Terrorism is not new, and even though it has been used since the beginning of recorded history it can be relatively hard to define. Terrorism has been described variously as both a tactic and strategy; a crime and a holy duty; a justified reaction to oppression and an inexcusable abomination. Obviously, a lot depends on whose point of view is being represented. Terrorism has often been an effective tactic for the weaker side in a conflict. That is why preemption is being considered to be so important. In some cases, terrorism has been a means to carry on a conflict without the adversary realizing the nature of the threat, mistaking terrorism for criminal activity. Because of these characteristics, terrorism has become increasingly common among those pursuing extreme goals throughout the world. But despite its popularity, terrorism can be a nebulous concept. Even within the U.S. Government, agencies responsible for different functions in the ongoing fight against terrorism use different definitions.
The United States Department of Defense defines terrorism as “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.” Within this definition, there are three key elements—violence, fear, and intimidation—and each element produces terror in its victims. The FBI uses this: "Terrorism is the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." The U.S. Department of State defines "terrorism" to be "premeditated politically-motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. Outside the United States Government, there are greater variations in what features of terrorism are emphasized in definitions. The United Nations produced this definition in 1992; "An anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violent action, employed by (semi-) clandestine individual, group or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby - in contrast to assassination - the direct targets of violence are not the main targets." The most commonly accepted academic definition starts with the U.N. definition quoted above, and adds two sentences totaling another 77 words on the end; containing such verbose concepts as "message generators" and 'violence based communication processes." Less specific and considerably less verbose, the British Government definition of 1974 is"…the use of violence for political ends, and includes any use of violence for the purpose of putting the public, or any section of the public, in fear." Terrorism is a criminal act that influences an audience beyond the immediate victim. The strategy of terrorists is to commit acts of violence that .draws the attention of the local populace, the government, and the world to their cause. The terrorists plan their attack to obtain the greatest publicity, choosing targets that symbolize what they oppose. The effectiveness of the terrorist act lies not in the act itself, but in the public’s or government’s reaction to the act. There are three perspectives of terrorism: the terrorist’s, the victim’s, and the general public’s. The phrase “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” is a view terrorists themselves would accept. Terrorists do not see themselves as evil. They believe they are legitimate combatants, fighting for what they believe in, by whatever means possible. A victim of a terrorist act sees the terrorist as a criminal with no regard for human life. The general public’s view is the most unstable. The terrorists take great pains to foster a “Robin Hood” image in hope of swaying the general public’s point of view toward their cause. This sympathetic view of terrorism has become an integral part of their psychological warfare and needs to be countered vigorously.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
$700B US bailout plan Vs $87.5B UK bailout Plan
With the bankruptcy of Lehman brothers and other major stock holders in September 2008, The US and the UK government made a plan to resolve and save other banking companies.
The 700 Billion dollar bailout is a rescue plan for the US Financial system. Its purpose is to use the 700 billion dollars for two years to buy their distressed bonds to stabilize their economy. However the US government would use taxpayer’s money. In result, According to www.timesonlines.com (2008), the bailout will cost every American taxpayer $5,354. But still, financiers fear that the plan will not be sufficient and it will only cause a financial meltdown.
Americans will have to suffer the rise in taxes. They fear that the plan will not work and would only cause more problems. But the government hopes that after their market recovers, it will return some of the money that was used in the bailout.
The 87.5 Billion dollar or 50 Billion pound UK Bailout serves a different purpose than the US bailout. Its purpose is to build the confidence in banking companies by injecting money in banks as indicated on www.cnn.com (2008). Some of the profit earned will be returned to the government. UK Government planned this to limit the effects of the financial crisis. They will have to borrow money but it is yet unclear whether they will take actions to raise taxes.
Their taxpayers are not likely to be affected by this plan because the government will use their own money to gain profit from it, unlike the US bailout where they use taxpayer’s money to pay up for the bad debts of struggling banks.
Sources:
- http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article4907530.ece
- http://www.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/10/08/uk.bailout.questions/index.html?eref=rss_latest
- http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article4907530.ece
- http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/banking_and_finance/article4821160.ece
- yuri
US Bailout vs UK Bailout
Many banks in US and UK are getting tide up with problems regarding money and some of these banks are already bankrupt. That’s why the US and UK government sets out the bailout to stabilized the banks.
According to Times Online dated October 8, 2008, many banks in US are forced into distressed sales this year because of the billions of dollars of bonds that they have and the size of their investments are too large that it threatens to bankrupt them. Because of this Mr. Paulson, the Treasury secretary, wants to have the bailout to help these banks. This bailout contains $700 billion taxpayers’ money. Its purpose is to buy the distress bonds. Mr. Paulson also proposes to put them into federal-bucked fund, which will be controlled by the Treasury.
In UK according to BBC News Channel dated October 8, 2008, the UK bailout will initially make extra capital to the banks. The Prime Minister said that, it is also designed to put the British banking system on a sounder footing. It contains 400bn so that banks will have to increase their capital by at least 25bn.
According to CNN.com/world business dated October 8, 2008, not like the US $700 billion bailout it does not recapitalize the banks in return for a share holding on which taxpayers could see a return. Instead, its main aim is to purchase all the bad debt held by the banks and make money from that over time. The risks to U.S. taxpayers are perceived as being greater.
These bailouts have short and long term effects. In US, according to Times Online dated September 25, 2008, for now maybe once the market recover the fund can sell the bonds back into the market and claw back some of the $700 billion. According to Poltenson in Business Journal dated October 10, 2008, maybe after a long period of time the taxpayers will be angry. Tax rates will double and the government could eliminate every other federal program, including defense and education; or run massive budget deficits that, in time, will strangle the economy.
In UK, according to CNN.com/world business dated October 8, 2008, for now the banks are happy because they have been clamoring for extra cash to shore up their balance sheets following the runs on their share prices. But after a period of time if shares prices continue to slide the tax payer loses out. Moreover, if the banks take up all of the government's latest lending and can't pay it back the financial hangover could last for decades. If banks don't start lending again to each other and, just as importantly, customers, a deep recession is inevitable.
Sources:
1. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/
2. http://www.businessjournal.com/
3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/
4. http://edition.cnn.com/BUSINESS/
According to Times Online dated October 8, 2008, many banks in US are forced into distressed sales this year because of the billions of dollars of bonds that they have and the size of their investments are too large that it threatens to bankrupt them. Because of this Mr. Paulson, the Treasury secretary, wants to have the bailout to help these banks. This bailout contains $700 billion taxpayers’ money. Its purpose is to buy the distress bonds. Mr. Paulson also proposes to put them into federal-bucked fund, which will be controlled by the Treasury.
In UK according to BBC News Channel dated October 8, 2008, the UK bailout will initially make extra capital to the banks. The Prime Minister said that, it is also designed to put the British banking system on a sounder footing. It contains 400bn so that banks will have to increase their capital by at least 25bn.
According to CNN.com/world business dated October 8, 2008, not like the US $700 billion bailout it does not recapitalize the banks in return for a share holding on which taxpayers could see a return. Instead, its main aim is to purchase all the bad debt held by the banks and make money from that over time. The risks to U.S. taxpayers are perceived as being greater.
These bailouts have short and long term effects. In US, according to Times Online dated September 25, 2008, for now maybe once the market recover the fund can sell the bonds back into the market and claw back some of the $700 billion. According to Poltenson in Business Journal dated October 10, 2008, maybe after a long period of time the taxpayers will be angry. Tax rates will double and the government could eliminate every other federal program, including defense and education; or run massive budget deficits that, in time, will strangle the economy.
In UK, according to CNN.com/world business dated October 8, 2008, for now the banks are happy because they have been clamoring for extra cash to shore up their balance sheets following the runs on their share prices. But after a period of time if shares prices continue to slide the tax payer loses out. Moreover, if the banks take up all of the government's latest lending and can't pay it back the financial hangover could last for decades. If banks don't start lending again to each other and, just as importantly, customers, a deep recession is inevitable.
