American Government
Mr. Bekemeyer
The U.S. Ideological Spectrum:
Application Activity
Democratic and Republican Parties
Adapted from several sites, including http://2012.candidate-comparison.org, the New York Times, National
Public Radio, Wikipedia, and candidate websites.
Social Issues
Barack Obama (Democrat)
Mitt Romney (Republican)
Abortion
NARAL Pro-Choice America, a political interest group
that publicizes information about electoral candidates,
rated him at 100 percent, meaning they fully endorsed
Obama’s candidacy. The National Right to Life
Committee rated him at zero.
Supports Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision
that prohibited states from totally outlawing abortion:
“I am committed to protecting this constitutional
right. I also remain committed to policies, initiatives,
and programs that help prevent unintended
pregnancies, support pregnant women and mothers,
encourage healthy relationships, and promote
adoption.”
Romney previously supported a woman’s right to
decide, but he is now adamantly opposed to abortions,
unless it involves cases of rape, incest or if the
mother’s life is in mortal danger.
Favors repeal of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court
decision that prohibited states from totally outlawing
abortion: “I'd like to see Roe v. Wade overturned and
allow the states and the elected representatives of the
people, and the people themselves, have the ability to
put in place pro-life legislation.‖
Opposed requiring health insurance companies to pay
for new customers who are pregnant except in
instances of rape, incest, or where the life of the
woman was in danger.
Embryonic Stem Cell Research
President Obama signed Executive Order 13505,
removing barriers to scientific research involving
human stem cells: “The purpose of this order is to
remove these limitations on scientific inquiry, to
expand [the National Institutes of Health] support for
the exploration of human stem cell research.”
“Altered nuclear transfer creates embryo-like cells that
can be used for stem cell research ... I have a deep
concern about curing disease. I have a wife that has a
serious disease that could be affected by stem cell
research and others. But I will not create new embryos
through cloning or through embryo farming, because
that will be creating life for the purpose of destroying
it.”
Gay Marriage
Interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts: “At a certain
point, I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is
important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think
same-sex couples should be able to get married. . . . I
had hesitated on gay marriage in part because I
thought that civil unions would be sufficient…. The
thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ
sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the
golden rule — you know, treat others the way you
would want to be treated. . . .” (Note: Civil unions are
arrangements that usually grant a couple the same
benefits and legal protections as marriage without
conferring on them the legal status of ― “marriage.”)
“I agree with 3,000 years of recorded history. I
disagree with the Supreme Judicial Court of
Massachusetts [which ruled that the state government
had to recognize same-sex marriages]. Marriage is an
institution between a man and a woman. I will support
an amendment to the Massachusetts constitution to
make that expressly clear. Of course, basic civil rights,
and certain appropriate benefits [such as hospital
visitation rights] should be available to people in nontraditional relationships. But marriage is a special
institution between a man and a woman, and our
Constitution and laws should reflect that.” Romney
has signed a pledge to support a federal constitutional
amendment “defining marriage as the union of one
man and one woman.”
Gays in the Military
Urged on by President Obama, a congressional bill to
repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) was enacted in
December 2010, specifying that the policy requiring
that gays in the military keep their sexual orientation a
secret or risk being discharged would remain in place
until the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certified that
repeal would not harm military readiness. Obama sent
that certification to Congress on July 22, 2011, which
set the end of DADT for September 20, 2011.
Interview with Des Moines Register editorial board:
QUESTION: How do you feel about gays serving
openly in the military.
ROMNEY: That’s already occurred and I’m not
planning on reversing that at this stage.
QUESTION: But you’re comfortable with it?
ROMNEY: Um, I was not comfortable making the
change during a period of conflict [i.e. in the midst of
the Afghanistan and Iraq wars], by virtue of the
complicating features of a new program in the middle
of two wars going on, but those wars are winding down
and moving in that direction at this stage no longer
presents that problem.
Immigration
Supports the DREAM Act, a bill that would create a
path to citizenship for some young immigrants
brought to the U.S. illegally as children if they serve in
the military or enroll in college.
