&
P olitics
The Compass, Oct. 2004 PflgC 5
Where they stand on the issues!
Homeland Security
Abortion
Civil Rights
Economy
Crime
Education
Environment
Foreign Policy
Health Care
John Kerry
Democrat
Wants to add 40,000 troops to
the miUtary; voted yes on
military pay raises, yes on base
closures, yes on missile defense
system.
No restrictions on abortion;
wants to expand stem cell
research.
Questions practicality of
affirmative action; voted no on
prohibiting same-sex marriage;
dislikes Defense of Marriage
Act.
Wants to end corporate welfare;
wants to follow Clinton plan to
reduce deficit; wants to keep
most of Bush tax cuts.
Opposes death penalty except
for 9-11 terrorists; wants stricter
sentencing for hate-crimes;
wants to require DNA testing for
federal executions.
Voted no on school vouchers in
D.C.; voted yes on national
education standards; voted no on
allowing voluntary prayer in
school.
Voted no on more funding for
forest roads and fish habitat;
voted yes on requiring EPA risk
assessments; wants to safeguard
the environment and grow the
economy.
Supports multilateral
cooperative internationalism;
wants to globalize with U.S. pre
eminence
Believes health care is not a
privilege, but a right for all;
voted no on banning human
cloning.
George W. Bush
Republican
Tripled funding for homeland
security; wants lowest possible
number of nukes consistent with
security; believes U.S. military
is key to preserving peace.
Wants to ban partial-birth
abortion; supports parental
notification; supports adoption
tax credit; wants to limit
embryonic stem cell research.
Wants to protect marriage
against activist judges; wants
constitutional amendment to ban
gay marriage.
Wants to halve deficit in five
years; wants to simplify the tax
code to stimulate growth; wants
to provide assistance to new
small businesses.
Believes America is the land of
the second chance; supports
registration for sexual criminals;
wants to hmit frivolous lawsuits.
Wants to spend $25B for
reading. Pell Grants and
charters; wants to give college
tuition tax credits; increased
student funding by 60% in
2003.
Wants $4.9B to repair
“crumbling” national parks;
natural resources and
environmental funding highest
ever in FY04.
Believes America must keep its
word; believes in pre-emptive
strikes for self defense; keep
sanctions against Cuba; patrol
borders, invest in Latin America.
Wants medical liability reform to
make health care affordable;
opposes doctor assisted suicide.
Ralph Nader
Reform Party
Supports test ban treaty and
arms control; wants to reduce
size of the military by $100B;
believes arms race is driven by
corporate demand.
Believes government should
have no involvement in abortion
debate.
Supports gay marriage; believes
African American progress is
too slow; believes women are
second-class citizens in school
athletics.
Top priorities; infrastructure,
poverty, preventive health.
Opposes death penalty; believes
decreasing unemployment, as
opposed to enforcement, reduces
crime.
Wants to abandon standardized
testing and focus on teaching
civic skills; believes investing in
k-12 education will reduce
poverty.
Wants to end all commercial
logging in national forests;
believes corporate collectivism
leads to ecological disaster.
Believes corporate activity
destroys the third world;
believes supporting human
rights is a cornerstone of U.S.
policy.
Wants 3.5% payroll tax to fund
universal health care; wants to
use Canadian system as a model
for U.S.
Michael Badnarik
Libertarian Party
Believes mid-east hatred comes
from U.S. actions, not U.S.
lifestyle; wants to bring home all
U.S. troops from all countries.
Wants to make abortion illegal,
but leave it to the states; believes
government should not be
involved.
Wants to keep government out
of the bedroom; believes
affirmative action is almost as
bad as slavery; believes Patriot
Act violates Bill of Rights.
Wants to base currency on gold
to avoid inflation.
Wants to give restitution to
victims instead of punishing
criminals; wants to end
mandatory minimums for drug
offenders.
Believes in deregulating schools;
government should not be
involved in education.
No stance on record.
Opposes foreign aid of any kind
as non-constitutional; believes
interventionist foreign policy
creates enemies.
Tax credits for personal health
savings accounts; excess
regulation causes high prices.
Democrats - North Carolina
• President - John Kerry
• Vice President - John Edwards
• U.S. Senate - Erskin Bowles
• Governor - Mike Easley
• U.S. Congress, P' congressional district - GK. Butterfield
’or a complete list of Democratic candidates from North Carolina and other facts, go on-line to www.ncdp.org.
Republicans - North Carolina
• President - George W. Bush
• Vice President - Dick Cheney
• Senate - Richard Burr
• Governor - Patrick Ballentine
• U.S. Congress, P‘ congressional district - Greg Dority
■or a complete list of Republican candidates from North C^olina and other facts, go to www.ncgop.org.
Voter Registration
In order to vote in the state of North CaroUna, you must meet the following criteria:
• Be a U.S citizen and a resident of the state of North Carolina and the U.S. for 30 days
• Be at least 18 by election time
• Must not be registered to vote in any other county or state
• If convicted of a felony, must have all rights of citizenship restored
Where to register -
Many political web-sites such as www.ncdp.org
and www.ncgop.org offer on-line registration
Employment Security Commission
DMV
Public library
Public high school
To register by mail, contact the County Board of
Elections office
To vote by absentee ballot, log on to
www.Jvap.gov and download the Federal
Postcard Application and instructions
All registrations must be completed 25 days
prior to Election Day.
For more information on how, when and where
to vote, go to www.sboe.state.nc.us.