During the campaign, the Associated Press asked President Bush and Sen. John Kerry for their positions on a number of issues. Here are their answers to 20 of those questions.
Abortion
Should girls be required to tell their parents before having an abortion?
Bush: “Parents should have the right to be involved in any major medical decision affecting their minor daughter. When young girls who are still legally minors find themselves in difficult situations regarding pregnancy, they may be easily influenced into making harmful and even dangerous choices. We need to protect the health and safety of our young women by ensuring that they have appropriate guidance from responsible adults. I will continue to support parental notification laws so that parents are involved in the decisions of their minor daughters.”
Kerry: “Like any parent, I believe that parents should be fully involved in all decisions regarding their children. But we also have to take into account possible family dysfunction, including abuse or incest. I will not force a girl who has been abused by a family member to ask the rapist for permission in making a difficult and heart-wrenching choice. Too many proposed laws have failed to include common sense ‘bypass’ provisions to protect the victims of these brutal and unspeakable crimes.”
Military
Should the size of active-duty forces be increased, decreased or kept about the same?
Bush: “In January 2004, Secretary (Donald) Rumsfeld approved increasing the size of the Army by 30,000 soldiers. Military commanders in the field tell me they have the personnel and resources they need. If they need more, I will make sure they get it. We have the resources now to meet current and potential threats.”
Kerry: “When it comes to the military, my first order of business as commander in chief will be to expand America’s Army active-duty forces by 40,000 troops, including the doubling of Army Special Forces. Each day provides us with further evidence that our military is stretched dangerously thin.”
Budget
Can the U.S. government achieve a balanced budget this decade?
Bush: “My administration inherited a recession, and that was followed by the shock of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, which produced budget deficits. During my administration, we have reduced the rate of growth for nonsecurity discretionary spending from the 15 percent growth rate in the last budget year of the previous administration to less than 1 percent in my 2005 budget. My 2005 budget contains detailed plans for pro-growth economic policies and spending restraint that will cut the deficit in half in five years.”
Kerry: “We’ve suffered record deficits under George Bush as the size of government has exploded, and that’s why I stand by a sensible plan that will cut the deficit in half in my first term, while investing in economic growth and investing in workers. To restore fiscal discipline, I will repeal Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy, cut excesses in government and implement the McCain-Kerry Commission on corporate welfare to cut special tax loopholes and pork-barrel spending projects.”
College costs
Is there anything the federal government should do to ease the costs of post-secondary education?
Bush: “My 2005 budget requests a record $73.1 billion in financial aid to help nearly 10 million students attend college, an increase of $25.9 billion (55 percent) since I took office. I have increased Pell Grant funding 47 percent, helping 1 million more low-income students. My plan also provides students with the chance to receive up to $5,000 to study math or science. It is important that students graduate from high school ready to do college-level work. No Child Left Behind and my high school reforms will ensure that students are academically prepared for college so they are less likely to drop out. And I have proposed Enhanced Pell grants to provide additional assistance to low-income students who complete challenging coursework in high school that prepares them to succeed.”
Kerry: “Absolutely. As president, I will enact a College Opportunity tax credit on up to $4,000 a year for four years of tuition at a public university. I will ensure that this credit is eligible for advanced payment so students get the resources they need when tuition is due. Unlike current credits, my tax credit will be refundable for those students who need help the most and for those who receive other credits. I will provide $10 billion in state fiscal relief for higher education, and I will offer a simple deal to hundreds of thousands of America’s young people: If you will serve for two years in one of America’s toughest and most important jobs, we will pay for four years of tuition at a public university.”
DRUG IMPORTS
Should the government legalize the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada or other countries?
Bush: “Any drug importation plan must guarantee Americans the safety and effectiveness they currently have under the gold standard of the Food and Drug Administration. I have appointed Surgeon General Richard Carmona to lead a federal task force to determine what resources and authority would be needed to ensure that importation could be done safely. Since 2001, I have worked to lower the costs of medicines for all Americans by passing a new Medicare drug benefit to cut seniors’ drug costs in half. We have also closed loopholes to speed safe and effective generic drugs to market, saving American consumers $35 billion in drug costs over 10 years.”