Sources:
1. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/
2. http://www.businessjournal.com/
3. http://news.bbc.co.uk/
4. http://edition.cnn.com/BUSINESS/
John McCain vs Barack Obama as Likely US President
Ever since the start of the presidential campaigns, the favorites to become president have been McCain and Obama. Even now, their battle for presidency is still quite close. All of the help from each of their supporters, all the ad campaigns, all their speeches, are very, very crucial in helping them achieve presidency. All of their works leave one question in mind, who will be the next
First off, let’s look at their backgrounds. As stated in Wikipedia, Obama was born on August 4, 1981, in
Sources:
www.barackobama.com
www.johnmccain.com
www.wikipedia.org
www.about.com
US $700B Bailout VS UK $87.5B Bailout
US $700B bailout VS UK 87.5B bailout
The US $700B and the UK 87.5B bailout is a rescue plan to establish a toxic debt dumpster to purge the banks of bad depts or to help purge bad assets from the banking sector, that will cost the government hundreds of billion dollars.
The Philippines daily inquirer (September 22, 2008) speaks that the US $700B bailout is the largest rescue since 1928 crash. The Bush administration has asked Congress for authority to buy $700 billion in toxic assets clogging the US financial system and threatening the economy as negations began on the largest bailout since the great depression.
This kind of financial crisis has many effects, not only to one person but to all. One huge concern is that the Lehman bankruptcy will probably trigger even tighter credit’s making it more difficult for everyone from large companies to small businesses to American home buyers to borrow money. And Pres. Bush said that people are beginning to doubt in our system, people were losing confidence in our financial system, it is so hard to get back peoples trust in ones company that has been failed.
Distressed banks and financial institutions in the United States might decide to pull out their investments in emerging economies as a way to boost liquidity. The market’s mood has shifted from panic to euphoria as the financial froze up. There were also worries that Lehman’s problems would infect other financial companies and spread to global stock markets, further harming the US and global economies.
Sources:
- Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008/ 17 sections/vol.23/no.288)
- Philippine Daily Inquirer (Wednesday,Sept.17,2008/8 sections/vol.23/no.284)
- Philippine Daily Inquirer (Monday, Sept. 22,2008/13 sections/vol.23/no.289)
The US $700B and the UK 87.5B bailout is a rescue plan to establish a toxic debt dumpster to purge the banks of bad depts or to help purge bad assets from the banking sector, that will cost the government hundreds of billion dollars.
The Philippines daily inquirer (September 22, 2008) speaks that the US $700B bailout is the largest rescue since 1928 crash. The Bush administration has asked Congress for authority to buy $700 billion in toxic assets clogging the US financial system and threatening the economy as negations began on the largest bailout since the great depression.
This kind of financial crisis has many effects, not only to one person but to all. One huge concern is that the Lehman bankruptcy will probably trigger even tighter credit’s making it more difficult for everyone from large companies to small businesses to American home buyers to borrow money. And Pres. Bush said that people are beginning to doubt in our system, people were losing confidence in our financial system, it is so hard to get back peoples trust in ones company that has been failed.
Distressed banks and financial institutions in the United States might decide to pull out their investments in emerging economies as a way to boost liquidity. The market’s mood has shifted from panic to euphoria as the financial froze up. There were also worries that Lehman’s problems would infect other financial companies and spread to global stock markets, further harming the US and global economies.
Sources:
- Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008/ 17 sections/vol.23/no.288)
- Philippine Daily Inquirer (Wednesday,Sept.17,2008/8 sections/vol.23/no.284)
- Philippine Daily Inquirer (Monday, Sept. 22,2008/13 sections/vol.23/no.289)
US $700 Billion Bailout VS UK 87.5 Billion Bailout
Bailout is the injection of liquidity to failing companies for them to survive. Most of the time, bailouts are done if the company is too large, and having it bankrupt may affect other firms and the country as a whole. In short, it is a preventive measure done by the government to avoid a “ripple effect” that may cause chain reaction to other firms and establishments as well. Nowadays, economic crisis starts to be serious; US and UK are having to have bailouts. What are the differences of these two?
Guo (2008) in his article said that, US bailout plan is to take bad debts off the books of the banks, thus freeing up from credit markets. On the other hand, Boyle (2008), in her article, said that UK differs from US bailout plan because UK’s bailout only lends money to the banks in order to increase their confidence level because the “giant banks” such as the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and HBOS are being reluctant to lend money to each other due to the credit crunch happening today. With UK’s bailout, this banks will gain confidence and will result to cash flowing systems again. The big difference between the two is that US' plan is too risky because its only aim is to purchase all bad debts by the banks and make money overtime. Because of this, UK’s bailout will be most likely to be implemented compare to US’ bailout plan.
After all the news about the US and the Uk bailout, there have been some analysis about its effects on the future. Will it really help? Will the bailout benefit the people? Or will it be a cause of a larger economic crisis?
One of the short term effects of bailout is that banks and business establishments that gained from the bailout will have confidence boost and its employees and staff will remain; thus preventing them to be bankrupt for the next few years. It can solve the economic crisis or not. Another possible effect, especially if the bailout failed, would be money markets remain frozen and more problems will arise from it (ripple effect).
An example of a long term effect, on the other hand, is when banks share prices rebound; the result would be the government could sell the profit. Because of that the government will receive dividends on shares and income from the extra lending it is providing.
In conclusion, the US bailout plan will have less support because of the risks it have, in contrast, Uk bailout will have more support in it because taxpayers are more ensured and it only aims to boost confidence level among banks and not purchase its bad debts. Our country, the Philippines are most likely to be affected, likewise, companies cutting out its staff and employees and a decline to our economy is to be expected.
Sources:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/10/08/uk.bailout.questions/index.htm
Q&A: the UK bank bailout explained by:Catherine Boyle
Q&A: US $700bn bail-out plan Editor: Eve Guo
http://www.wisegeek.com/in-economics-what-is-a-bailout.htm
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/09/world.markets/index.html
Guo (2008) in his article said that, US bailout plan is to take bad debts off the books of the banks, thus freeing up from credit markets. On the other hand, Boyle (2008), in her article, said that UK differs from US bailout plan because UK’s bailout only lends money to the banks in order to increase their confidence level because the “giant banks” such as the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and HBOS are being reluctant to lend money to each other due to the credit crunch happening today. With UK’s bailout, this banks will gain confidence and will result to cash flowing systems again. The big difference between the two is that US' plan is too risky because its only aim is to purchase all bad debts by the banks and make money overtime. Because of this, UK’s bailout will be most likely to be implemented compare to US’ bailout plan.
After all the news about the US and the Uk bailout, there have been some analysis about its effects on the future. Will it really help? Will the bailout benefit the people? Or will it be a cause of a larger economic crisis?
One of the short term effects of bailout is that banks and business establishments that gained from the bailout will have confidence boost and its employees and staff will remain; thus preventing them to be bankrupt for the next few years. It can solve the economic crisis or not. Another possible effect, especially if the bailout failed, would be money markets remain frozen and more problems will arise from it (ripple effect).
An example of a long term effect, on the other hand, is when banks share prices rebound; the result would be the government could sell the profit. Because of that the government will receive dividends on shares and income from the extra lending it is providing.
In conclusion, the US bailout plan will have less support because of the risks it have, in contrast, Uk bailout will have more support in it because taxpayers are more ensured and it only aims to boost confidence level among banks and not purchase its bad debts. Our country, the Philippines are most likely to be affected, likewise, companies cutting out its staff and employees and a decline to our economy is to be expected.
Sources:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/10/08/uk.bailout.questions/index.htm
Q&A: the UK bank bailout explained by:Catherine Boyle
Q&A: US $700bn bail-out plan Editor: Eve Guo
http://www.wisegeek.com/in-economics-what-is-a-bailout.htm
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/09/world.markets/index.html
John Mccain vs. Barrack Obama
The two major party presidential candidates in the US, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. Both Barack Obama and John McCain attract independents. Both have a candor that appeals to voters and media-types alike. Both ask their audiences to serve a cause greater than self-interest. Both offer a politics that is grand and inspiring. But they are very different men. Their policies obviously conflict, but their skills, world views and moral philosophies set them apart, too. One man celebrates communitarian virtues like unity, the other classical virtues like honor.(David Brooks:2008)
Brief historical background
John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is the senior United States Senator from Arizona and presidential nominee of the Republican Party in the 2008 presidential election.McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. He became a naval aviator, flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers.
