Policies From Our Leading Candidates...

Written by: David Reiter on Jan 20, 2008 11:38 PM EST

Whether it is through off-line activism, candidate and issue support, or valuable on-line information and discussion, Florida DFA is always looking for ways to provide value to our members and the voters.

We have researched the 3 leading Democratic candidate plans for the future, and identified specific policies that they are promising to pursue. Whether you have already cast your vote early, have made your decision on whom to vote for, or are still undecided, we know you will find this information helpful and enlightening.

Here is the link to policy summaries.

(Click Read More for the rest of this post) 

Between now and the Primaries next Tuesday, we will be posting and e-mailing you objective and accurate information about what plans the leading Democratic candidates have when elected, where their campaign dollars are coming from, and other important information that every American should evaluate about any candidate before voting.

We broke down the specifics of Obama, Clinton, and Edwards’ plans for 5 key issues:

1) The Economy and Taxes

2) The Environment

3) Health Care

4) Defense/Foreign Policy

5) Government/Corporate Accountability and Responsibility

Here is a link to the policy summaries.

In the next couple of days I will post and send you a brief summary of the specifics in a short format, and will include 1 issue breakdown in every relevant e-mail that I send you over the course of the coming week.

For the complete policy breakdown, click here.

To get an idea of what you will be linking to, I will start you off with the candidates’ plans on the economy and taxes:

Economy

Obama:

-Tax credit (cut) of $500 on first $8,000 of income

-Elimination of taxes on seniors with income less than $50,000

-Eliminate capital gains taxes on start-up businesses

-Close tax loopholes for offshore tax havens and enforce tax penalties

-Increase federal investments into transitional jobs

-Raise the minimum wage, index it to inflation and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit

-Provide specific tax assistance and loan guarantees to the domestic auto industry to ensure that new fuel-efficient cars and trucks are build in the U.S. with American workers.

-Expand the Small Business Administration's loan and micro-loan programs which provide start-up and long-term financing that small firms cannot receive through normal channels.

-Supports a trade policy that ensures our goods and services are treated fairly in foreign

markets and promote improved labor and environmental practices

-Reach out to China, EU, and other nations to help rebalance the US trade deficit

Clinton

-Extend the middle class tax cuts including child tax credit and marriage penalty relief, offering new tax cuts for healthcare, college and retirement, and expanding the EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) and the childcare tax credit.

-Support a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund and doubling investment in basic energy research to transform our economy from carbon-based to clean and energy efficient.

-Catalyze a thriving green building industry by investing in green collar jobs

-Pass the Employee Free Choice Act so that unions can organize for fair wages and safe working conditions.

-Double funding for (Trade Adjustment Assistance)TAA’s job training program to $440 million. (TAA provides job training, income support, and job placement assistance to those whose jobs have left the country)

-Develop a set of budget rules similar to those we had in the 90s which required us to fund new expenditures with new revenues or cuts in other areas.

-Double the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) in partnership with private sector to reward high-risk high reward R&D projects for small and medium size companies.

-Appoint a trade enforcement officer within the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and double the size of USTR’s enforcement unit.

-Cutting 500,000 government contractors and ending abuse of no-bid government contracts and posting all contracts online.

-Reform the AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax) –(no specific plan found)

Edwards

-Raise the minimum wage to at least $9.50 an hour by 2012 and then indexing it.

-Triple the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for adults without children and cutting the EITC marriage penalty.

-Supports the Employee Free Choice Act to give workers a choice in whether to form a union without intimidation.

-Create a new Labor taskforce to target the industries with the worst abuses of minimum wage and overtime laws.

-Repeal the Bush tax cuts for the highest-income households and keep the tax on very large estates (above $4 million for couples).

-Close tax loopholes for offshore tax havens, hedge funds, and unlimited executive pensions.

-Raise the tax rate on capital gains from 15% to 28%

-Make sure any new trade agreements include strong labor and environmental standards and will vigorously enforce American workers' rights in existing agreements.

-Create Work Bonds, a new tax credit of up to $500, would help low and moderate-income, working Americans save for the future.

- On issues such as trade, climate change, and human rights, negotiate with China to commit to the rules that govern the conduct of nations.

Click to read the next 4 candidate issues...

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