Opposes the DREAM Act, saying: “I'm delighted with
the idea that people who come to this country and
wish to serve in the military can be given a path to
become permanent residents in this country. For those
that come here illegally, the idea of giving them instate tuition credits or other special benefits I find to
be contrary to the idea of a nation of law.”
As President, Obama authorized “deferred action” on
deportation proceedings for certain undocumented
immigrants. The program allows children who were
brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents before the
16th birthday and who have been in the country for a
certain amount of time to apply for permission to
remain in the U.S. for two years and work legally
during that time. The two-year period can be renewed
upon application.
Has advocated "self-deportation" and punishments for
employers who hire illegal workers. Romney has
declined to say whether he would reverse Obama's
policy on younger immigrants if elected president.
Had supported 2007 immigration reform act that
created path to citizenship for illegal immigrants; since
denounced it as "amnesty plan”: “Programs that have
said that if people who come here illegally are going to
get to stay illegally for the rest of their life, that's going
to only encourage more people to come here illegally.
In a 2008 speech, said, “We need immigration reform
that will secure our borders, and punish employers
who exploit immigrant labor.”
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As Senator, supported failed 2007 legislation that
would have created path to citizenship for illegal
immigrants.
Supports constructing of a border fence; also wants
more Border Patrol guards to secure it.
Supported 2006 congressional measure to build a
fence on U.S. border with Mexico. In 2008, he said:
“We have gone above and beyond what was requested
by the very Republicans. . . . I’ve got to say I suspect
there are still going to be some who are trying to move
the goal posts on us one more time. . . . They said we
needed to triple the Border Patrol. Or now they’re
going to say we need to quadruple the Border Patrol.
Or they’ll want a higher fence. Maybe they’ll need a
moat. Maybe they want alligators in the moat. They’ll
never be satisfied.”
Under Obama, the federal government has deported a
record number of illegal immigrants, nearly 1.2
million.
National Security, Order vs. Freedom
Barack Obama (Democrat)
Mitt Romney (Republican)
Gun Control
Speech in 2008: “I think it’s important for us to
recognize that we’ve got a tradition of handgun
ownership and gun ownership generally. And a lot of
law-abiding citizens use it for hunting, for
sportsmanship, and for protecting their families. We
also have a violence on the streets that is the result of
illegal handgun usage. And so I think there is nothing
wrong with a community saying we are going to take
those illegal handguns off the streets. And cracking
down on the various loopholes that exist in terms of
background checks for children, the mentally ill. We
can have reasonable, thoughtful gun control measure
that I think respect the Second Amendment and
people’s traditions.”
Speech in 2007: “Let me speak very directly and
candidly about where I stand. I support the Second
Amendment as one of the most basic and fundamental
rights of every American. It's essential to our
functioning as a free society, as are all the liberties
enumerated in the Bill of Rights.”
From the Romney for President website: “Mitt does
not believe that the United States needs additional
laws that restrict the Second Amendment right to keep
and bear arms. He believes in the safe and responsible
ownership and use of firearms and the right to lawfully
manufacture and sell firearms and ammunition. . . .
Mitt will enforce the laws already on the books and
punish, to the fullest extent of the law, criminals who
misuse firearms to commit crimes. But he does not
support adding more laws and regulations that do
nothing more than burden law-abiding citizens while
being ignored by criminals.”
Has not pushed for gun control measures as president.
Signed laws letting people carry concealed weapons in
national parks and in checked bags on Amtrak trains.
Favors "robust steps, within existing law" to address
gun issues, White House says. Voices support for
renewed ban on assault-type weapons but has not
tried to get that done. Has not swung behind longshot
Democratic bill, introduced after the Colorado movie
theater shooting in July, to let only licensed dealers
sell ammunition, require police to be notified after any
sale of more than 1,000 rounds to an unlicensed
person, and require buyers who aren't licensed dealers
As Massachusetts governor, vowed in 2002 to protect
the state's "tough gun laws," and in 2004 signed a
Massachusetts ban on assault weapons. Quadrupled
state's gun-licensing fee but loosened rules on the
licenses and extended their duration. In 2008 primary
campaign, said he would have signed the federal
assault weapons ban if it had come to him as
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to show a photo ID. Backed tougher gun control as
Illinois and U.S. senator, including proposals to renew
the assault-weapons ban and require background
checks for buyers at gun shows.
president, but he opposed any new gun legislation.
