Position Papers
Phase I
Abortion
John Kerry
supports the right for a woman to choose, he does not support abortion.
Kerry feels it is wrong to force his personal
views down the throats of everyone
in
Though Kerry does
not support abortion, he feels we should not make a law limiting a woman's
personal freedoms. He believes
to take this right from someone,
someone in a culture other than his own is unconstitutional.
Kerry does not
support abortions; he supports a woman's right to choose. John Kerry does
not believe in forcing his person
beliefs upon others. Kerry
believes in letting women that have beliefs different than him to make their
own decisions.
Abortion is an
important issue because of who the rights are given to. Should women have
the right to choose? Should a women
be governed into making hey own
decisions?
Kerry does not
believe it is appropriate to force a woman who may be in a different situation
than you into doing something
she doesn't want to do. A
woman may have reasons for choosing to abort, and Kerry doesn't believe in
forcing them too.
In cases of
rape, should a woman not be assumed to abort it? Should a woman be forced
by law to keep the child? Every time
she looks at that child; she will
remember the rapist and hate the child. That child would be a miserable
existence.
If we create a
law governing a woman's right to choose, we are violating what this country was
founded on. This country was
founded on the basis that people
of divert cultures could come together and be a united country even if they hid
different views and
make different personal choices.
We shouldn't
pick what people of other cultures then ourselves do. They should be
allowed to make their own decisions. Do
you think we should have the right to govern people who may
not believe in the sin things we do?
Death Penalty
Kerry opposes the
execution of juveniles, supports greater access to DNA testing for death row
inmates, and argues that studies
"reveal serious questions, racial bias, and deep disparities
in the way the death penalty is applied." Kerry was a co-sponsor of
the
National Death Penalty Moratorium Act of 2001 and of the
National Death Penalty Moratorium Act of 2003. "I know something
about
killing," Kerry says, referring to his service in
belief I
have."
Kerry said he opposes capital punishment except in cases involving
terrorism. While he may have voted in favor of some omnibus
crime bills that
included expansions of capital punishment, on stand-alone legislation Kerry has
opposed the death penalty in a
variety of
ways. Kerry opposes the death penalty in most cases is because he
believes it is unfairly applied by the
justice system.
This year's White House race pits two extremes on this issue against one
another. Mr. Bush's home state of
more murderers than
any other state, while Mr. Kerry's state of
John Kerry opposes the death penalty and if you're against the death penalty,
Kerry will make sure that the death penalty is not
used as a
punishment.
Education
John Kerry and John Edwards have a vision for a better American
education. Every child should be held to high standards, and
every school should
have the resources and the responsibility to meet those standards. Every
classroom should have a great teacher.
Every
student should graduate from high school, and every student who works hard and
wants to go to college should be able to
afford it.
All Americans should be able to get the skills they need to succeed throughout
their lives.
Today, our country is not realizing that vision is for a better
Bush is
not working to make reform succeed and children are losing out. One
million students are dropping out of high
school each year,
and because they price of college has risen 35 percent over the last three
years, 220,000 qualified young people
were priced out of
college last year.
John Kerry and John Edwards will establish a National Education Trust Fund to
ensure that schools always get the funding they
need. They
will also ensure that No Child Left Behind works for schools, states, and
teachers by rewarding those who meet higher
standards and
rewarding schools that turn around and improve. Great teachers are the
foundation of a great school. As president,
John
Kerry will enact a new bargain that offers teachers more, including better pay
and training in troubled schools. They will also
make sure that if a
teacher who doesn't belong in the classroom will not stay there.
John Kerry is a strong supporter of after school programs. They give the
students extra help, and keep them out of trouble. The
John
Kerry/John Edwards "schools open till six" will offer after-school
opportunities to a large amount of students. These programs
are open till 6 and
offer safe transportation home for the child.
If you vote John Kerry as president he will offer a fully refundable college
opportunity tax credit on up to $4,000 of tuition for
every year of college
and offer aid to states that keep tuitions down.