McCain lost his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. He ran again for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, and gained enough delegates to become the party's presumptive nominee in March 2008. McCain was formally nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention in September 2008, together with his chosen running mate from Alaska, Governor Sarah Palin.
On the other hand,Barack Hussein Obama II(born August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 general election.Obama is the first African American to be nominated by a major political party for president. A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney before serving three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.
After announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama emphasized withdrawing American troops from Iraq, energy independence, decreasing the influence of lobbyists, and promoting universal health care as top national priorities.
Personal Attributes
Six months before the general election, public perceptions of the relative strengths and weaknesses of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and Democratic front-runner Barack Obama are relatively static, though recent shifts on leadership, empathy and personal ethics hint at the battles to come. The two months of campaigning in the time since we last checked in on perceptions of these two candidates have done little to change minds.
In comparing McCain and Obama on eight key candidate attributes in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll, McCain continues to be seen as the more experienced candidate and the one with better knowledge of world affairs, while Obama is broadly seen as the one who would do more to affect change, with the better personality for the job and with a clearer vision for the future.
McCain's progress on empathy comes largely from bringing Republicans back into the fold, in March, 55 percent of Republicans said he was the candidate who better understands their problems; now 66 percent do.And on personal and ethical standards, more than one in five partisans are "cross-overs," choosing the other party's standard bearer as the one with higher standards. Obama cedes more than a third of Clinton supporters on this question, while McCain surrenders a quarter of conservatives.
Health Care
John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control To The Patients Themselves. We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.
To Make Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable, John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. He will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. He Proposed to make Insurance More Portable.
While Obama-Biden planned to provide affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan. Under the Obama-Biden plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.
He wanted to make Health Insurance Work for People and Businesses - Not Just Insurance and Drug Companies.The Obama-Biden plan will promote public health. It will require coverage of preventive services, including cancer screenings, and increase state and local preparedness for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
Security Jobs:
McCain calls for new reforms throughout the Federal Government. It is one of his many priorities. Thus, it is not strange for him to want to reform the Unemployment Insurance (UI) System. In his economic plan, McCain proposes the following reforms to bolster job security and assist displayed workers in America:
John McCain Believes We Should Have A Single, Seamless Approach To Job Transition Assistance. Workers will have access to a flexible training account that permits them to pay for training at a community college and use leftover funds to keep their health insurance.John McCain Will Provide Special, Targeted Assistance For Older Workers. Because training is often inefficient for older workers, those 55 years of age and older who have built up an LEB will be eligible for a Lost Earnings Supplement.
On the other hand, Sen. Barack Obama delivered an unusual and inspiring campaign speech in which he outlined specific, outside-the-box plans to address the extreme financial challenges facing middle-class Americans.
Among the specific interesting points in Barack Obama's Agenda to Reclaim the American Dream were: Middle class tax cuts of up to $1,000 for working families. Guaranteed paid sick days for workers and expand the Family and Medical Leave Act. Help Americans buy and keep their homes. Reforming bankruptcy laws, predatory credit card policies, and abusive payday lending practices. Reduce health care costs by $2,500 for a typical family. Provide a $4,000 refundable tax credit for college tuition.
Terrorism
McCain primarily identifies terrorism with "violent Islamist extremism," especially as manifested in Al Qaeda. McCain believes Al Qaeda continues to represent a significant threat to U.S. security. His solution includes ensuring quality intelligence, being protected against attack and being able to respond to an attack quickly. Our homeland security plans must also consider threats posed by major accidents, or nature itself. In each instance, John McCain’s strategy is to prevent those incidents we can, prepare for and respond to disasters of all kinds, and improve the recovery process for disaster victims.
On Obama’s part, He funneled many of his comments about the "war on terrorism" through his concerns with human and civil rights issues that it has raised. His campaign website establishes both small weapons proliferation and potential nuclear terrorism as significant U.S. priorities.
He joined critique of the bill's suspension of habeas corpus for potentially innocent detainees with the accusation that the government was not addressing the actual issues.
References:
http.//johnmccain.com
http.//www.nowpublic.com
http.//en.wikipedia.org/wiki.com
http.//barrackobama.com
Brief historical background
John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is the senior United States Senator from Arizona and presidential nominee of the Republican Party in the 2008 presidential election.McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. He became a naval aviator, flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers.
McCain lost his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. He ran again for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, and gained enough delegates to become the party's presumptive nominee in March 2008. McCain was formally nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention in September 2008, together with his chosen running mate from Alaska, Governor Sarah Palin.
On the other hand,Barack Hussein Obama II(born August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 general election.Obama is the first African American to be nominated by a major political party for president. A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney before serving three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.
After announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama emphasized withdrawing American troops from Iraq, energy independence, decreasing the influence of lobbyists, and promoting universal health care as top national priorities.
Personal Attributes
Six months before the general election, public perceptions of the relative strengths and weaknesses of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and Democratic front-runner Barack Obama are relatively static, though recent shifts on leadership, empathy and personal ethics hint at the battles to come. The two months of campaigning in the time since we last checked in on perceptions of these two candidates have done little to change minds.
In comparing McCain and Obama on eight key candidate attributes in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll, McCain continues to be seen as the more experienced candidate and the one with better knowledge of world affairs, while Obama is broadly seen as the one who would do more to affect change, with the better personality for the job and with a clearer vision for the future.
McCain's progress on empathy comes largely from bringing Republicans back into the fold, in March, 55 percent of Republicans said he was the candidate who better understands their problems; now 66 percent do.And on personal and ethical standards, more than one in five partisans are "cross-overs," choosing the other party's standard bearer as the one with higher standards. Obama cedes more than a third of Clinton supporters on this question, while McCain surrenders a quarter of conservatives.
Health Care
John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control To The Patients Themselves. We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.
To Make Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable, John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. He will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. He Proposed to make Insurance More Portable.
While Obama-Biden planned to provide affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan. Under the Obama-Biden plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.
He wanted to make Health Insurance Work for People and Businesses - Not Just Insurance and Drug Companies.The Obama-Biden plan will promote public health. It will require coverage of preventive services, including cancer screenings, and increase state and local preparedness for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
Security Jobs:
McCain calls for new reforms throughout the Federal Government. It is one of his many priorities. Thus, it is not strange for him to want to reform the Unemployment Insurance (UI) System. In his economic plan, McCain proposes the following reforms to bolster job security and assist displayed workers in America:
John McCain Believes We Should Have A Single, Seamless Approach To Job Transition Assistance. Workers will have access to a flexible training account that permits them to pay for training at a community college and use leftover funds to keep their health insurance.John McCain Will Provide Special, Targeted Assistance For Older Workers. Because training is often inefficient for older workers, those 55 years of age and older who have built up an LEB will be eligible for a Lost Earnings Supplement.
On the other hand, Sen. Barack Obama delivered an unusual and inspiring campaign speech in which he outlined specific, outside-the-box plans to address the extreme financial challenges facing middle-class Americans.
Among the specific interesting points in Barack Obama's Agenda to Reclaim the American Dream were: Middle class tax cuts of up to $1,000 for working families. Guaranteed paid sick days for workers and expand the Family and Medical Leave Act. Help Americans buy and keep their homes. Reforming bankruptcy laws, predatory credit card policies, and abusive payday lending practices. Reduce health care costs by $2,500 for a typical family. Provide a $4,000 refundable tax credit for college tuition.
Terrorism
McCain primarily identifies terrorism with "violent Islamist extremism," especially as manifested in Al Qaeda. McCain believes Al Qaeda continues to represent a significant threat to U.S. security. His solution includes ensuring quality intelligence, being protected against attack and being able to respond to an attack quickly. Our homeland security plans must also consider threats posed by major accidents, or nature itself. In each instance, John McCain’s strategy is to prevent those incidents we can, prepare for and respond to disasters of all kinds, and improve the recovery process for disaster victims.