Death Penalty
From Obama’s book, The Audacity of Hope: "While
the evidence tells me that the death penalty does little
to deter crime, I believe there are some crimes—mass
murder, the rape and murder of a child—so heinous,
so beyond the pale, that the community is justified in
expressing the full measure of its outrage by meting
out the ultimate punishment."
Speech given in 2005 as governor of Massachusetts in
defense of a death penalty bill that was defeated: “The
appropriate response of society to terrorism carried
out around the world or within the Commonwealth’s
borders is to apply the death penalty. That is why the
legislation I filed in April accounts for terrorism, along
with a small number of other crimes, including the
assassination of a law enforcement officer, judge, juror
or prosecutor, for the purpose of obstructing an
ongoing criminal proceeding. My legislation would
also allow juries to consider the death penalty in cases
that involve prolonged torture or multiple murders, as
well as cases in which the defendant has already been
convicted of first-degree murder or is serving a life
sentence without parole.”
Foreign and Military Policy
Opposes a near-term military strike on Iran, either by
the U.S. or by Israel, to sabotage nuclear facilities that
could be misused to produce a nuclear weapon. Says
the U.S. will never tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran but
negotiation and pressure through sanctions are the
right way to prevent that outcome. Reserves the right
to one day conclude that only a military strike can stop
Iran from getting the bomb.
Appears to present a clearer U.S. military threat to
Iran and has spoken in more permissive terms about
Israel's right to act against Iran's nuclear facilities,
without explicitly approving of such a step. “Of course
you take military action” if sanctions and internal
opposition fail to dissuade Tehran from making a
nuclear weapon, he has said.
Has spoken in favor of covert action by the U.S. and
regional allies in Syria but “the right course is not
military” intervention by the U.S.
As President, authorized the use of the military to
support a NATO mission to provide air cover for
Libyan insurgents, which ultimately resulted in the
end of dictator Muammar Gadafi’s rule there.
Endorses 2014 end to U.S. combat in Afghanistan,
subject to conditions at the time. Would increase
strength of armed forces, including number of troops
and warships, adding almost $100 billion to the
military budget in 2016.
Declined to repeat the Libya air power commitment
for insurgents in Syria who are in the midst of their
own movement to topple the authoritarian regime
there. Instead seeks to build international consensus
toward the goal of persuading Syrian President Bashar
Assad to leave.
Ended the Iraq war he had opposed and inherited,
increased the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan then
began drawing down the force with a plan to have all
out by the end of 2014.
Major reductions coming in the size of the Army and
Marine Corps as part of agreement with congressional
Republicans to cut $487 billion in military spending
over a decade.
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Economic Issues
Barack Obama (Democrat)
Mitt Romney (Republican)
Environmental Policy
Ordered temporary moratorium on deep-water drilling
after the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico but
has pushed for more oil and gas drilling overall.
Approved plan that would allow oil companies to drill
in the Arctic Ocean, a measure opposed by
environmentalists.
Supports opening the Atlantic and Pacific outer
continental shelves to oil drilling, as well as Western
lands, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore
Alaska.
“We're using too much oil,” Romney has said. “We
have an answer. We can use alternative sources of
energy – biodiesel, ethanol, nuclear power – and we
can drill for more oil here. We can be more energy
independent and we can be far more efficient in the
use of that energy.”
Rejected the construction of a major oil pipeline from
Canada but supports fast-track approval of a segment
of it.
Proposes ending the practice of allowing oil companies
to deduct from their corporate taxes the costs of
drilling new oil wells but has failed to persuade
Congress to do so.
Supports allowing oil companies to deduct the costs of
drilling new oil well from their tax bill.
Romney advocates for a market-driven approach to
increasing automotive fuel economy, rather than
government mandates.
Achieved historic increases in fuel economy standards
for automobiles that will save money at the pump
while raising the cost of producing new vehicles for car
manufacturers.
Wants to reduce obstacles to coal, natural gas and
nuclear energy development.
Achieved first-ever regulations on heat-trapping gases
blamed for global warming and on toxic mercury
pollution from power plants.