Phase II
Economy
In
health care,
college, and taxes. Corporate profits are soaring, the government keeps
expanding, but the opportunities for our
middle-class are
shrinking.
It's time to bring those opportunities back. John Kerry and John Edwards
know that we're stronger when we create good-paying
jobs here, not ship
them overseas. They want to reward hardworking middle-class families with
tax breaks, not larger bills. They
want to expand the
reach of opportunity, not the size of government. And they want to lead
an
to invest in the
jobs of tomorrow.
John Kerry will cut the deficit in half during his first four years in
office. He will end corporate welfare as we know it, roll back the
Bush tax
cuts for the wealthiest Americans, and impose a real cap to keep spending in
check. And when John Kerry puts forward
a new idea, he'll
tell you how he's going to pay for it.
When John Kerry is president, middle-class taxes will go down.
Ninety-eight percent of all Americans and 99 percent of
American
businesses will get a tax cut under the Kerry-Edwards plan.
The Americans I've met, no mater where they come or what status they come from,
live by a basic set of values. They work hard,
pay their bills,
and try to do what's right for their children and their communities. But
this Administration hasn't honored those
values - and it
certainly hasn't lived by them.
Instead of giving us an economy that creates jobs and opportunity, our present
leadership has gives nu wedge issues designed to
divide
Americans. Instead of a real economic plan, they have given us the old
politics of negative attacks.
That's why I think you should vote Kerry for this next presidential election.
Health Care
The Kerry-Edwards plan will give every American access to the range of high-quality,
affordable plans available to the members
of Congress and
extend coverage to 95 percent of Americans, including every American
child. Their plan will also fight to erase
the health
disparities that persist along racial and economical lines, ensure that people
with HIV and AIDS have the care they need,
end discrimination
against Americans with disabilities and mental illnesses, and ensure treatment
for mental illness in our health
system.
John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to address soaring premiums and cut
Americans a break. Their plan will lower family
premiums by up to
$1,000 a year. Cut waste from the system. Lower
cost of drugs to provide real relief to seniors. And use
targeted tax cuts
to extend affordable, high-quality coverage to 95 percent of Americans,
including every child. And because John
Kerry and
John Edwards believe that everyone's health is equally important,
they will provide all Americans with access to the same
coverage that
members of Congress give themselves.
John Kerry and John Edwards will make affordable health care a privilege, not a
right, to every American citizen.
Since George W. Bush took office, family health care premiums have skyrocketed
by $3,512. Families now pay 64 percent more
than they did four
years ago for health care.
Welfare Reform
We will raise the minimum wage to $7.00 an hour by 2007. At this minimum
wage a family of four with a full-time worker would
no longer be forced
to raise their children in poverty, increase tax credits for child care, an
essential ingredient in ensuring the
continued success
of work-based welfare reform; defend and strengthen the Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC), increasing the
reward to work for
the most hard-pressed families and lifting millions out of poverty; invest in
programs like Youth build that
educate and prepare
disadvantaged young people for jobs; encourage more women and minorities to
pursue degrees in math and
science, which lead
to high paying jobs; invest in lifelong learning so that workers of all skill
levels can access education and training
to move up to
better, higher paying jobs; and encourage entrepreneurship in all our
communities through initiatives like the New
Markets venture capital initiative.
In the 1990s, Americans resolved to end welfare dependency and forge a new
social compact on the basis of work and
reciprocal
responsibility. The results so far are encouraging: The welfare
rolls have been cut by more than half since 1992 without
the social
calamities predicted by defenders of the old welfare entitlement. People
are more likely than ever to leave welfare for
work, and even
those still on welfare are four times more likely to be working. But the
job of welfare reform will not be done until
we help all who
can.
Phase III
Terrorism
We need to strengthen our homeland. We should wait until we are financially
stable before we hunt down the terrorist.
Now is not the time to wage two wars.
