"Trade agreements should treat labor and environmental concerns as integral to trade agreements and not as peripheral matters. Trade agreements should lead to economic and social improvements at home and abroad, particularly for poor and vulnerable workers and their families; this can be accomplished by adopting internationally agreed upon labor standards. "
(United States Conference of Bishops, Social Development and World Peace, April 2006)
SUMMARY CANDIDATE POSITIONS ON TRADE AGREEMENTS
(Chicago Tribune, January 3,2008, Sec. I, p.15)
REPUBLICIANS
MIKE HUCKABEE: Blames China's currency manipulation and weak US. regulatory action for trade imbalance and imports of unsafe products.
JOHN McCAIN: Opposes protectionism and says free trade is a way to open "closed societies" in the Middle East.
RON PAUL: Says current trade accords are not free trade but instead help special interests.
DEMOCRATS
HILLARY CLINTON: Seeks to reopen North American Free Trade Agreement to strengthen enforcement of labor and environmental standards.
BARACK OBAMA: Seeks to reopen NAFT A to strengthen enforcement of labor and environmental standards.
(Sources: Candidate Web sites, cfr.org and Tribune news services)
HEALTH CARE FOR ALL
“Every human being has.a right to access those things required for human decency - food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing, freedom of religion and family life.”
(Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States. November 14, 2007, no.49)
SUMMARY CANDIDATE POSITIONS ON HEALTH CARE (Chicago Tribune, December 28, 2007, Sec. 1, p.8)
DEMOCRATS
HILLARY CLINTON: Would require all Americans to have health insurance, either public or private. Public program would be partly financed by ending tax cuts for the wealthy.
BARACK OBAMA: Would require all children to have health insurance and would move toward universal coverage for adults through new public system and requiring employers to share costs of insuring workers.
REPUBLICANS
MIKE HUCKABEE: Opposes "universal health care mandated by federal edict" Favors
market solutions.
JOHN McCAIN: Supports tax credits to make health insurance more affordable.
RON PAUL: Favors tax deductions for all unreimbursed medical expenses and insurance premiums.
(Sources: healthO8.org, Candidate Web sites, and Tribune news services)
ABORTION
"Human life is sacred. Direct attacks on innocent human beings are never morally acceptable. Within our society, life is under direct attack from abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, and destruction of human embryos for research. These intrinsic evils must always be opposed."
(Summary of the United States bishops' reflection, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, p.2 www.http://www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/FCl Accessed January 11, 2008)
SUMMARY CANDIDATE POSITIONS ON ABORTION (Chicago Tribune, January II, Sec. 1, p.8)
DEMOCRATS
HILLARY CLINTON: Supports abortion rights, but says "pro choice" does not mean "pro abortion." Has called abortion "a sad, even tragic choice to many, many women," and urged better sex education to prevent unwanted pregnancies
BARACK OBAMA: Supports abortion rights. Urges efforts to reduce teen pregnancy, "making it less likely for women to find themselves in these circumstances."
REPUBLICANS
MIKE HUCKABEE: Favors constitutional amendment banning abortion. Says the idea of different laws state by state is comparable to "the logic of the Civil War," when some states were free states and others were slave states.
JOHN MCAIN: Says Roe vs. Wade ruling should be overturned, with states allowed to make own laws on abortion - leading, he hopes, to the end of the procedure. Urges support for "armies of compassion" helping women bring fetuses to full term.
RON PAUL: Sponsored bill to bar federal courts from interfering with state abortion bans.
(Sources: Candidate Web sites, and Tribune news services)
THE ECONOMY - CURRENT PROBLEMS
"While the common good embraces all, those who are in greatest need deserve preferential concern. A moral test for society is how we treat the weakest among us "The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Economic justice calls for decent work at fair, living wages, and the opportunity for all people to work together for the common good through their work, ownership, enterprise, investment, participation in unions, and other forms of economic activity.”
(Summary of the United States bishops' reflection, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, p.2 (www.http://www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/FCBuIlInsert.pdt). Accessed January 11, 2008)
SUMMARY CANDIDATE POSITIONS ON CURRENT PROBLEMS WITH THE ECONOMY (Chicago Tribune, January 18, Sec. 1, p.17)
REPUBLICANS
MIKE HUCKABEE: Favors a "pro-growth, low-inflation policy" by the Federal Reserve. Wants to preserve and expand the Bush tax cuts. Favors "fair tax" plan to abolish the IRS and institute national sales tax.
JOHN MCCAIN: Proposes to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. Would allow first-year deduction, or "expensing," of investments in equipment and technology .
RON PAUL: Wants to downsize the government. Would eventually close the Federal Reserve Bank, which he believes fosters debt by increasing the money supply.
DEMOCRATS
HILLARY CLINTON: Proposes stimulus package of up to $110 billion, including $40 billion in tax rebates, a $30 billion fund to help states and cities deal with housing foreclosures, a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures and a five-year interest-rate freeze on sub-prime mortgages.
BARACK OBAMA: Wants to use $75 billion in tax cuts and direct spending to stimulate the economy. Would provide immediate $250.00 tax cut to workers and their families and an immediate, temporary $250.00 bonus to seniors in their Social Security checks.
(Sources: Candidate Web sites, and Tribune news services)
IMMIGRATION REFORM
". ..the Church does not condone or encourage illegal immigration because it is not good for society or for the migrant, who lives outside the law and in the shadows. What we are trying to do is change our laws to reflect the reality of migration in the world today and to ensure that basic human rights and dignity are respected. Yes, those in the United States without legal status have broken the law, but they do so in order to survive and to support their families. At the same time, they contribute to our economy through their hard work and work in ~ important industries. So we must consider if the law is a just one and whether it is in the best interest of the nation to change the law. We obviously think the law should be changed." (Justice for Immigrants: A Journey of Hope,
SUMMARY CANDIDATE POSITIONS ON IMMIGRATION REFORM (Chicago Tribune, December 21, 2007)
REPUBLICANS
MIKE HUCKABEE: Favors border fence, rules out a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants unless they return first to country of origin. As Arkansas governor, backed in-state tuition for illegal, immigrants.
JOHN McCAIN: Co-sponsored Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which would provide a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants and fence construction along part of the U.S.- Mexico border.
RON PAUL: Favors deportation of illegal immigrants and wants to end birthright citizenship.
DEMOCRATS
HILLARY CLINTON: Voted for Immigration Reform Act of 2006.
BARACK OBAMA: Voted for Immigration Reform Act of 2006.
(Sources: Candidate Web sites and Tribune news services)
