Under the Edwards Plan:
Families without insurance will get coverage at an affordable price.
Families with insurance will pay less and get more security and choices.
Businesses and other employers will find it cheaper and easier to insure their workers.
The Edwards Plan achieves universal coverage by:
Requiring businesses and other employers to either cover their employees or help finance their health insurance.
Making insurance affordable by creating new tax credits, expanding Medicaid and SCHIP, reforming insurance laws, and taking innovative steps to contain health care costs.
Creating regional "Health Care Markets" to let every American share the bargaining power to purchase an affordable, high-quality health plan, increase choices among insurance plans, and cut costs for businesses offering insurance. Once these steps have been taken, requiring all American residents to get insurance. Plan website: http://johnedwards.com/issues/health-care/health-care-fact-sheet/

* http://www.gravel2008.us/
* Education: Senator Gravel supports re-ordering national budget priorities in order to improve the American education system. He supports government funding of education from pre-kindergarten to higher education.
* Healthcare: Senator Gravel advocates a universal healthcare system that provides equal medical services to all citizens, paid for by a retail sales tax (a portion of the Progressive Fair tax). Citizens would pay nothing for health benefits.
(Source: Candidate Website December 2007)

* http://www.dennis4president.com/
* Education: “The right of every American child to a high-quality free public education is one of America 's most treasured principles. We must improve the quality of public education in those schools that are struggling and expand public education to include prekindergarten beginning at age 3 for any families that want it, as well as tuition-free college for millions of students.” Full pdf: http://www.kucinichonline.com/pdfs/Kucinich_Education.pdf
* Labor/Economy: Workers Rights (Excerpt) The hopes and dreams of the men and women who sent me to Congress are the stars by which I journey. Whenever there is an organizing campaign, a picket line to walk, jobs to save, working conditions to improve, laws to champion, I'm there. This is my purpose: To stand up and to speak out on behalf of those who have built this country and who want to rebuild this country. This is my passion: To raise up the rights of working people. Workers' rights are the key to protecting our democracy. Full pdf: http://www.kucinichonline.com/pdfs/Kucinich_Workers_Rights.pdf
* Health Care: Universal Health Care Full pdf: http://www.kucinichonline.com/pdfs/Kucinich_Universal_Health_Care.pdf

* http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
* Education: Increase Federal College Aid: Across the country, millions of students use Pell Grants to finance their college educations. Two decades ago, the maximum grant covered 55 percent of costs at a public four-year college, compared with only 32 percent today. The first bill Barack Obama introduced in the U.S. Senate would have helped make college more affordable for many Americans by increasing the maximum Pell Grant from the existing limit of $4,050 to a new maximum of $5,100. Senator Obama has worked in a bipartisan way on the Senate HELP Committee to propose an increase in the Pell Grant to $5,400 over the next few years, paying for these increases through decreased government subsidies to banks and lenders.
Free Up Money for Student Aid and Protect Student Borrowers: Currently, there are two basic college loan programs. The Direct Loan system allows students to borrow from the government through their schools. The Federal Family Education Loan Program instead gives private banks federal subsidies to make government-backed student loans. These privately funded FFEL loans cost about $6 more per $100 loan than loans through the Direct Loan program. Barack Obama cosponsored Senator Kennedy's Student Debt Relief Act, which encourages colleges to participate in the Direct Loan program and use the savings to invest in grant aid to students. The legislation also increases need-based aid, and decreases fees and interest rates for student loans. Obama would eliminate wasteful subsidies to private student lenders and instead support the federal Direct Loan program, invest the savings in additional student aid, and add greater transparency to the student financial aid process.
(Source: Candidate Website December 2007)
*Labor/Employment: Raise the Minimum Wage: Barack Obama believes that people who work full time should not live in poverty.  Before the Democrats took back Congress, the minimum wage had not changed in 10 years. Even though the minimum wage will rise to $7.25 an hour by 2009, the minimum wage's real purchasing power will still be below what it was in 1968.  As president, Obama would further raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the EITC to make sure that full-time workers can earn a living wage that allows them to raise their families out of poverty and pay for basic needs such as food, transportation, and housing -- things so many people take for granted. (Source: Candidate Website December 2007)
* Health Care: (Excerpt) 1. Obama's Plan to Cover the Uninsured. Obama will create a new national health plan to allow individuals without access to affordable insurance coverage to buy coverage similar to that available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have the following features:

Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), and cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
Subsidies. Individuals who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
Simplifying paperwork and reining in health costs.
Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing their health care coverage.
Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies will be required to collect and report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.