Bush tried to wage two wars at one
time. He has found us weapons of mass
destruction. How did we go from stopping
terrorism to fighting a war in
We have gone in debt because Bush
believes he can win two different wars, terrorism and
Bush is a warmonger and is not right for
War in
Currently, we are fighting in
We are paying for this war. The children of
Our financial security is at stake, not
to mention the lives of our troops. Bush
is sending thousands of men and women to
I don’t understand how a supposed leader
can just throw away the lives of our men and women. I don’t know how he can take our sisters,
brothers, fathers, and mothers away without giving a second thought.
How can Bush continue to send troops to
be killed? How can he live with the fact
that hundreds are dying? Mr. Bush has
not seen the true war. He has not seen
the death and the people in
Bush knows nothing of the pain he causes
every day to get revenge on Saddam Hussein.
I just want to bring our troops home.
Thank you.
Environment
We have the right to breathe clear air,
drink safe water, and eat uncontaminated food.
We can progress without polluting the environment. We can grow while protecting our natural
resources.
We need a leader who looks to the
future. John Kerry has fought to clean
up toxic waste sites, to keep our air and water clean and to protect pristine
wilderness areas. He has been called an
“environmental champion” and will strive to protect the environment.
John Kerry and John Edwards will set a
new standard of environmental excellence.
We will honor our national treasure and pay tribute to out national
wonders. We realize we need to defend
our environment and protect our environmental rights.
We will create cleaner, greener
communities. We can improve the
cleanliness of cities across the
We need to protect our parks and public
lands. John Kerry and John Edwards will
do this to protect the environment. John
Kerry and John Edwards will take aggressive action to stop acid rain that hurts
everyone.
We need a president who cares for the
environment. We need a president who
looks to the future and protects who we will need later. We need a president like John Kerry.
Phase IV
Immigration
John Kerry and John Edwards strongly supports responsible reform of our immigration laws that honor our tradition
as a nation of immigrants and makes America stronger. Today, our immigration system is broken. Each year, hundreds seeking a better life in our country die in the desert, often at the hands of cruel smugglers. Millions within our
borders live and work in hiding, in fear and often abused. President Bush came to office promising a new approach to immigration, but his failure to take real action illustrates his indifference to this issue. His immigration outline, which he still has not formally introduced, would lock immigrant workers into a second-class status, driving down wages and safety standards for all working people in America.
John Kerry and John Edwards have a different approach, and they think we can do better. As president, John Kerry will offer a reform bill in his first 100 days that allows immigrants to ear legalization, encourages family reunification, and strengthens our border protections. By reforming our immigration laws, John Kerry and John Edwards will honor America's promise and strengthen America's economy and security as we strive together for a nation that is safer and more free.
John Kerry strongly supports the DREAM Act which will give young people who consider the United States their home, who have worked hard in school, and have stayed out of trouble, the chance to go to college and pursue their dreams. The DREAM Act has broad bipartisan support and would be law today if George Bush supported it. As president, John Kerry will make it a priority to make the DREAM Act the law of the land.
Gun Control
John Kerry has a plan for a stronger America. He will make a better America, starting in our communities. He supports the right for Americans to own guns
He supports mainstream effort, to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists. He supports extending assault weapons ban.
Mr. Kerry will work to make our community safer. He will greatly lessen gang-related injuries. Mr. Kerry will make us a stronger, better nation.
Foreign Aid and Trade
Today our leadership has walked away from the traditional American leadership. We were respected, now we bully instead of persuade. Our leadership acts alone instead of assembling a team.
Our current leadership doesn't recognize that leadership means standing by your principles. We believe in a better America. We believe in a stronger America where we are respected, not only feared.
Our
current government needs to understand that we can't go at it alone. We
need allies to secure our future. As long as we are here, we will have
enemies and some day they may unite.
That is when Bush will wish we had earned our allies sooner. We can and will become a stronger country under John Kerry. We need to win the war on terror, stop the spread of chemical weapons, and promote democracy throughout the world.