On Obama’s part, He funneled many of his comments about the "war on terrorism" through his concerns with human and civil rights issues that it has raised. His campaign website establishes both small weapons proliferation and potential nuclear terrorism as significant U.S. priorities.
He joined critique of the bill's suspension of habeas corpus for potentially innocent detainees with the accusation that the government was not addressing the actual issues.
References:
http.//johnmccain.com
http.//www.nowpublic.com
http.//en.wikipedia.org/wiki.com
http.//barrackobama.com
John McCain vs. Barack Obama
The two major party presidential candidates in US, Democrat Obama and Republican John McCain. Both Barack Obama and John McCain attract independents. Both have a candor that appeals to voters and media-types alike. Both ask their audiences to serve a cause greater than self-interest. Both offer a politics that is grand and inspiring. But they are very different men. Their policies obviously conflict, but their skills, world views and moral philosophies set them apart, too. One man celebrates communitarian virtues like unity, the other classical virtues like honor.(David Brooks:2008)
Brief historical background
John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is the Senior United States senator from Arizona and presidential nominee of the Republican Party in the 2008 presidential election.McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. He became a naval aviator, flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. He was a prisoner of war until 1973, experiencing episodes of torture and refusing an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer; his war wounds left him with lifelong physical limitations.He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981, moved to Arizona, and entered politics. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, he served two terms, and was then elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, winning re-election easily in 1992, 1998, and 2004.
McCain lost his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. He ran again for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, and gained enough delegates to become the party's presumptive nominee in March 2008. McCain was formally nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention in September 2008, together with his chosen running mate from Alaska, Governor Sarah Palin.
On the other hand,Barack Hussein Obama II(born August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 general election.Obama is the first African American to be nominated by a major political party for president. A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney before serving three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.
As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, he helped create legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. During the 110th Congress, he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel. After announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama emphasized withdrawing American troops from Iraq, energy independence, decreasing the influence of lobbyists, and promoting universal health care as top national priorities.
Personal Attributes
Six months before the general election, public perceptions of the relative strengths and weaknesses of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and Democratic front-runner Barack Obama are relatively static, though recent shifts on leadership, empathy and personal ethics hint at the battles to come. The two months of campaigning in the time since we last checked in on perceptions of these two candidates have done little to change minds.
In comparing McCain and Obama on eight key candidate attributes in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll, McCain continues to be seen as the more experienced candidate and the one with better knowledge of world affairs, while Obama is broadly seen as the one who would do more to affect change, with the better personality for the job and with a clearer vision for the future.
But the two candidates have become more evenly matched on the question of who is the stronger leader and who has higher personal and ethical standards. Obama erased McCain's double-digit edge as the stronger leader (in the new poll, Obama also for the first time bests Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic nomination, on this measure), while McCain closed a 12-point gap as the candidate with higher personal and ethical standards.
Obama maintains a wide advantage as the more empathetic candidate, but the margin between the two candidates narrowed slightly from 27 points to 19.To overtake McCain on the leadership front, Obama has some convincing to do among fellow Democrats. About a quarter of Democrats call McCain the stronger leader, compared with 12 percent of GOPers who choose Obama on this score.
McCain's progress on empathy comes largely from bringing Republicans back into the fold, in March, 55 percent of Republicans said he was the candidate who better understands their problems; now 66 percent do.And on personal and ethical standards, more than one in five partisans are "cross-overs," choosing the other party's standard bearer as the one with higher standards. Obama cedes more than a third of Clinton supporters on this question, while McCain surrenders a quarter of conservatives.
Health Care
John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control To The Patients Themselves. We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.
To Make Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable, John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. He will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage.He Proposed to make Insurance More Portable.
John McCain encouraged to Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families by making a Specific Plan of Action: Ensuring Care for Higher Risk Patients, Specific Plan of Action: Lowering Health Care Costs,Setting the Record Straight: Covering Those With Pre-Existing Conditions and lastly Combating Autism in America
While Obama-Biden planned to provide affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan. Under the Obama-Biden plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.
Under the plan, if you like your current health insurance, nothing changes, except your costs will go down by as much as $2,500 per year.If you don’t have health insurance, you will have a choice of new, affordable health insurance options.
He wanted to make Health Insurance Work for People and Businesses - Not Just Insurance and Drug Companies.The Obama-Biden plan will promote public health. It will require coverage of preventive services, including cancer screenings, and increase state and local preparedness for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.lastly, A Commitment to Fiscal Responsibility: Barack Obama will pay for his $50 - $65 billion health care reform effort by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for Americans earning more than $250,000 per year and retaining the estate tax at its 2009 level.
Security Jobs:
McCain calls for new reforms throughout the Federal Government. It is one of his many priorities. Thus, it is not strange for him to want to reform the Unemployment Insurance (UI) System. In his economic plan, McCain proposes the following reforms to bolster job security and assist displayed workers in America:
John McCain Believes We Should Have A Single, Seamless Approach To Job Transition Assistance. The UI system must be more effective in helping those who have lost a job.He will Reform Training Programs To Provide Quick Assistance To Workers Seeking New Skills. Workers will have access to a flexible training account that permits them to pay for training at a community college and use leftover funds to keep their health insurance.
John McCain Will Provide Special, Targeted Assistance For Older Workers. Because training is often inefficient for older workers, those 55 years of age and older who have built up an LEB will be eligible for a Lost Earnings Supplement. The supplement of up to 50 percent of their earnings loss (up to a maximum of $10,000) for two years will be rewarded for those who find work inside 26 weeks.
On the other hand, Sen. Barack Obama delivered an unusual and inspiring campaign speech in which he outlined specific, outside-the-box plans to address the extreme financial challenges facing middle-class Americans.
Among the specific interesting points in Barack Obama's Agenda to Reclaim the American Dream were: Middle class tax cuts of up to $1,000 for working families. Guaranteed paid sick days for workers and expand the Family and Medical Leave Act. Help Americans buy and keep their homes. Reforming bankruptcy laws, predatory credit card policies, and abusive payday lending practices. Reduce health care costs by $2,500 for a typical family. Provide a $4,000 refundable tax credit for college tuition.
Terrorism
McCain primarily identifies terrorism with "violent Islamist extremism," especially as manifested in Al Qaeda. McCain believes Al Qaeda continues to represent a significant threat to U.S. security. His solution includes ensuring quality intelligence, being protected against attack and being able to respond to an attack quickly. Our homeland security plans must also consider threats posed by major accidents, or nature itself. In each instance, John McCain’s strategy is to prevent those incidents we can, prepare for and respond to disasters of all kinds, and improve the recovery process for disaster victims.
To meet this challenge, John McCain will bring into his Administration strong management at the federal level experienced in combating terrorist risks and in disaster response and recovery; he will rely on existing relationships, and insist on forging stronger partnerships, with state and local officials; and he will work with the private sector and an informed citizenry to safeguard our security.
Public-private partnerships are an essential part of the entire homeland security effort – from planning to implementation and operations. He suggested International Cooperation,
Effective Intelligence Gathering, Cooperation Between Federal and Local Authorities, Responsibly Securing Our Borders, Catastrophic Event Preparedness and Response。
On Obama’s part, He funneled many of his comments about the "war on terrorism" through his concerns with human and civil rights issues that it has raised. His campaign website establishes both small weapons proliferation and potential nuclear terrorism as significant U.S. priorities.
Obama responded in strong terms to the passage of the Military Commissions Act in September 2006, which granted the Bush Administration wide latitude to define what would constitute the torture of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. He joined critique of the bill's suspension of habeas corpus for potentially innocent detainees with the accusation that the government was not addressing the actual issues.
Obama has staked out a number of homeland security areas of particular focus, in his work as Illinois senator. These include: Chemical plant security, Transit security, Disaster response, Terrorism risk insurance, Nuclear waste, He has introduced and had passed a number of related bills, which have been passed or incorporated into larger legislation. He also seeks greater homeland security grant funding for Chicago.