Kerry: “Yes. It’s right to allow reimportation of safe, FDA- approved prescription drugs to give our seniors affordable access to the substantial discounts for prescriptions available in Canada and other countries. I will allow individuals, pharmacists, wholesalers and distributors to reimport FDA-approved prescription drugs from other countries at lower prices with systems to ensure safety as well as lower costs. I have called on President Bush to support reimportation legislation which has support from Republicans – from Trent Lott to John McCain – but he continues to cave in to pressure from the drug industry.”
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
How would you seek to revitalize communities in greatest need of economic development?
Bush: “My Opportunity Zone proposal would assist areas that have lost a significant portion of their economic base and are transitioning to a more diverse, broad-based economy, as well as poverty areas eligible for existing programs. Opportunity Zones would ease that transition by targeting federal resources and encouraging businesses to invest in these areas. They focus both on stimulating new economic activity and promoting education, job training, affordable housing, and other activities critical for a vibrant community.”
Kerry: “I will create a Small Business Opportunity fund, expand loans and equity for small businesses, increase the federal government’s venture capital investments, and expand loan programs to help more small businesses get off the ground. I will increase the share of federal contracts for small businesses and ensure that minority-owned businesses get a fair share, use tax credits to cut the cost of energy and reduce the cost of health care by two-thirds, and eliminate capital gains taxes for long-term investment in small businesses. And I will help small businesses offer retirement plans by using tax credits to help offset the startup costs of pension plans. I’ll have a new jobs tax credit to cover an employer’s share of payroll taxes for net new jobs created by small businesses in 2005 and 2006.”
ENDANGERED SPECIES
How, if at all, should Endangered Species Act protections be changed?
Bush: “Even with its successes, ESA has been undermined by a flood of litigation, preventing the Fish and Wildlife Service from protecting new species and recovering plants and animals already listed as threatened or endangered. That is why my administration is providing federal grants on a competitive basis to individuals and groups engaged in voluntary conservation efforts on private lands that benefit imperiled species. With the help of more than $40 billion for wetlands and conservation programs, we are providing thousands of acres of new habitat for species and wildlife. I will continue working with Congress to build on these efforts.”
Kerry: “Instead of tearing down the law, I will improve it with a national commission to examine its implementation and ways to improve it. I will increase funding to protect habitat and work with landowners. And a Kerry-Edwards administration will encourage cooperative efforts to resolve conflicts between development and endangered species conservation.”
GUNS
Should the federal government require background checks for buyers at gun shows?
Bush: “I believe the instant check system is the best way to keep criminals from buying guns at gun shows and I support changing federal law to give gun show sponsors special access to the National Instant Check System to conduct checks on behalf of nonlicensed vendors. My administration is continuing to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and reliability of the instant check system, and has improved the rate for an immediate decision for a background check from 71 percent to 91 percent.”
Kerry: “As a gun-owner and lifelong hunter who believes in the Second Amendment, I agree with John McCain and responsible Republicans that we need to close the gun show loophole. The federal government should require rapid background checks for buyers at gun shows so that we can protect the rights of law-abiding Americans and keep guns out of the hands of criminals and terrorists.”
HEALTH CARE
Are health savings accounts a good way for people to control their health care costs?
Bush: “Yes. HSAs allow people to save tax-free to pay for their routine health care needs. HSAs allow people to see the doctor when they need to, to spend their health dollars on their priorities, and to still have coverage for major medical bills. Our goal is to keep costs under control, expand access and ensure Americans can choose and afford the private health care coverage that best fits their individual needs.”
Kerry: “Health savings accounts aren’t an answer for the middle class struggling with skyrocketing health care costs, nor do they do enough to lower health care premiums for our small businesses. Health savings accounts primarily benefit healthy, wealthy Americans while doing little to expand coverage. I have proposed a comprehensive cost-containment plan that will allow families to save as much as $1,000 a year on their premiums and which does not leave the poor and the sick behind.”
MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
Do you support a federal cap on medical malpractice awards as a way to restrain health insurance costs?
Bush: “Yes. My proposal would ensure that injured persons are fully compensated for their economic losses, while reasonably limiting noneconomic damages to $250,000. It would also reserve punitive damages for cases in which they are justified, ensure that old cases cannot be brought years after an event, and provide that defendants should pay judgments in proportion to their fault.”