National Health Insurance Exchange. Obama will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals who wish to purchase private insurance. The Exchange will act as a watchdog group and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards for participating insurance plans to ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums. The Exchange will require benefits comparable to those offered in the new public plan. Insurers would be required to justify an above-average premium increase. The Exchange would evaluate plans and provide information about differences between them.
Employer Contribution. Employers that do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan. Small employers that meet certain revenue thresholds will be exempt.
Mandatory Coverage of Children. Obama will require that all children have health care coverage. Obama will expand the number of options for young adults to get coverage, including by allowing young people up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents' plans.
Expansion of Medicaid and SCHIP. Obama will expand eligibility for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Obama will expand eligibility for the medicaid and schip programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function. Flexibility for State Plans. Obama's plan allows states to continue innovating on health care reform. Due to federal inaction, some states have taken the lead in health care reform. The obama plan builds on these efforts and does not replace what states are doing. States can continue to experiment, provided they meet the minimum standards of the national plan. (Source: Candidate Website December 2007)

Bill Richardson

• * http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/
• * Education : College Affordability: The Richardson Plan
  Governor Richardson will tap into the spirit of American greatness by significantly expanding on opportunities for college loan forgiveness for national service.
  Specifically, his plan calls for two years of loan forgiveness for tuition and fees at a public university in exchange for each year of national service.
• Simplify and Consolidate the Federal Government's Student Aid Programs and Eliminate the FAFSA
  Offer Incentives to Keep Tuition Costs Down
  Increased Aid to those who need it most: Expand LEAP and GEAR UP
  • LEAP (Leveraging Educational Assistance Program)
  • GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs)
• Eliminate Subsidies to Private Banks and Lenders
  
  The Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) is, strikingly, one of the few education "benefits" that the President has not attempted to under-fund over the past several years. It is, however, the one that should be eliminated completely. Under the program, "banks collect interest from students, and intermediaries collect fees from the federal government, but the federal government assumes all the risk."--> In short, it is a program that benefits usurious lenders at the expense of students and taxpayers. The student loan industry is currently worth $85 billion a year, with Sallie Mae, the largest student lender, earning – according to The Economist magazine, "an astonishing 52 percent" average return on equity over five years. [104] Private lenders certainly have a role in the student-loan industry, but the federal government shouldn't bolster their high profits with massive corporate welfare programs that rest upon the backs of students and other taxpayers. (Source: Candidate Website, December 2007)

John Cox

• * http://www.cox2008.com/cox/issues/
• * Education : The government school monopoly is the problem. Competition is the answer, not more money, which has doubled after inflation in the past 20 years without much improvement in test scores. Turn parents into consumers with vouchers, which are Constitutional and do not lose money for public schools because the child is no longer there to create expenses. Education is a local and state issue. No Child Left Behind should be repealed.
  * Health Care: Competition in health care will bring down costs and improve efficiency. We should inject patient and doctor choice into the system to create more accountability and cost control. As president, I will use America's influence to force an end to foreign governments' subsidizing drug costs at Americans' expense. Ending the tax deduction for employee health insurance would provide more opportunity for patient choice and consumer power.

Rudy Giuliani

* http://www.joinrudy2008.com/issues/
* Education : Establish Federal School Voucher Programs: Rudy proposes establishing a competitive grant process to fund new voucher programs for disadvantaged students—similar to the programs in Cleveland, Milwaukee and Washington, DC—that provide options for students trapped in failing schools.
Provide Choice Within The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act: Rudy’s plan will allow states to use Federal IDEA funds to enable the families of special education students to seek out appropriate placement in both public and private schools.
Give Educational Options To Military Families: Rudy proposes establishing a pilot program to offer scholarships to children of all active-duty military personnel living on or off base to attend private schools or to pay for the costs of attending public schools to which they are not assigned. This is a critical concern for America’s military families because it affects reenlistment decisions.
Expand Charter School Options: Rudy commits to the expansion of charter schooling, equitable treatment for charter schools in funding and facilities, and efforts to ensure that local districts are not the sole chartering authorities.
(Source: Candidate website, December 2007)
* Health Care: “ America is at a crossroads when it comes to our health care. All Americans want to increase the quality, affordability and portability of health care. Most Republicans believe in free-market solutions to the challenges we face. I believe we can reduce costs and improve the quality of care by increasing competition. We can do it through tax cuts, not tax hikes. We can do it by empowering patients and their doctors, not government bureaucrats. That’s the American way to reform health care.” – Mayor Rudy Giuliani