References:
http.//johnmccain.com
http.//www.nowpublic.com
http.//en.wikipedia.org/wiki.com
http.//barrackobama.com
Brief historical background
John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is the Senior United States senator from Arizona and presidential nominee of the Republican Party in the 2008 presidential election.McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. He became a naval aviator, flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. He was a prisoner of war until 1973, experiencing episodes of torture and refusing an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer; his war wounds left him with lifelong physical limitations.He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981, moved to Arizona, and entered politics. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, he served two terms, and was then elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, winning re-election easily in 1992, 1998, and 2004.
McCain lost his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush. He ran again for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, and gained enough delegates to become the party's presumptive nominee in March 2008. McCain was formally nominated at the 2008 Republican National Convention in September 2008, together with his chosen running mate from Alaska, Governor Sarah Palin.
On the other hand,Barack Hussein Obama II(born August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 general election.Obama is the first African American to be nominated by a major political party for president. A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he served as president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney before serving three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2004.
As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, he helped create legislation to control conventional weapons and to promote greater public accountability in the use of federal funds. He also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. During the 110th Congress, he helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel. After announcing his presidential campaign in February 2007, Obama emphasized withdrawing American troops from Iraq, energy independence, decreasing the influence of lobbyists, and promoting universal health care as top national priorities.
Personal Attributes
Six months before the general election, public perceptions of the relative strengths and weaknesses of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and Democratic front-runner Barack Obama are relatively static, though recent shifts on leadership, empathy and personal ethics hint at the battles to come. The two months of campaigning in the time since we last checked in on perceptions of these two candidates have done little to change minds.
In comparing McCain and Obama on eight key candidate attributes in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll, McCain continues to be seen as the more experienced candidate and the one with better knowledge of world affairs, while Obama is broadly seen as the one who would do more to affect change, with the better personality for the job and with a clearer vision for the future.
But the two candidates have become more evenly matched on the question of who is the stronger leader and who has higher personal and ethical standards. Obama erased McCain's double-digit edge as the stronger leader (in the new poll, Obama also for the first time bests Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic nomination, on this measure), while McCain closed a 12-point gap as the candidate with higher personal and ethical standards.
Obama maintains a wide advantage as the more empathetic candidate, but the margin between the two candidates narrowed slightly from 27 points to 19.To overtake McCain on the leadership front, Obama has some convincing to do among fellow Democrats. About a quarter of Democrats call McCain the stronger leader, compared with 12 percent of GOPers who choose Obama on this score.
McCain's progress on empathy comes largely from bringing Republicans back into the fold, in March, 55 percent of Republicans said he was the candidate who better understands their problems; now 66 percent do.And on personal and ethical standards, more than one in five partisans are "cross-overs," choosing the other party's standard bearer as the one with higher standards. Obama cedes more than a third of Clinton supporters on this question, while McCain surrenders a quarter of conservatives.
Health Care
John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control To The Patients Themselves. We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.
To Make Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable, John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. He will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage.He Proposed to make Insurance More Portable.
John McCain encouraged to Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families by making a Specific Plan of Action: Ensuring Care for Higher Risk Patients, Specific Plan of Action: Lowering Health Care Costs,Setting the Record Straight: Covering Those With Pre-Existing Conditions and lastly Combating Autism in America
While Obama-Biden planned to provide affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan. Under the Obama-Biden plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.
Under the plan, if you like your current health insurance, nothing changes, except your costs will go down by as much as $2,500 per year.If you don’t have health insurance, you will have a choice of new, affordable health insurance options.
He wanted to make Health Insurance Work for People and Businesses - Not Just Insurance and Drug Companies.The Obama-Biden plan will promote public health. It will require coverage of preventive services, including cancer screenings, and increase state and local preparedness for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.lastly, A Commitment to Fiscal Responsibility: Barack Obama will pay for his $50 - $65 billion health care reform effort by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for Americans earning more than $250,000 per year and retaining the estate tax at its 2009 level.
Security Jobs:
McCain calls for new reforms throughout the Federal Government. It is one of his many priorities. Thus, it is not strange for him to want to reform the Unemployment Insurance (UI) System. In his economic plan, McCain proposes the following reforms to bolster job security and assist displayed workers in America:
John McCain Believes We Should Have A Single, Seamless Approach To Job Transition Assistance. The UI system must be more effective in helping those who have lost a job.He will Reform Training Programs To Provide Quick Assistance To Workers Seeking New Skills. Workers will have access to a flexible training account that permits them to pay for training at a community college and use leftover funds to keep their health insurance.
John McCain Will Provide Special, Targeted Assistance For Older Workers. Because training is often inefficient for older workers, those 55 years of age and older who have built up an LEB will be eligible for a Lost Earnings Supplement. The supplement of up to 50 percent of their earnings loss (up to a maximum of $10,000) for two years will be rewarded for those who find work inside 26 weeks.
On the other hand, Sen. Barack Obama delivered an unusual and inspiring campaign speech in which he outlined specific, outside-the-box plans to address the extreme financial challenges facing middle-class Americans.
Among the specific interesting points in Barack Obama's Agenda to Reclaim the American Dream were: Middle class tax cuts of up to $1,000 for working families. Guaranteed paid sick days for workers and expand the Family and Medical Leave Act. Help Americans buy and keep their homes. Reforming bankruptcy laws, predatory credit card policies, and abusive payday lending practices. Reduce health care costs by $2,500 for a typical family. Provide a $4,000 refundable tax credit for college tuition.
Terrorism
McCain primarily identifies terrorism with "violent Islamist extremism," especially as manifested in Al Qaeda. McCain believes Al Qaeda continues to represent a significant threat to U.S. security. His solution includes ensuring quality intelligence, being protected against attack and being able to respond to an attack quickly. Our homeland security plans must also consider threats posed by major accidents, or nature itself. In each instance, John McCain’s strategy is to prevent those incidents we can, prepare for and respond to disasters of all kinds, and improve the recovery process for disaster victims.
To meet this challenge, John McCain will bring into his Administration strong management at the federal level experienced in combating terrorist risks and in disaster response and recovery; he will rely on existing relationships, and insist on forging stronger partnerships, with state and local officials; and he will work with the private sector and an informed citizenry to safeguard our security.
Public-private partnerships are an essential part of the entire homeland security effort – from planning to implementation and operations. He suggested International Cooperation,
Effective Intelligence Gathering, Cooperation Between Federal and Local Authorities, Responsibly Securing Our Borders, Catastrophic Event Preparedness and Response。
On Obama’s part, He funneled many of his comments about the "war on terrorism" through his concerns with human and civil rights issues that it has raised. His campaign website establishes both small weapons proliferation and potential nuclear terrorism as significant U.S. priorities.
Obama responded in strong terms to the passage of the Military Commissions Act in September 2006, which granted the Bush Administration wide latitude to define what would constitute the torture of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. He joined critique of the bill's suspension of habeas corpus for potentially innocent detainees with the accusation that the government was not addressing the actual issues.
Obama has staked out a number of homeland security areas of particular focus, in his work as Illinois senator. These include: Chemical plant security, Transit security, Disaster response, Terrorism risk insurance, Nuclear waste, He has introduced and had passed a number of related bills, which have been passed or incorporated into larger legislation. He also seeks greater homeland security grant funding for Chicago.
References:
http.//johnmccain.com
http.//www.nowpublic.com
http.//en.wikipedia.org/wiki.com
http.//barrackobama.com
McCain and Obama
With the upcoming United States presidential elections, only two names stand out: John McCain, and Barack Obama. Both of which hails from qualifying political and legislative pasts. Their campaigns, ideas, and debates has shook the world.
John McCain is a political figure who spent early years of national service in the U.S. military. In his years of service, he flew ground concentrated aerial weaponry, and flew through several missions including Vietnam. He was shot down by Korean AA guns and suffered from injuries that gave him physical limitations until today. But that didn't stop him. McCain entered politics, served two terms in the house of representatives, and then entered the senate. His work is made up of diplomatic relations in the international network, all-out support for the War in Iraq, dissolving of the pork barrel, and dissolved a crisis in judicial nominations.