Kerry: “I will require that a qualified specialist certifies a medical malpractice case’s merit before it is allowed to move forward. I will also work with states so we have nonbinding mediation in all malpractice claims before cases proceed to trial. Lawyers who file frivolous cases would face tough, mandatory sanctions, including a ‘three strikes and you’re out’ provision. I also oppose punitive damages unless intentional misconduct, gross negligence, or reckless indifference to life can be established.”
MILITARY DRAFT
Do you rule out a draft over the next four years?
Bush: “Yes. I am committed to keeping participation in the United States Armed Services voluntary. Recruitment and retention rates remain strong, and the military has not had any problem maintaining a capable force. We will not have a draft so long as I’m the president of the United States.”
Kerry: “I oppose reinstating the draft, and I am committed to an all-volunteer military, and I’ll have a foreign policy that brings allies to our side to share the burden around the world. George Bush has effectively used a backdoor draft of our National Guard and reserves, and used a ‘stop-loss’ policy to extend tours of duty, delayed retirements, and prevented enlisted personnel from leaving the service.”
MINIMUM WAGE
What increases, if any, do you favor in the $5.15 an hour federal minimum wage?
Bush: “My first goal is to make sure that every American who wants to work can find a job. I would consider any reasonable proposal that phases in an increase in the federal minimum wage over an extended period of time – provided it does not place unreasonable costs on small businesses or other job creators.”
Kerry: “As president, I will raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7 by 2007, giving a raise to nearly 15 million workers. Doesn’t President Bush see that the minimum wage has fallen further and further behind the cost of living, and the impact of the last increase has been wiped away by inflation?”
NATIONAL PARKS
What steps do you support to improve national parks?
Bush: “I have devoted $3.9 billion to maintenance projects, putting the Park Service on track to eliminate the maintenance backlog. My 2005 budget devotes more funds per employee, per acre, and per visitor than at any time in the National Park Service’s history. As a result of our efforts to prioritize maintenance projects, the National Park Service has more than 4,000 improvement projects completed, planned, or under way in our national parks.”
Kerry: “We will keep faith with our clean air and water protections, and over the next five years, increase the operating budget of the National Park Service by $600 million to put our parks back on a path toward recovery and restoration. We’ll end George Bush’s wrong decision to give snowmobiles free rein in our parks, and we won’t side with special interests trying to drill in our national parks.”
NATIONAL SECURITY
Under what conditions is the United States justified in taking pre-emptive military action against targets in another country?
Bush: “The United States must work to promote peace around the world by denying terrorists the ability to inflict damage on us. We live in an era in which terrorists and rogue dictators are trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction and the means to deploy them. We cannot wait for terrorists to develop these weapons and attack us without warning. The military option is always the last option, but my administration will use all means necessary to deal with any threat to our national security, including military power. To ensure our national security, America must be forward-looking and resolute, and prepared to act whenever it is necessary to defend our liberty and our lives.”
Kerry: “As president, I will never hesitate to use military force to pre-empt any imminent threat to our nation’s security. I will never give any country or any international institution a veto over our national security. I will use all of America’s power to defeat terrorists before they strike us.”
PATRIOT ACT
Should the Patriot Act be changed to strengthen anti-terrorism protections, civil liberties or both? If so, how?
Bush: “The USA Patriot Act is a powerful tool in the war on terror. Passed with sweeping bipartisan support in 2001, it provides law enforcement and intelligence communities with some of the same tools used to fight drug kingpins and organized crime, and allows for the enhanced coordination and information-sharing necessary to fight terrorism. The Patriot Act has already been used to help break up terror cells in New York, Oregon and Virginia. Safeguards for civil liberties, including traditional judicial review, are built into the Patriot Act. Not a single civil liberties violation associated with Patriot Act has been cited by the inspector general. Because it has been used effectively and responsibly, I have called upon the United States Congress to promptly renew the expiring provisions of the Patriot Act.”