Says green power has yet to become viable and the
causes of climate change are unknown. Stated that he
will end a federal tax program that encourages wind
power production and any other stimulus for wind
energy. Romney also pledges to reduce what he
considers to be excessive environmental protections
on the production and transport of oil and natural gas.
Spent heavily on green energy, including wind power,
and has embraced nuclear power as a clean source.
Did not follow through on plan to toughen federal
regulations requiring that states limit lung-damaging
smog produced by automobiles and industry.
Proposes to remove carbon dioxide from list of
pollutants controlled by Clean Air Act and amend
clean water and air laws to ensure the cost of
businesses complying with regulations is balanced
against the benefit to the environment that the
regulation brings.
He has vowed that if elected, he will approve
construction of the Keystone Pipeline during his first
day in office.
Taxes
Wants to raise taxes on the wealthy and ensure they
pay 30 percent of their income at minimum. Supports
extending Bush-era tax cuts for everyone making
Keep Bush-era tax cuts for all incomes and drop all tax
rates further, by 20 percent, bringing the top rate, for
example, down to 28 percent from 35 percent and the
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under $200,000, or $250,000 for couples but not for
those with higher incomes. But in 2010, agreed to a
two-year extension of the lower rates for all, including
those making more than $200,000. Wants to let the
top two tax rates go back up 3 to 4 percentage points to
39.6 percent and 36 percent, and raise rates on capital
gains and dividends (investment income) for the
wealthy. Together with Congress, built a first-term
record of significant tax cuts for families and business,
some temporary.
lowest rate to 8 percent instead of 10 percent. Would
reduce tax deductions, credits and exemptions for the
wealthiest taxpayers. Eliminate capital gains tax for
families making below $200,000 and cut corporate
tax to 25 percent from 35 percent.
Healthcare
With passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act, achieved landmark healthcare overhaul,
putting U.S. on path to health insurance coverage for
all. The law, upheld recently by the U.S. Supreme
Court, requires businesses employing more than fifty
people to provide health insurance for employees or
face a fine, expands federal health insurance program
for the poor, prohibits health insurance companies
from denying coverage to anyone or from dropping
coverage for people who get sick, and requires that
Americans who are not covered by government or
employer health insurance buy individual health
insurance or else pay a fine/tax (the federal
government would help would help middle-income
and low-income people buy insurance through tax
credits).
Promises to work for the repeal of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was
modeled largely after the universal health care law
passed in Massachusetts while he was governor.
Insists that states, not Washington, should drive policy
on the uninsured.
Romney’s vice presidential candidate, Representative
Paul Ryan (Wisconsin), proposed a bill in 2011 that
would partially replace government-provided
Medicare (health insurance for retirees) with
vouchers for citizens to purchase private medical
insurance. Romney said that, as President, he would
sign such a plan if it reached his desk, but that he
would put forward his own plan before debating
Obama.
Federal Government Spending and Economic Regulations
Obama’s first term has been marked by high
unemployment, a deep recession that began under the
Bush administration and officially ended within six
months, and a gradual recovery with persistently high
jobless rates. Obama responded to the recession by
successfully pushing Congress to enact an $800 billion
stimulus plan intended to reduce unemployment and
boost the company by dramatically increasing federal
government spending. (The nonpartisan
Congressional Budget Office estimated that the
stimulus bill cut the unemployment rate by up to 1.8
percentage points.)
In January 2009, Romney supported the $750 billion
economic stimulus package, stating that: “I think there
is need for economic stimulus. Americans have lost
about $11 trillion in net worth. That translates into
about $400 billion a year less spending that they'll be
doing, and that's net of additional government
programs like Medicaid and unemployment insurance.
And government can help make that up in a very
difficult time. And that's one of the reasons why I
think a stimulus program is needed.” In May 2012,
Romney said, that the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 was a waste of money that
did little to jump-start the economy and that the
federal government has inflated the job numbers
associated with various projects.
Opposes a constitutional amendment that would
require the federal government to balance its budget,
spending only as much as it takes in in tax revenue.
Favors federal balanced budget amendment. Proposes
broad but largely unspecified cuts in federal spending.
