What Are They Going To Do For Me?

When trying to decide on a candidate to support, the issues should be the number one thing that we focus our attention on. I am going to give some details about some of the major issues for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in this post. Simply for clarity, Hillary's views will be in red and Obama's will be in blue. The colors don't mean anything except to make it easier to understand.

Education

• Attract more teachers and pay them better
• Give new parents support to promote healthy development for children
• Increase access to quality early education and create Early Head Start Program
• Expand Pre-K programs to include all 4 year olds, not just at risk
• End No Child Left Behind Program
• Meet funding promises of IDEA to ensure special needs children receive the support they need
• Cut minority drop out rate by 50%
• Create green schools to reduce energy costs and eliminate environmental hazards
• Expand early intervention programs to help at risk youth and commit one billion dollars to identify early and give multiple pathways to graduation
• Double after school programs to ensure that 2 million young people have a safe place to go between 3pm and 6pm
• Invest $100 million in summer internship programs
• Create new $3500 college tax credit
• Increase the maximum allowed for Pell Grants
• Strengthen community colleges through $500 million investment
• Give $10000 college scholarships for those who participate in AmeriCorps full time for 1 year
• Get rid of financial aid red flags
• Challenge colleges to expand access for low income students

• Create "0 to 5 Plan" that provides critical support to young children and parents
• Expand Early Head Start and Head Start
• Expand affordable high-quality childcare
• Reform No Child Left Behind to support poor performing schools rather than punishing them
• Make math and science education a national priority
• Provide funding to schools to invest in intervention strategies to decrease dropouts
• Expand summer learning opportunities
• Support college outreach programs
• Support ESL students and ensure schools teach them English and complete school
• Recruit teachers by creating Teacher Service Scholarships that cover four years of undergraduate education in exchange for teaching four years in a high need field or location
• Prepare teachers by ensuring that all schools of education be accredited
• Retain teachers with experienced teacher mentoring programs and paid common planning time
• Create a new system of teacher rewards

Immigration

• Call for comprehensive immigration reform with strong border security
• Increase cooperation with border countries
• Strictly enforce laws
• Provide federal assistance for state and local government agencies in border states
• Enforce strict penalties for those who exploit undocumented workers and for those who employ them
• Create a path to earn legal status for those who are here working, paying taxes, and respecting the law.

• Create secure borders
• Remove incentives to enter illegally
• Revamp system
• Work with Mexico to promote economic development and to decrease illegal immigration
• Provide a way for current illegal immigrants to pay a fine and be listed at the back of the line for legal status

Health Care

• Create a tax credit to ensure that working families are not paying above a percentage of their income for health care
• Require that insurance companies provide coverage with no pre-existing exclusions
• Allow Americans to keep current insurance coverage or choose another plan
• Provide tax credits for small businesses who provide health insurance for employees
• Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage unless you fail to pay premiums

• Create a National Health Plan and make available to all Americans
• Create a National Health Insurance Exchange which would serve as a watchdog for the insurance industry
• Employers that do not offer health insurance would be required to contribute to the National Plan
• All children would be required to have health insurance
• Fully fund and support disease management programs
• Require full transparency about quality and cost of medical services

Economy

• Extend middle class tax cuts including the child tax credit and marriage penalty relief
• Create new tax cuts for heath care, college, and retirement
• Expand the child care tax credit
• Provide quality affordable health care for all
• Make college accessible and affordable
• Solve the problems in the housing market
• Assist retirement by promoting savings and investments
• Return to fiscal responsibility by moving toward a balanced budget
• Create high-wage green jobs

• Cut income taxes by $1000 for working families and create "Making Work Pay" tax credit
• Fight for fair trade agreements that open foreign markets and support American jobs
• Amend NAFTA so that it works for American workers
• Provide retraining assistance for workers
• Support job creations with federal funding to research and develop high paying secure jobs
• Invest in US manufacturing and manufacturing workforce
• Provide assistance to US automakers to ensure new fuel efficient vehicles are made by US workers
• Increase federal workforce programs that incorporate green job training
• Create energy focused youth programs to invest in disconnected and disadvantaged youth
• Deploy next-generation broadband
• Protect the openness of the Internet
• Raise minimum wage to meet inflation
• Create Universal Mortgage credit that will provide an average of $500 per year tax credit for homeowners
• Require accountability in the sub prime mortgage industry
• Mandate accurate lone disclosure
• Create fund to help homeowners avoid foreclosure by helping people refinance mortgages
• Establish credit card bill of rights
• Reform corporate bankruptcy laws to protect workers and retirees
• Require full disclosure of company pension investments
• Eliminate income taxes for seniors who make less than 50K per year
• Create automatic workplace pensions
• Expand retirement savings incentives for working families by matching 50% of the first $1000 saved for families who earn less than $75000

War

• Require clear viable exit plan from Joint Chief Of Staff, Secretary of Defense and National Security Counsel with 60 days of taking office
• Support high level UN Representative with security in Iraq
• Convene stabilization group with allies, global powers, and all bordering states of Iraq

• End war in Iraq by removing 1-2 brigades per month and have all combat brigades back with in 16 months
• Continue to provide security for embassy and diplomats
• Press Iraq leaders to reconcile and gain regional diplomacy within the Middle East
• Provide $2 million to aid Iraqi refugees

The end! My choice is still about as clear as mud. I will walk in and vote on Tuesday after a few more days of thought and consideration. I'll let you know.....