Kerry: “We’re going to crush the terrorists and make sure that here at home and around the world we have every tool to go get them before they get us. As president, I will defend our liberty and our security at home as well as abroad. I will appoint an attorney general who values and protects constitutional freedoms. I believe some provisions of the Patriot Act – like the money-laundering provisions – must be made stronger. Others – like the library and ‘sneak-and-peek’ search provisions – must be made smarter, to better protect the freedom of law-abiding patriotic Americans while allowing our government to do everything necessary to track down terrorists and defend America. As president, I will ensure that the American government is open and responsive to the needs and inquiries of Congress and the public, offering enough information to hold the government accountable without compromising our security.”
SOCIAL SECURITY
Do you rule out raising the retirement age for Social Security benefits to help the program’s solvency?
Bush: “I will keep Social Security’s promise to today’s seniors, while strengthening it for future generations, without changing benefits for retirees or near retirees or raising payroll taxes. We will instead add voluntary personal savings accounts to allow today’s workers to build a nest egg that can be passed along to their families. These accounts could be part of a comprehensive plan, which according to the Social Security actuaries will strengthen the system permanently.”
Kerry: “I will not privatize Social Security. I will not cut benefits. I will not raise the retirement age on America’s senior citizens. And together, we will make sure that senior citizens never have to cut their pills in half because they can’t afford lifesaving medicine and more and more of a senior’s Social Security check is eaten up by Medicare premiums. That is the choice in this election.”
STEM CELL RESEARCH
What should the federal role be in financing stem-cell research?
Bush: “I decided to provide federal funding, for the first time, to research using human embryonic stem cells. I determined, however, that federal funds should not encourage the further destruction of human embryos, adhering to the principle adopted by Congress in 1996 that human embryos merit respect as a form of human life and federal dollars should not encourage their destruction. My administration has provided $35.5 million for research. But there is also a great deal of stem cell research that does not require the destruction of a living human embryo.”
Kerry: “Stem cell research holds immense promise for millions of Americans suffering from diseases like diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer and spinal cord injuries. As president, I will lift the ideologically driven restrictions on stem cell research. And I will fund this research with at least $100 million a year, while ensuring strict ethical oversight of the research.”
TAXES
What further income-tax cuts, if any, do you support?
Bush: “In my first three years in office, I signed historic and comprehensive tax relief that has reduced the marriage penalty, doubled the child tax credit to $1,000, reduced rates across the board, and eliminated the death tax. This tax relief should be made permanent; otherwise, starting next year, 37 million families with children, 11 million seniors and 23 million small-business owners will see their taxes increase.”
Kerry: “We need to provide middle class tax relief for families trying to afford college and all Americans and small businesses struggling with the cost of health care. We should cut taxes for businesses that create jobs here in the United States and stop using the tax code so American workers subsidize shipping their own jobs overseas. We should provide tax credits to help create manufacturing jobs here at home. It’s right to protect middle-class income tax cuts, and it’s also right to roll back George Bush’s unaffordable giveaways to individuals making over $200,000 so we can invest in jobs, health care and education, and restore fiscal responsibility.”
TRADE
Has the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada been good, on balance, for the U.S. economy?
Bush: “NAFTA has enabled Mexico, Canada, and the United States to expand our solid, dynamic, and mutually beneficial trading partnership. In its first 10 years, NAFTA has helped increase exports to Canada and Mexico by 85 percent. NAFTA has been a powerful force for increasing the international competitiveness of all three economies, for attracting enormous flows of inward investment, and for contributing to the record productivity growth we have experienced for the past decade.”
Kerry: “President Clinton was trying to move us in the right direction on job creation and on including labor and environmental standards in trade agreements. I supported him and I made the right decision. We created jobs and opened markets, but since then we have learned that we need to go even further on labor and environment standards. John Edwards and I will fight so strong and enforceable labor and environmental standards are included in the core of future trade agreements, like they were in the Jordan Free Trade Agreement.”
WAR ON TERRORISM
How will Americans know when the war on terrorism is won?
Bush: “It is unlike any conventional war we have fought in the past. It will not end with a peace treaty or by the capture of a city or the fall of a single regime. It will be won through the steady advance of freedom, hope, and opportunity.”
Kerry: “The global war on terrorism will be finally won when terrorists no longer have global reach and terrorist organizations are unable to inflict catastrophic attacks. That will happen when we cut off their financing, their sanctuaries, their recruiting capabilities and their access to weapons of mass destruction.”
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