Favors increases in military spending.
To reduce the federal budget deficit (the amount of
money the federal government spends every year in
excess of the amount it receives in tax revenue),
Obama has called for a mix of spending cuts and tax
increases, particularly for the wealthy.
Favored a “cut, cap, and balance” proposal in 2011 to
reduce the federal budget deficit. The proposal called
for major cuts in spending, caps on future spending,
and a balanced-budget amendment to the
Constitution. It did not call for tax increases.
Obama continued implementation of federal “bail
outs” of Wall Street banks and American car
manufacturers endangered by the recession.
Defended 2008 bailout of financial institutions as a
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Pushed for passage of the Dodd-Frank bill, which
represents the greatest strengthening of federal
regulations over the financial industry since the Great
Depression.
necessary step to avoid the system's collapse, but
opposed the bailout of General Motors and Chrysler.
Romney says a major contributor to America’s
faltering economy has been what he views as excessive
regulation. He has promised to repeal the Dodd–
Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection
Act. Romney proposes instituting measures that would
make it more difficult for federal agencies to impose
new regulations.
In 2008, Obama pledged that by the end of 2011, he
would raise the federal minimum wage to $9.50 an
hour and index it to inflation, “to make sure that fulltime workers can earn a living wage,” as his transition
team's website put it. However, the minimum wage
today remains at $7.25 an hour, and Obama has not
pushed for an increase despite calls by many
Democratic lawmakers to do so.
Romney has stated that “There’s probably not a need
to raise the minimum wage.” Romney favors
“moderate, predictable changes” in the minimum wage
linked to other indicators of growth in the economy. “I
don't like the big jumps from time to time.”
To create jobs, since 2011 Obama has proposed
spending almost $200 billion more in economic
stimulus and $253 billion in tax cuts. His plan has not
been enacted by Congress.
Romney rejected Obama’s job bill, calling instead for
tax cuts, cuts in federal spending, and a reduction in
federal regulations that he argues hamper businesses.
Generally, Obama favors protecting social welfare
programs like Food Stamps, Medicaid, and Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) while
moderating the costs of those programs and/or
helping to pay for them with higher taxes on the
wealthiest Americans.
Romney generally prioritizes tax cuts and restrictions
on federal spending, including on social welfare
programs. However, he does not propose eliminating
any social welfare programs.
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The Libertarian Party
Adapted from “Party Platform” and “Issues” pages at http://www.lp.org/
Personal Liberty
Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of
the choices they make. No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual,
group, or government. Our support of an individual's right to make choices in life does not mean that we
necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.
Property and Contract
Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human rights. The owners of property have the
full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until and
unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others. We oppose all controls on wages, prices,
rents, profits, production, and interest rates. We advocate the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the
advertising of prices, products, or services. We oppose all violations of the right to private property, liberty of
contract, and freedom of trade. The right to trade includes the right not to trade — for any reasons whatsoever.
Where property, including land, has been taken from its rightful owners by the government or private action in
violation of individual rights, we favor restitution to the rightful owners.
Drug Laws
Drug prohibition does more to make Americans unsafe than any other factor. Just as alcohol prohibition gave us
Al Capone and the mafia, drug prohibition has given us the Crips, the Bloods and drive-by shootings. Consider
the historical evidence: America's murder rate rose nearly 70% during alcohol prohibition, but returned to its
previous levels after prohibition ended. Now, since the War on Drugs began, America's murder rates have
doubled. The cause/effect relationship is clear. Prohibition is putting innocent lives at risk.
What's more, drug prohibition also inflates the cost of drugs, leading users to steal to support their high priced
habits. It is estimated that drug addicts commit 25% of all auto thefts, 40% of robberies and assaults, and 50% of
burglaries and larcenies. Prohibition puts your property at risk. Finally, nearly one half of all police resources are
evoted to stopping drug trafficking, instead of preventing violent crime. The bottom line? By ending drug
prohibition Libertarians would double the resources available for crime prevention, and significantly reduce the
number of violent criminals at work in your neighborhood.
Personal Relationships
Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the rights of individuals by
government, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws.
Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships. Government
does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal relationships.
Abortion
Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe
that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious
consideration.
