Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Oct. 24, 2012, edition 1 / Page 2
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STATE LOCAL Election Day is Nov. 6. Don’t forget to vote! Vote in person on election day: On Tuesday November 6, the Polls will be open from 6:30 AM - 7:30 PM Where do I vote? If you registered using a Meredith address, your polling place is the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, 3313 Wade Avenue, 27607 (1 block from campus). If you registered elsewhere in the state, you can find your polling place by going to www.ncsbe.gov. Click “Voter registration.” Click “Check your registration.” Vote in person before election day: Between now and November 3 you can vote in person at various locations. The closest location to Raleigh is the Talley Student Center at NCSU. The Talley Student Center is open M-F11-7, Sat 10-6 (10-5 on Nov 3), Sun 1-5. 2012 Presidential Election Voter Guide Monique Krelsman, staff writer As the election approaches, the candidates are fighting more fiercely than ever for votes. It can be difficult to sort through the campaign coverage, debate analysis, and advertisements that flood the media. While the best source of information is watching or reading the candidates’ statements first-hand, the Herald has compiled a table of their stances on the most important issues to serve as a helpful starting point in researching the election. Taxes President Obama plans to extend the Bush tax cuts (the current rates) for the middle class but raise the rate for families with an income of over $250,000. His tax policy endeavors to follow the Buffet Rule, which is the theory that the wealthy should not be able to use loopholes and exemptions to pay a lower percentage of income in taxes than the middle class. Mitt Romney plans to reduce the income tax rate for everyone by 20%. He also plans to reduce the corporate tax rate, eliminate the capital gains (profits made from selling assets) tax for the middle class, and repeal the alternative minimum tax (an amount that people must pay regardless of exemptions). He plans to pay for these losses in revenue by eliminating exemptions, although he has not specified which exemptions he will cut. Spending and the Deficit Democrats believe that spending money will help lift the country out of the recession. Obama has proposed a new $447 billion stimulus bill that will include tax credits for companies that hire people who were for merly unemployed and funding for infrastructure improvements, public schools, job training, and housing. While Obama’s plan is expected to stabilize the debt (the deficit will not grow faster than the normal growth of the economy), it will not do much to reduce it. Romney and the Republicans want to reduce the deficit by cutting spending. Repealing Obamacare is a large part of their plan. They also propose to reduce waste and fraud and to cut spending from other areas, such as Planned Parenthood, the National Endowment for the Arts, and foreign aid. Again, however, Romney has been criticized for failing to specify how much money his plan will save. Healthcare During his term, Obama gave much attention to healthcare reform, culminating in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The bill includes an individual mandate to purchase insurance; the establishment of state insurance exchanges, which are intended to lower costs; and an expansion of Medicaid. The goal of Obamacare is to increase insurance coverage to a higher percentage of Americans. Romney plans to repeal Obamacare. Republicans argue that the individual mandate, which compels people to purchase insur ance, is an unfair penalty. However, as governor of Massachusetts, Romney signed a similar bill that penalized people who did not have insurance. Still, he argues that the federal government does not have the authority to demand that all able Americans purchase insurance. According to Romney, health care reform is better left to the states. Foreign Policy Obama has been praised for the end of the war in Iraq and the capture of Osama bin Laden during his term, but Republicans criticize his for eign policy as too hands-off. Instead of invasions, the President prefers more detached methods of settling or overseeing conflicts, such as the use of drone strikes and sanctions. Romney proposes that the U.S. should be more active in foreign policy than it has been during Obama’s term. He plans to more thoroughly support Israel in its conflict with Palestine, and he says he will be more forceful, if necessary, in preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He also wants to take a clearer stance than Obama in supporting the rebels in Syria. Critics claim that he is too aggressive in his foreign policy. Abortion Obama is pro-choice. He supports the Roe v. Wade decision, in which the Supreme Court held that laws prohibiting abortion violate women’s constitutional right to privacy. Romney is pro-life; he supports overturning Roe v. Wade. Same-Sex Marriage Obama is in favor of same-sex marriage. Romney supports amending the constitution to ban same-sex mar riage. Education Democrats support subsidizing college loans. In Obama’s term, they doubled the country’s investment in Pell Grants. Republicans believe that the federal government should not fi nance college education. STAFF HERALD@EMAIL.MEREDITH.EDU Editors: Amy Hruby, Julia Dent — Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Duncan — Layout Editor: Emily Hawkins Staff Writers: Alexus Stout, Cheyenne Williams, Christa Riley, Cody Jeffery, Lizzie Wood, Helen Kenney, Jennifer Cash, Jessica Feltner, Larissa Icard, Leslie Bunch, Mary Ryan, Mary Baines, Marzia Nawrozi, Monique Kreisman, Sarah Haseeb, Shanna Alley, Shea Pierson, Vicky Pivitsiripakde The Meredith Herald is produced by the College throughout the academic year.and published by Hinton Press. The paper is funded by the College and through independent advertising. The opinions expressed in the editorial columns do not necessarily reflect those of the College administration, faculty, or student body. The policy of this paper requires that submissions be made by 5 p.m. the Thur^ybefore publi cation and that contributors sign all submissions and provide necessary contact information. The editors and staff welcome submissions meeting the above guidelines.
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Oct. 24, 2012, edition 1
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