Sen. Hillary Clinton	Sen. Barack Obama	Sen. John McCain	Ralph Nader
The Economy and Taxes Clinton says she will restore the American middle class. She plans to lower taxes for middle class families, confront problems in the home market by freezing the fluctuating rates on subprime loans, strengthen unions and create a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund to raise money to research alternative energies. Clinton also wants to strengthen small businesses.	The Economy and Taxes Obama plans to cut income taxes by $1,000 for working families to offset the payroll tax they pay. He wants to pass trade policies that will open up trade with foreign markets. This should strengthen the American economy and create more American jobs. Obama also wants to amend the North American Free Trade Agreement so that the agreement better benefits the American people. Obama will encourage the deployment of the most modern communications infrastructure to reduce the costs of health care, help solve our energy crisis, create new jobs and fuel our economic growth.	The Economy and Taxes McCain believes that lower corporate tax rates are key to U.S. competitiveness, expanding the economy and creating jobs. McCain intends to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 to 25 percent. He also plans to allow first-year deductions of equipment and technology investments as well as establish a permanent tax credit equal to 10 percent of wages spent on research and development. McCain has a "Pro-Growth Tax Agenda" in which he wants to cut middle class taxes and make it more difficult to raise taxes in the future. He also says that he will ban Internet and new mobile phone taxes.	The Economy and Taxes Nader plans to adopt the carbon pollution tax and a Wall Street securities speculation tax.
Education Clinton has increased teacher salaries, created smaller class sizes and put academic standards put into place in Arkansas. Clinton plans to end the No Child Left Behind mandate. She wants to cut the minority dropout rate and put into place a program that will identify at-risk youth. She also plans to invest $100 million in a new public/private summer internship program.	Education Obama's comprehensive "Zero to Five" places key emphasis on early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. This plan will also provide critical support to young children and their parents. Obama plans to reform No Child Left Behind, which starts by funding the law, along with plans to recruit, prepare, retain, and reward America's teachers.	Education McCain believes that teachers should be rewarded for students who are doing well. Students should be able to switch schools in order to receive whatever education they believe is best. McCain feels that federal funding should be provided in order to make that possible for families.	Education Nader wants to abandon not only the standardized testing both President Bush and Al Gore endorse, but to radically refocus schools. Education is clearly a significant factor in enhancing the future of impoverished children. Nader believes that our country’s schoolchildren need to be taught democratic principles in their historic context and present relevance, with practical civics experiences to develop their citizen skills and a desire to use them.
Environment "Centered on a cap and trade system for carbon emissions, stronger energy and auto efficiency standards and a significant increase in green research funding, Hillary's plan will reduce America's reliance on foreign oil and address the looming climate crisis," says Clinton's campaign Web site. Clinton also plans to increase vehicle fule efficency to at least 55 mpg by 2030 by issuing "Green Vehicle Bonds" to provide funding for motor manufacturing plants to create environment-friendly vehicles.	Environment Obama supports implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions by the amount scientists say is necessary: 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. Obama plans to invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure. Obama's plan will reduce oil consumption by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels per day, by 2030, to try and offset the equivalent of the oil we would import in 2030.	Environment McCain believes that the government should regulate greenhouse-gas emmisions, and he cosponsored the first Senate bill that called for mandatory cuts to greenhouse-gas emissions. McCain says that economic and environmental issues are "inextricably" linked and says that as the economy improves, so will the environment.	Environment Effective legal protections are needed for ethical whistleblowers who alert Americans to abuses or hazards to health and safety in the workplace, or contaminate the environment, or defraud citizens. Nader does not plan to use nuclear power but to use solar energy first. We should be energy independent in this country, he says. Nader believes that solar energy is becoming more efficient, more practical and many small businesses are going into it. He wants to promote energy independence for the U.S. to avoid foreign wars over natural resources.