Self-Defense
The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired property —
against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree to be aided by any other individual or
group. We affirm the right to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their
rights of self-defense. We oppose all laws at any level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the
ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition.
11
Government Finance and Spending
Libertarians believe that if government's role were limited to protecting our lives, rights and property, then
America would prosper and thrive as never before. Then the federal government could concentrate on protecting
our Constitutional rights and defending us from foreign attack. A federal government that did only those two
things, could do them better and at a small fraction of the cost.
The bulk of your welfare tax dollars goes to pay the handsome salaries of well-educated welfare workers. The
poor get little from government welfare except meager handouts and a cycle of despair. Let's get government out
of the charity business. Private charities and groups do a better and more efficient job of helping the truly needy
get back on their feet.
It is time to recognize that welfare cannot be reformed: it should be ended. We should eliminate the entire social
welfare system. This includes eliminating AFDC, food stamps, subsidized housing, and all the rest. Individuals
who are unable to fully support themselves and their families through the job market must, once again, learn to
rely on supportive family, church, community, or private charity to bridge the gap.
We call for the end of the income tax, the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs
and services not required under the U.S. Constitution. Government should not incur debt, which burdens future
generations without their consent. We support the passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to the U.S.
Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes.
Health Care
We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system. We recognize the freedom of individuals to
determine the level of health insurance they want, the level of health care they want, the care providers they
want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of their medical care, including end-oflife decisions.
As recently as the 1960s, low-cost health insurance was available to virtually everyone in America - including
people with existing medical problems. Doctors made house calls. A hospital stay cost only a few days' pay.
Charity hospitals were available to take care of families who could not afford to pay for healthcare.
Since then the federal government has increasingly intervened through Medicare, Medicaid, the HMO Act
and tens of thousands of regulations on doctors, hospitals and health-insurance companies. Today, more
than 50 percent of all healthcare dollars are spent by the government.
Health insurance costs are skyrocketing. Government health programs are heading for bankruptcy.
Politicians continue to pile on the regulations. The Libertarian Party knows the only healthcare reforms
that will make a real difference are those that draw on the strength of the free market.
Retirement and Income Security
Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. We favor replacing the
current government-sponsored Social Security system with a private voluntary system. The proper source of
help for the poor is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.
National Defense
We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression – no
more. The United States should both abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world and avoid
entangling alliances. We oppose any form of compulsory military service.
Freedom of Speech
We oppose any abridgment of the freedom of speech through government censorship, regulation or control of
communications media, including, but not limited to, laws concerning. . . obscenity, including
"pornography", as we hold this to be an abridgment of liberty of expression despite claims that it instigates
rape or assault, or demeans and slanders women.
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Immigration
We can spend billions more to beef up border patrols. We can erect hundreds of miles of ugly fence slicing
through private property along the Rio Grande. We can raid more discount stores and chicken-processing
plants from coast to coast. We can require all Americans to carry a national ID card and seek approval from
a government computer before starting a new job.
Or we can change our immigration law to more closely conform to how millions of normal people actually
live. Crossing an international border to support your family and pursue dreams of a better life is not an
inherently
criminal act like rape or robbery. If it were, then most of us descend from criminals. . . . [The] large
majority of illegal immigrants are not bad people. They are people who value family, faith and hard work
trying to live within a bad system.
Immigration is not the only area of American life where a misguided law has collided with reality. In the
1920s and '30s, Prohibition turned millions of otherwise law-abiding Americans into lawbreakers and
spawned an underworld of moon-shining, boot-legging and related criminal activity. (Sound familiar?) We
eventually made the right choice to tax and regulate alcohol rather than prohibit it. [We should make a
similar choice in immigration policy by allowing the free flow of immigrants into the United States.]
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The Green Party
Adapted from “The Real Difference” and “Party Platform pages at http://www.gp.org/
ISSUE
GREEN PARTY
REPUBLICANS
DEMOCRATS
Global Warming Reduction of
Greenhouse Gas
Emissions
Support
Oppose
Support rapid reduction of global Greenhouse gas
emissions. . . . Support [government-imposed] higher [fuel]
efficiency standards, [and government-funded] conversion
to renewable energy sources such as low-cost wind and
solar power.