• * http://www.gohunter08.com/
  * Health Care : I believe our health care system and its challenges need to be addressed in a new way that empowers our strongest asset in controlling the spiraling cost of health care: the U.S. consumer. 
  As you know, health care costs in the U.S. are increasing over 30%  faster than the rest of the economy and will consume 17% of our Gross Domestic Product by 2011.  [The U.S. spends less than 4% of our GDP to provide for the national security of our great nation.]  This level of spending and inflation makes our current system unsustainable and real reforms are going to be necessary as our population ages. 
  Since World War II, when employer sponsored health care became a more widely offered employee benefit, spending has increased from 5% of GNP to 16% today.  Systematically, the eye of the health care consumer has been removed from the market place.  Whether it is employers offering a single insurance option or the government making health care choices on behalf of the elderly and the poor, consumers have been increasingly removed from the market place.  The result has been a system with costs increasing at rates that are neither sustainable nor practical.
• The solution is freedom for the consumer to pursue their own health care choices.  Therefore, I propose three major reforms that will bring the consumer back into the health care equation: 1. freedom to buy health insurance across state lines; 2. freedom to make informed health care choices; and 3. freedom to innovate to save money and improve medical outcomes. 
  (Source: Candidate Website, December 2007)

• * http://www.mikehuckabee.com/
• * Education: “I opposed the teachers' union and got the Fair Dismissal Law passed, which allowed us to terminate poorly performing teachers. To attract top talent, I raised teachers' salaries from among the lowest in the nation to among the most competitive. I created systems to make our schools accountable to both parents and taxpayers by insisting on transparency in how money is spent, efficiency in putting money into classroom programs rather than administrative costs, and clear responsibility of all employees for the tasks assigned to them.” (Source: Candidate Webpage, December 2007)
• * Health Care: The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health" system.
  We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict.
  We do need to get serious about preventive health care.
  I advocate policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs.
  I value the states' role as laboratories for new market-based approaches.
  When I'm President, Americans will have more control of their health care options, not less.
  As President, I will work with the private sector, Congress, health care providers, and other concerned parties to lead a complete overhaul of our health care system.
  Our health care system is making our businesses non-competitive in the global economy. It is time to recognize that jobs don't need health care, people do, and move from employer-based to consumer-based health care.
  (Source: Candidate website, December 2007)

* http://www.ronpaul2008.com/
* Education: “The federal government does not own our children. Yet we act as if it does by letting it decide when, how, and what our children will learn. We have turned their futures over to lobbyists and bureaucrats.
I support giving educational control back to parents, who know their children better than any politician in D.C. ever will.
The federal government has no constitutional authority to fund or control schools. I want to abolish the unconstitutional, wasteful Department of Education and return its functions to the states. By removing the federal subsidies that inflate costs, schools can be funded by local taxes, and parents and teachers can directly decide how best to allocate the resources.
To help parents with the costs of schooling, I have introduced H.R. 1056, the Family Education Freedom Act, in Congress. This bill would allow parents a tax credit of up to $5,000 (adjustable after 2007 for inflation) per student per year for the cost of attendance at an elementary and/or secondary school. This includes private, parochial, religious, and home schools.
Another bill I have sponsored, H.R. 1059, allows full-time elementary and secondary teachers a $3,000 yearly tax credit, thus easing their financial burden and encouraging good teachers to stay in an underpaid profession.
Many parents have already shown their desire to be free of federal control by either enrolling their children in private schools or homeschooling them. And students enrolled in these alternatives have consistently performed better and tested higher than those in state-run schools.
Years of centralized education have produced nothing but failure and frustrated parents. We can resurrect our public school system if we follow the Constitution and end the federal education monopoly. “
(Source: Candidate Website, December 2007)
* Health Care: The federal government decided long ago that it knew how to manage your health care better than you and replaced personal responsibility and accountability with a system that puts corporate interests first. Our free market health care system that was once the envy of the world became a federally-managed disaster.
Few people realize that Congress forced Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) on us. HMOs rose to prominence through federal legislation, incentives, and coercion.
Now, the Food and Drug Administration's bias toward large pharmaceutical companies enlarges their power, limits treatment options, and drives consumers to seek Canadian medicines. Regulations from D.C. make it virtually impossible for small business owners to cover their employees. The unemployed often cannot afford insurance, meaning those who need basic medical attention overcrowd emergency rooms and drive up premiums.
The federal government will not suddenly become efficient managers if universal health care is instituted. Government health care only means long waiting periods, lack of choice, poor quality, and frustration. Many Canadians, fed up with socialized medicine, come to the U.S. in order to obtain care. Socialized medicine will not magically work here.
Health care should not be left up to HMOs, big drug companies, and government bureaucrats.
It is time to take back our health care. This is why I support:

• Making all medical expenses tax deductible.
• Eliminating federal regulations that discourage small businesses from providing coverage.
• Giving doctors the freedom to collectively negotiate with insurance companies and drive down the cost of medical care.
• Making every American eligible for a Health Savings Account (HSA), and removing the requirement that individuals must obtain a high-deductible insurance policy before opening an HSA.
• Reform licensure requirements so that pharmacists and nurses can perform some basic functions to increase access to care and lower costs.

By removing federal regulations, encouraging competition, and presenting real choices, we can make our health care system the envy of the world once again. (Source: Candidate Website, December 2007)

* http://www.fred08.com/index.aspx
* Education: A well-educated citizenry is vital to our security, our economy, and our democracy. Despite the tens of billions of dollars spent on education by Washington each year, and the hundreds of federal education programs now in place, our children are still falling behind, particularly in subjects crucial to the global economy in which we live. At a time when America is behind other developed countries in education excellence, the federal role in education is too intrusive and too bureaucratic, and has become part of the problem. State and local governments are closest to the parents, the kids, and the schools, and best situated to implement changes and innovations that best educate children. I am committed to:

Giving parents more choices in education and schools less bureaucracy.
Reviewing federal programs for cost-effectiveness, reducing federal mandates, returning education money to the states, and empowering parents by promoting voucher programs, charter schools, and other innovations that enhance education excellence through competition and choice.
Encouraging students and teachers to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math—fields that are crucial to our security, competitiveness, and prosperity.
Promoting transparency to assess performance, promote accountability, and share innovations in education at all levels. (Source: Candidate Website, December 2007)
* Health Care: Americans have the best healthcare in the world. Some, however, choose not be insured; others cannot afford it. Every American should be able to get health insurance coverage that is affordable, fully accessible, and portable. Coverage should meet their individual needs and put them in control. Those who propose a one-size-fits-all Washington-controlled program ignore the cost, inefficiency, and inadequate care that such a system offers. Access to affordable, portable health care can be made available for all Americans without imposing new mandates or raising taxes. Current government programs must also be streamlined and improved so that those who truly need help can get the health care they need. I am committed to a healthcare system that:

Realigns programs and creates a system around individual consumers and patients by providing more information and more opportunities to choose affordable health care options that best meet their needs and those of their families.
Improves the individual health of all Americans by shifting to a system that promotes cost-effective prevention, chronic-care management, and personal responsibility
Modernizes delivery and administration of care by encouraging the widespread use of clinical best practices, medical information technology, and other innovations.
Increases competition and consumer choice while streamlining regulations through free-market solutions that benefit individuals and reduce costs for employers.
Promotes and speeds medical research and life-sciences innovation. (Source: Candidate Website, December 2007)

Mitt Romney

• * http://www.mittromney.com/
  * Health Care: “The Mitt Romney Plan” Use A Free Market, Federalist Approach To Make Quality, Affordable Health Insurance Available To Every American
  Deregulate State Markets. Encourage states to eliminate the cumbersome insurance regulations that drive costs up and providers out of the market.
  Fix The Tax Code. Level the playing field by making all health care expenses tax deductible, eliminating the special treatment afforded employer-provided health plans.
  Stop The Free-Riders. Use some of the money currently spent on providing expensive "free care" for the uninsured at emergency rooms to instead help the truly needy buy private insurance.
  Reform The Medical Liability System. Institute federal caps on non-economic and punitive damage awards to eliminate frivolous lawsuits and bring an end to the practice of defensive medicine.
  Promote Innovation In Medicaid. Give states flexibility to spend their Medicaid dollars in whatever way they find most efficient and effective.
  Bring Health Care Into The 21st Century. Improve quality and enhance transparency by introducing the same competitive forces that drive innovation in other sectors of the economy. (Source: Candidate Website, December 2007)