Health Care Affordable, available and reliable is what Clinton promises to make health care. She says that the choice of keeping your current insurance or using a public plan can be left up to the individual. Clinton says she has already worked hard for the health care cause, creating the SCHIP Children's Health Insurance program that currently provides coverage to 6 million children.	Health Care Obama will plan to make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. Reducing costs of catastrophic illnesses for employers and their employees and fighting for new initiatives for medical cures are also on Obama's agenda. Some of these medical cures are to advance the biomedical research field, fight AIDS worldwide, support Americans with disabilities and to improve mental health care.	Health Care "John McCain believes that insurance reforms should increase the variety and affordability of insurance coverage available to American families by fostering competition and innovation," according to his campaign site. McCain proposes a $2,500 tax credit to individuals to act as incentive for insurance coverage. He also plans to make insurance available across state lines, to offer more choices as well as allowing individuals to receive insurance from whatever association they choose.	Health Care Nader plans to adopt a single payer national health insurance. In the critical area of pharmaceuticals, he says a research giveaway policy will lead to superprofiteering by drug manufacturers, who charge unconscionably high prices for important medicines-costing consumers, and often resulting in the denial of treatment to consumers who are unable to pay high prices. Nader thinks the pharmaceutical industry is suffering from a malaise where corporate profits are more highly valued than people’s health. Price restraints should be placed on all drugs specifically developed with taxpayer money and multiple licenses should be issued for those drugs in order to stimulate competition and bring prices down. In addition, Nader believes the government should react to corporate profiteering by developing needed drugs itself.
The War "Our message to the president is clear. It is time to begin ending this war -- not next year, not next month -- but today," Hillary Clinton says. Within 60 days of winning the presidency, Clinton plans to begin her withdrawl of American troops from Iraq. She would achieve a quick withdrawl through her three-step plan of removing the troops, stabalize the Iraq government, and initiating a new diplomatic initiative in the region.	The War Obama put his political career on the line to oppose going to war in Iraq, and warned of “an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences.” Obama plans to immediately begin removing our troops from Iraq and will launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to reach a new compact on the stability of Iraq and the Middle East.	The War "Iraq's transformation into a secure democracy and a force for freedom in the greater Middle East is the calling of our age. We can succeed," McCain says. McCain wants to increase training of Iraqi forces so that they are better equipped to govern their own country. He also believes that American troops should not be immediately withdrawn from Iraq because that would result in al-Qaida leaders gaining power.	The War Plans to cut the huge military budget and to reverse U.S. policy in the Middle East. Nader wants to have a responsible six-month withdrawal of the U.S. military and corporate occupation, and an internationally supervised election. This is so the Iraqi people don't feel that they're facing a permanent military occupation and the control of their oil resources and of public government.
Social Issues Clinton says that she wants abortion to be "safe, legal and rare." Though she is pro-choice, during a CNN live report, Clinton stated that she wants to "find common ground" between pro-choice and pro-life parties. Clinton wants to protect the right for women to chose abortion through Roe v. Wade. She also says that increasing access to birth control options will decrease the number of abortions. In the mid-nineties she helped begin the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.	Social Issues Obama is open about his religious beliefs, which are based in the Trinitiy faith community, and feels that faith is an important part of American life. Obama is pro-choice and stated in a campaign speech, “I’m all for education for our young people, encouraging abstinence until marriage, but I also believe that young people do things regardless of what their parents tell them to do, and I don’t want my daughters ending up in really difficult situations because I didn’t communicate to them how to protect themselves if they make a mistake."	Social Issues Overturning the Roe v. Wade decision would be McCain's first step toward ending abortion. He also promotes the establishment of community-based organizations that offer help to pregnant women. Both McCain and his wife encourage adoption and have adopted a little girl from Bangladesh.	Social Issues "I don’t think government has the proper role in forcing a woman to have a child or forcing a woman not to have a child," Nader said. He believes abortion is a choice that should be left up to the individual and the government should not interfere in the issue of abortion.
Hillary Clinton official Web site	Barack Obama official Web site	John McCain official Web site	Ralph Nader official Web site