Oppose and
Failed to Act.
National Health
Insurance
Support [the abolition of all private health insurance
Oppose
and the creation] of a single-payer [that is, government
funded], national health insurance, with guaranteed
treatment and medicine regardless of age, ability to pay,
employment, or prior medical condition, and with choice of
doctors and hospitals.
Oppose
Death Penalty
Oppose
Oppose the death penalty, citing racial bias, failure to deter
crime, widespread errors, and humanitarian objections.
Support
Support
Labor: Wages and
Unions
Support
Demand [the enactment of] livable wage [laws requiring]
minimum pay that people can live on (approx $10/hr in
most communities), democratic workplaces, strong unions,
and repeal restrictions.
Oppose Workers
Minimal Support
Gay Marriage
Support
Oppose
Oppose
Racism
We support affirmative action to remedy discrimination, to
protect constitutional rights and to provide equal
opportunity under the law.
Oppose
Mostly oppose
Economic Justice/Social Safety Net
All people have a right to food, housing, medical care, jobs that pay a living wage, education, and
support in times of hardship.
We call for restoration of a federally funded entitlement program to support children, families, the
unemployed, elderly and disabled, with no time limit on benefits. This program should be funded
through the existing welfare budget, reductions in military spending and corporate subsidies, and a fair,
progressive income tax [one that imposes higher taxes on those earning higher incomes].
We call for a graduated supplemental income, or negative income tax [a progressive income tax system
where people earning below a certain amount receive supplemental pay from the government instead of
paying taxes to the government], that would maintain all individual adult incomes above the poverty
level, regardless of employment or marital status.
The accumulation of individual wealth in the U.S. has reached grossly unbalanced proportions. It is
clear that we cannot rely on the rich to regulate their profit-making excesses for the good of society
through "trickle- down economics." We must take aggressive steps to restore a fair distribution of
income. We [demand] businesses that apply fair employee wage distribution standards, and income tax
policies that restrict the accumulation of excessive individual wealth.
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Health Care
A large percentage of illness is diet-related; therefore, improving the quality of our nation's food supply
and our personal eating habits will lessen the strain on our health care system. We advocate subsidies for
organic foods, as well as removing sugar/caffeine snacks from schools. This could save our nation as
much as $700 to
$850 billion of the $1 trillion annual health costs.
We oppose the arrest, harassment or prosecution of anyone involved in any aspect of the production,
cultivation, transportation, distribution or consumption of medicinal marijuana. We also oppose the
harassment, prosecution or revocation of license of any health-care provider who gives a recommendation or
prescription for medicinal marijuana.
We unequivocally support a woman's right to reproductive choice, no matter her marital status or age, and
that contraception and safe, legal abortion procedures be available on demand and be included in all health
insurance coverage in the U.S., as well as free of charge in any state where a woman falls below the poverty
level.
Criminal Justice
The effects of imprisonment are largely negative. Prisoners are increasingly isolated from the communities
they came from and are often denied contact with the outside world or the media. Access to educational and
legal materials is disappearing. Boredom and hopelessness prevail. The United States has the highest
recidivism rate of any industrialized country.
Any attempt to combat crime must begin with restoration of community. We encourage positive approaches
that build hope, responsibility and a sense of belonging. Prisons should be the sentence of last resort, reserved
for violent criminals. Those convicted of non-violent offenses should be handled by other programs including
halfway houses, electronic monitoring, work-furlough, community service and restitution programs.
Substance abuse should be addressed as a medical problem requiring treatment, not imprisonment. . . .
Incarcerated prisoners of the drug war should be release to the above programs.
Foreign Policy
Our defense budget has increased out of all proportion to any military threat to the United States, and to our
domestic social, economic and environmental needs. The United States government must reduce our defense
budget to half of its current size. The 2005 defense budget is estimated at around $425 billion, and that does
not take into account military expenditures not placed under the defense budget.
We recognize our government's obligation to take disputes with other nations or foreign bodies to the U.N.
Security Council and General Assembly forum for negotiation and resolution. The U.N. and international
laws, treaties and conventions that the U.S. has signed are the framework that controls U.S. military actions
abroad.
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