Barack Obama on the hand did not serve in the army, instead, he graduated from Harvard Law School, and spent became president of the law review in the same institution. He then became a community organizer and practiced law as a civil rights attorney. Obama didn't get elected as part of the house of representatives, but he still made it to the senate. His ideas and work comprises of the minimized used of conventional weaponry, more intelligent usage of funds, new sources of energy, and the promotion of universal health care.
Both candidates exhibit pretty much enough capabilities and experience to be potentially good presidents. But their difference in ideas foresee two different paths that the country will undergo. Mr.McCain is a military man, Obama is a legislative lawyer. Whoever reigns supreme over the other pretty much wraps it up.
The country will adapt and go through the presidents plans, and presented ideas.
John McCain is a political figure who spent early years of national service in the U.S. military. In his years of service, he flew ground concentrated aerial weaponry, and flew through several missions including Vietnam. He was shot down by Korean AA guns and suffered from injuries that gave him physical limitations until today. But that didn't stop him. McCain entered politics, served two terms in the house of representatives, and then entered the senate. His work is made up of diplomatic relations in the international network, all-out support for the War in Iraq, dissolving of the pork barrel, and dissolved a crisis in judicial nominations.
Barack Obama on the hand did not serve in the army, instead, he graduated from Harvard Law School, and spent became president of the law review in the same institution. He then became a community organizer and practiced law as a civil rights attorney. Obama didn't get elected as part of the house of representatives, but he still made it to the senate. His ideas and work comprises of the minimized used of conventional weaponry, more intelligent usage of funds, new sources of energy, and the promotion of universal health care.
Both candidates exhibit pretty much enough capabilities and experience to be potentially good presidents. But their difference in ideas foresee two different paths that the country will undergo. Mr.McCain is a military man, Obama is a legislative lawyer. Whoever reigns supreme over the other pretty much wraps it up.
The country will adapt and go through the presidents plans, and presented ideas.
Barack Obama vs. John McCain
Barack Obama was raised by a single mother and his grandparents. They didn't have much money, but they taught him values from the Kansas heartland where they grew up. He took out loans to put himself through school. After college, he worked for Christian churches in Chicago, helping communities devastated when steel plants closed.
Obama turned down lucrative job offers after law school to return to Chicago, leading a successful voter registration drive. He joined a small law firm, taught constitutional law and, guided by his Christian faith, stayed active in his community. Obama and his wife Michelle are proud parents of two daughters, Sasha and Malia.
On health care reform
The American people are too often offered two extremes - government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe both of these extremes are wrong, and that’s why they’ve proposed a plan that strengthens employer coverage, makes insurance companies accountable and ensures patient choice of doctor and care without government interference. The Obama’s plan is to provide affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan. Under the Obama plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.
On Security of Job tenure
He wants to provide $50 billion to jumpstart the economy and prevent 1 Million Americans from Losing Their Jobs: This relief would include a $25 billion State Growth Fund to prevent state and local cuts in health, education, housing, and heating assistance or counterproductive increases in property taxes, tolls or fees
The Obama-Biden relief plan will also include $25 billion in a Jobs and Growth Fund to prevent cutbacks in road and bridge maintenance and fund school repair - all to save more than 1 million jobs in danger of being cut.
On National Security and Terrorism
A 20th Century Structure for 21st Century Problems: We have inherited a national security structure that was developed and organized in the late 1940s to win the Cold War. It remains a rigid bureaucracy of government agencies, relying upon a restrictive and disconnected set of legal authorities.
New Leadership and Vision is Needed: America simply cannot afford more of the old approach to our national defense. Instead, it needs a Commander-in-Chief with the right combination of judgment, vision, and leadership for the 21st century.
A Military under Strain: Currently, our soldiers, seamen, airmen and Marines are deployed around the globe, working valiantly to defend our nation. Yet, these heroes are under-resourced and asked to do too much by a policy that has too often taken their sacrifice for granted. Due to their incredible courage and ingenuity, they persevere, but at incredible cost to themselves and their families.
Recruitment and Retention Problems: A country of 300 million strong should not struggle to find enough qualified citizens to serve. Recruiting and retention problems have been swept under the rug by an administration that does not understand the value of service to our nation.
A System Not Serving our Troops as Well as They Serve Us: As the shameful events at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the recent reports on growing numbers of homeless and unemployed veterans show, we simply are not taking proper care of our wounded warriors and veterans.
Besides Barack Obama there is another presidential candidate in the person of John McCain who likewise wants to serve the American people.
McCain was born on August 29, 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone. He was one of three children born to John S. McCain Jr. and his wife, Roberta. McCain's father and grandfather were both admirals in the United States Navy, the first father and son serving at that rank in naval history. Quick to anger even as a toddler, McCain used to hold his breath until he passed out when thwarted. After bouncing from school to school in the tradition of a child of a military family, McCain was sent to high school at the elite Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. There, his temper remained short and repeated discipline appeared wasted on him. "I thank God every day there weren't drugs around when I was growing up," he told Jonathan Alter of Newsweek. Despite his best efforts, McCain graduated from Episcopal High in 1954.
John McCain believes we can and must provide access to health care for every American. He has proposed a comprehensive vision for achieving that. For too long, our nation's leaders have talked about reforming health care. Now is the time to act.
John McCain believes the key to health care reform is to restore control to the patients themselves. He wants a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.
Another important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.
John McCain understands national security and the threats facing our nation. He recognizes the dangers posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, violent Islamist extremists and their terrorist tactics, and the ever present threat of regional conflict that can spill into broader wars that endanger allies and destabilize areas of the world vital to American security. He knows that to protect our homeland, our interests, and our values - and to keep the peace - America must have the best-manned, best-equipped, and best-supported military in the world.
John McCain has been a tireless advocate of our military and ensuring that our forces are properly postured, funded, and ready to meet the nation's obligations both at home and abroad. He has fought to modernize our forces, to ensure that America maintains and expands its technological edge against any potential adversary, and to see that our forces are capable and ready to undertake the variety of missions necessary to meet national security objectives.
It is my point of view that it is still the American people who are going to decide among the two candidates who will lead them in the next century. But somehow we in the third world country will be affected by the decision of the American people in choosing their leader.
Barack Obama vs. John McCain
Barack Obama was raised by a single mother and his grandparents. They didn't have much money, but they taught him values from the Kansas heartland where they grew up. He took out loans to put himself through school. After college, he worked for Christian churches in Chicago, helping communities devastated when steel plants closed.
Obama turned down lucrative job offers after law school to return to Chicago, leading a successful voter registration drive. He joined a small law firm, taught constitutional law and, guided by his Christian faith, stayed active in his community. Obama and his wife Michelle are proud parents of two daughters, Sasha and Malia.
On health care reform
The American people are too often offered two extremes - government-run health care with higher taxes or letting the insurance companies operate without rules. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe both of these extremes are wrong, and that’s why they’ve proposed a plan that strengthens employer coverage, makes insurance companies accountable and ensures patient choice of doctor and care without government interference. The Obama’s plan is to provide affordable, accessible health care for all Americans, builds on the existing health care system, and uses existing providers, doctors and plans to implement the plan. Under the Obama plan, patients will be able to make health care decisions with their doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureaucrats.
On Security of Job tenure
He wants to provide $50 billion to jumpstart the economy and prevent 1 Million Americans from Losing Their Jobs: This relief would include a $25 billion State Growth Fund to prevent state and local cuts in health, education, housing, and heating assistance or counterproductive increases in property taxes, tolls or fees
The Obama-Biden relief plan will also include $25 billion in a Jobs and Growth Fund to prevent cutbacks in road and bridge maintenance and fund school repair - all to save more than 1 million jobs in danger of being cut.
On National Security and Terrorism
A 20th Century Structure for 21st Century Problems: We have inherited a national security structure that was developed and organized in the late 1940s to win the Cold War. It remains a rigid bureaucracy of government agencies, relying upon a restrictive and disconnected set of legal authorities.
New Leadership and Vision is Needed: America simply cannot afford more of the old approach to our national defense. Instead, it needs a Commander-in-Chief with the right combination of judgment, vision, and leadership for the 21st century.
A Military under Strain: Currently, our soldiers, seamen, airmen and Marines are deployed around the globe, working valiantly to defend our nation. Yet, these heroes are under-resourced and asked to do too much by a policy that has too often taken their sacrifice for granted. Due to their incredible courage and ingenuity, they persevere, but at incredible cost to themselves and their families.
Recruitment and Retention Problems: A country of 300 million strong should not struggle to find enough qualified citizens to serve. Recruiting and retention problems have been swept under the rug by an administration that does not understand the value of service to our nation.
A System Not Serving our Troops as Well as They Serve Us: As the shameful events at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the recent reports on growing numbers of homeless and unemployed veterans show, we simply are not taking proper care of our wounded warriors and veterans.
Besides Barack Obama there is another presidential candidate in the person of John McCain who likewise wants to serve the American people.
McCain was born on August 29, 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone. He was one of three children born to John S. McCain Jr. and his wife, Roberta. McCain's father and grandfather were both admirals in the United States Navy, the first father and son serving at that rank in naval history. Quick to anger even as a toddler, McCain used to hold his breath until he passed out when thwarted. After bouncing from school to school in the tradition of a child of a military family, McCain was sent to high school at the elite Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. There, his temper remained short and repeated discipline appeared wasted on him. "I thank God every day there weren't drugs around when I was growing up," he told Jonathan Alter of Newsweek. Despite his best efforts, McCain graduated from Episcopal High in 1954.
John McCain believes we can and must provide access to health care for every American. He has proposed a comprehensive vision for achieving that. For too long, our nation's leaders have talked about reforming health care. Now is the time to act.
John McCain believes the key to health care reform is to restore control to the patients themselves. He wants a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.
Another important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people's needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.
John McCain understands national security and the threats facing our nation. He recognizes the dangers posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, violent Islamist extremists and their terrorist tactics, and the ever present threat of regional conflict that can spill into broader wars that endanger allies and destabilize areas of the world vital to American security. He knows that to protect our homeland, our interests, and our values - and to keep the peace - America must have the best-manned, best-equipped, and best-supported military in the world.
John McCain has been a tireless advocate of our military and ensuring that our forces are properly postured, funded, and ready to meet the nation's obligations both at home and abroad. He has fought to modernize our forces, to ensure that America maintains and expands its technological edge against any potential adversary, and to see that our forces are capable and ready to undertake the variety of missions necessary to meet national security objectives.
It is my point of view that it is still the American people who are going to decide among the two candidates who will lead them in the next century. But somehow we in the third world country will be affected by the decision of the American people in choosing their leader.
Monday, October 13, 2008
John McCain vs. Barack Obama
John Sidney McCain III
Born: 29 August 1936
Birthplace: Panama Canal Zone
Best Known As: The 2008 Republican candidate for president
McCain was born on August 29, 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone. He was one of three children born to John S. McCain Jr. and his wife, Roberta. McCain's father and grandfather were both admirals in the United States Navy, the first father and son serving at that rank in naval history. After bouncing from school to school in the tradition of a child of a military family, McCain was sent to high school at the elite Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia and graduated in 1954.
After graduation McCain went off to follow the family trade at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. McCain graduate in the bottom five of his class in 1958. Even after being accepted to train as a naval aviator.
Barack Hussein Obama
Barack Obama (born August 4, 1961) is a U.S. Senator from Illinois. He is a member of the main Democratic Party.
When Obama was ten he returned to Hawaii under the care of his grandparents, and later his mother, for the better educational opportunities. He was enrolled in the fifth grade at Punahou School, a prestigious academy that once taught the Hawaiian royal family. He graduated with honors.
When Obama was ten he returned to Hawaii under the care of his grandparents, and later his mother, for the better educational opportunities. He was enrolled in the fifth grade at Punahou School, a prestigious academy that once taught the Hawaiian royal family. He graduated with honors.
McCain vs. Obama on Personal Attributes
Six months before the general election, public perceptions of the relative strengths and weaknesses of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and Democratic front-runner Barack Obama are relatively static, though recent shifts on leadership, empathy and personal ethics hint at the battles to come.
The two months of campaigning in the time since we last checked in on perceptions of these two candidates have done little to change minds. In comparing McCain and Obama on eight key candidate attributes in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll, McCain continues to be seen as the more experienced candidate and the one with better knowledge of world affairs, while Obama is broadly seen as the one who would do more to affect change, with the better personality for the job and with a clearer vision for the future.
But the two candidates have become more evenly matched on the question of who is the stronger leader and who has higher personal and ethical standards. Obama erased McCain's double-digit edge as the stronger leader (in the new poll, Obama also for the first time bests Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic nomination, on this measure), while McCain closed a 12-point gap as the candidate with higher personal and ethical standards.
And on personal and ethical standards, more than one in five partisans are "cross-overs," choosing the other party's standard bearer as the one with higher standards. Obama cedes more than a third of Clinton supporters on this question, while McCain surrenders a quarter of conservatives.
Health Care
Barack Obama’s plan for better health care in America is to provide quality, affordable and portable coverage for all. He plans to make available a new national health plan to all U.S. citizens, which will include the self-employed and small businesses. Some of the features his plan include:
Guaranteed Eligibility. This will allow sick people (with recent and pre-existing conditions) to obtain health care.
Comprehensive Benefits. This is similar to the package offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. It will cover all necessary medical services, which include preventive, maternity and mental health care.
Affordability. There will be lower premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
Simpler paperwork and reined in health costs.
Public Plan with simple enrollment and ready access to coverage.
Portability and Choice. People enrolled in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (another Obama plan) will be able to move from job to job without jeopardizing insurance coverage.
Quality and Efficiency. The health insurance companies participating in the new plan will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality are met.
John McCain intends to increase the variety and affordability of health insurance to families in America by fostering innovation and competition. This is how he plans to do so:
By reforming tax code to eliminate the bias toward employer-sponsored health coverage and providing everyone with a $2,500 tax credit; families will receive $5,000. This will increase incentives for health care coverage.
Allowing families to purchase health care insurance nationwide to maximize choices and heighten competition.
Providing multi-year coverage that moves with you from job to job and from home to home.
Requiring states with Medicaid to develop a financial risk adjustment bonus to high-cost and low income families that will supplement tax credits and funds for Medicaid.
Allowing people to purchase insurance through any organization or association of choice (i.e. churches, employers, individual purchases, and professional associations). The policy chosen will be available to small businesses and the self-employed; and will be portable across jobs. It will also automatically bridge the time between Medicare eligibility and retirement. Certification and rigorous standards would have to be met before plans are approved.
Terrorism
Obama
In the early part of his campaign, Obama funneled many of his comments about the "war on terrorism" through his concerns with human and civil rights issues that it has raised. His campaign website establishes both small weapons proliferation and potential nuclear terrorism as significant U.S. priorities.
Obama responded in strong terms to the passage of the Military Commissions Act in September 2006, which granted the Bush Administration wide latitude to define what would constitute the torture of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Once he all-but-gained the nomination in the early summer of 2008, Obama became much more specific about his objectives regarding the 'war on terror.' In July, Obama told audiences that the war in Afghanistan and the potential of a nuclear Iran were high on his list.
McCain
McCain primarily identifies terrorism with "violent Islamist extremism," especially as manifested in Al Qaeda. McCain believes Al Qaeda continues to represent a significant threat to U.S. security. His solution includes ensuring quality intelligence, being protected against attack and being able to respond to an attack quickly.
America faces a dedicated, focused, and intelligent foe in the war on terrorism. This enemy will probe tto find America's weaknesses and strike against them. The United States cannot afford to be complacent about the threat, naive about terrorist intentions, unrealistic about their capabilities, or ignorant to our national vulnerabilities.
McCain advocates high tech solutions to increase military capabilities, such as missile defense and other advanced weapons systems, an increase in the size of the U.S. armed forces, and doctrinal change to confront 21st century warfare. Many of his ideas for reform echo those of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and others in the defense establishment who advocate (as McCain does, on his website), "a new mix of military forces, including civil affairs, special operations, and highly mobile forces …"
Jobs
Democrat Barack Obama said Wednesday that as president he would spend $210 billion to create jobs in construction and environmental industries, as he tried to win over economically struggling voters.
Obama's investment would be over 10 years as part of two programs. The larger is $150 billion to create 5 million so-called "green collar" jobs to develop more environmentally friendly energy sources.
Sixty billion would go to a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to rebuild highways, bridges, airports and other public projects. Obama estimated that could generate nearly 2 million jobs, many of them in the construction industry that's been hit by the housing crisis.
"This agenda is paid for," Obama said as the Republican National Committee promoted an "Obama Spend-O-Meter" online to track his proposals and portray him as a tax-and-spend liberal. Obama explained that the money for his spending proposals will come from ending the Iraq war, cutting tax breaks for corporations, taxing carbon pollution and raising taxes on high income earners.
McCain Voted Against a Clean Minimum Wage Increase for Working Families. McCain voted with the Republicans in 2007 to stall a clean minimum wage increase for working families—before bowing to public pressure and voting to pass the final bill that included tax breaks for businesses. He even voted to completely repeal the minimum wage laws in 45 states and allow the other five states to opt out of any future minimum wage increases above $5.15 an hour.
McCain Voted Against Protections for Workers’ Overtime Rights. McCain voted against protecting workers’ overtime pay from Bush administration rules that threaten the overtime rights of 6 million workers.
Born: 29 August 1936
Birthplace: Panama Canal Zone
Best Known As: The 2008 Republican candidate for president
McCain was born on August 29, 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone. He was one of three children born to John S. McCain Jr. and his wife, Roberta. McCain's father and grandfather were both admirals in the United States Navy, the first father and son serving at that rank in naval history. After bouncing from school to school in the tradition of a child of a military family, McCain was sent to high school at the elite Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia and graduated in 1954.
After graduation McCain went off to follow the family trade at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. McCain graduate in the bottom five of his class in 1958. Even after being accepted to train as a naval aviator.
Barack Hussein Obama
Barack Obama (born August 4, 1961) is a U.S. Senator from Illinois. He is a member of the main Democratic Party.
When Obama was ten he returned to Hawaii under the care of his grandparents, and later his mother, for the better educational opportunities. He was enrolled in the fifth grade at Punahou School, a prestigious academy that once taught the Hawaiian royal family. He graduated with honors.
When Obama was ten he returned to Hawaii under the care of his grandparents, and later his mother, for the better educational opportunities. He was enrolled in the fifth grade at Punahou School, a prestigious academy that once taught the Hawaiian royal family. He graduated with honors.
McCain vs. Obama on Personal Attributes
Six months before the general election, public perceptions of the relative strengths and weaknesses of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain and Democratic front-runner Barack Obama are relatively static, though recent shifts on leadership, empathy and personal ethics hint at the battles to come.
The two months of campaigning in the time since we last checked in on perceptions of these two candidates have done little to change minds. In comparing McCain and Obama on eight key candidate attributes in the new Washington Post-ABC News poll, McCain continues to be seen as the more experienced candidate and the one with better knowledge of world affairs, while Obama is broadly seen as the one who would do more to affect change, with the better personality for the job and with a clearer vision for the future.
But the two candidates have become more evenly matched on the question of who is the stronger leader and who has higher personal and ethical standards. Obama erased McCain's double-digit edge as the stronger leader (in the new poll, Obama also for the first time bests Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic nomination, on this measure), while McCain closed a 12-point gap as the candidate with higher personal and ethical standards.
And on personal and ethical standards, more than one in five partisans are "cross-overs," choosing the other party's standard bearer as the one with higher standards. Obama cedes more than a third of Clinton supporters on this question, while McCain surrenders a quarter of conservatives.
Health Care
Barack Obama’s plan for better health care in America is to provide quality, affordable and portable coverage for all. He plans to make available a new national health plan to all U.S. citizens, which will include the self-employed and small businesses. Some of the features his plan include:
Guaranteed Eligibility. This will allow sick people (with recent and pre-existing conditions) to obtain health care.
Comprehensive Benefits. This is similar to the package offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. It will cover all necessary medical services, which include preventive, maternity and mental health care.
Affordability. There will be lower premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
Simpler paperwork and reined in health costs.
Public Plan with simple enrollment and ready access to coverage.
Portability and Choice. People enrolled in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (another Obama plan) will be able to move from job to job without jeopardizing insurance coverage.
Quality and Efficiency. The health insurance companies participating in the new plan will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality are met.
John McCain intends to increase the variety and affordability of health insurance to families in America by fostering innovation and competition. This is how he plans to do so:
By reforming tax code to eliminate the bias toward employer-sponsored health coverage and providing everyone with a $2,500 tax credit; families will receive $5,000. This will increase incentives for health care coverage.
Allowing families to purchase health care insurance nationwide to maximize choices and heighten competition.
Providing multi-year coverage that moves with you from job to job and from home to home.
Requiring states with Medicaid to develop a financial risk adjustment bonus to high-cost and low income families that will supplement tax credits and funds for Medicaid.
Allowing people to purchase insurance through any organization or association of choice (i.e. churches, employers, individual purchases, and professional associations). The policy chosen will be available to small businesses and the self-employed; and will be portable across jobs. It will also automatically bridge the time between Medicare eligibility and retirement. Certification and rigorous standards would have to be met before plans are approved.
Terrorism
Obama
In the early part of his campaign, Obama funneled many of his comments about the "war on terrorism" through his concerns with human and civil rights issues that it has raised. His campaign website establishes both small weapons proliferation and potential nuclear terrorism as significant U.S. priorities.
Obama responded in strong terms to the passage of the Military Commissions Act in September 2006, which granted the Bush Administration wide latitude to define what would constitute the torture of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Once he all-but-gained the nomination in the early summer of 2008, Obama became much more specific about his objectives regarding the 'war on terror.' In July, Obama told audiences that the war in Afghanistan and the potential of a nuclear Iran were high on his list.
McCain
McCain primarily identifies terrorism with "violent Islamist extremism," especially as manifested in Al Qaeda. McCain believes Al Qaeda continues to represent a significant threat to U.S. security. His solution includes ensuring quality intelligence, being protected against attack and being able to respond to an attack quickly.
America faces a dedicated, focused, and intelligent foe in the war on terrorism. This enemy will probe tto find America's weaknesses and strike against them. The United States cannot afford to be complacent about the threat, naive about terrorist intentions, unrealistic about their capabilities, or ignorant to our national vulnerabilities.
McCain advocates high tech solutions to increase military capabilities, such as missile defense and other advanced weapons systems, an increase in the size of the U.S. armed forces, and doctrinal change to confront 21st century warfare. Many of his ideas for reform echo those of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and others in the defense establishment who advocate (as McCain does, on his website), "a new mix of military forces, including civil affairs, special operations, and highly mobile forces …"
Jobs
Democrat Barack Obama said Wednesday that as president he would spend $210 billion to create jobs in construction and environmental industries, as he tried to win over economically struggling voters.
Obama's investment would be over 10 years as part of two programs. The larger is $150 billion to create 5 million so-called "green collar" jobs to develop more environmentally friendly energy sources.
Sixty billion would go to a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to rebuild highways, bridges, airports and other public projects. Obama estimated that could generate nearly 2 million jobs, many of them in the construction industry that's been hit by the housing crisis.
"This agenda is paid for," Obama said as the Republican National Committee promoted an "Obama Spend-O-Meter" online to track his proposals and portray him as a tax-and-spend liberal. Obama explained that the money for his spending proposals will come from ending the Iraq war, cutting tax breaks for corporations, taxing carbon pollution and raising taxes on high income earners.
McCain Voted Against a Clean Minimum Wage Increase for Working Families. McCain voted with the Republicans in 2007 to stall a clean minimum wage increase for working families—before bowing to public pressure and voting to pass the final bill that included tax breaks for businesses. He even voted to completely repeal the minimum wage laws in 45 states and allow the other five states to opt out of any future minimum wage increases above $5.15 an hour.
McCain Voted Against Protections for Workers’ Overtime Rights. McCain voted against protecting workers’ overtime pay from Bush administration rules that threaten the overtime rights of 6 million workers.
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