Monday, July 12, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 a.m.
 

George Bush Incumbent		John Kerry Challenger
ECONOMY / TAXES
$3,000 re-employment accounts to help the unemployed with job-search expenses; make recently passed temporary tax cuts permanent; ease business regulations, pursue more free-trade deals, increase domestic energy production, limit class-action lawsuits and medical-malpractice liability		Repeal Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans; keep parts of the package for middle- and low-income people; spend on highways, school construction, pollution cleanup, energy projects and more to create 3 million jobs in 500 days
EDUCATION
Toughened standards for teachers, schools and student achievement; has lost the support of some Democrats, who say too little money has been spent; favors vouchers to help poor pupils attend private schools		$3.2 billion community- service plan for high-school students that would qualify them for the equivalent of their state’s four-year public-college tuition
ENVIRONMENT / ENERGY
Withdrew from Kyoto global-warming treaty; reversed 2000 campaign pledge to regulate industrial emissions of carbon dioxide; eased some rules to help older industrial plants and refineries expand without paying for added pollution controls, prompting court fights from states and cities; ordered pollution cuts from heavy-duty diesel engines and diesel fuel used in highway trucks and buses; sped up forest-thinning projects on public woodlands		No drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; tougher fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles; goal of 20 percent of electricity from renewable or alternative sources by 2020; steer $20 billion from oil and gas royalties to development of cleaner energy; goal of independence from Middle East oil in 10 years
FARMING
Signed nearly 80 percent expansion of farm subsidies in 2002		Supports ban on meatpacker ownership of livestock. Supported increases in farm subsidies
HEALTH CARE
Won passage of a prescription-drug benefit for older Americans that would subsidize costs for low-income patients and encourage private insurance companies to offer coverage for seniors willing to opt out of traditional Medicare; expand tax-free medical savings accounts; number of Americans without health insurance has risen during his presidency		Expand insurance system for federal employees to private citizens; unemployed would get 75 percent tax credit to help pay for insurance; tax credits for small businesses and employees for insurance; people age 55 to 64 could buy into federal employees' health plan at "affordable price"; government to help pay catastrophic medical costs when employers and insurance companies agree to hold down premiums; expand state health-insurance program for children
IMMIGRATION
Grant temporary legal status to millions of undocumented workers		People who have been in the U.S. at least five years, paid taxes and "stayed out of trouble ought to be able to translate into an American citizen immediately"
WAR IN IRAQ
Swift military victory in Iraq followed by violent aftermath and halting efforts at stabilizing new government; won congressional approval of $87 billion for continued military operations and aid in Iraq and Afghanistan		Supported decision to go to war but now says he did so based on faulty U.S. intelligence; opposed $87 billion package for Iraq and Afghanistan
TRADE
Supports liberalized trade; pursuing bilateral trade deals, including one for Western Hemisphere		Supported North American and world trade agreements and elevated trade status with China; says trade agreements should have labor and environmental standards but U.S. cannot insist foreign standards rise to the level of those in the U.S.
ABORTION RIGHTS
Supports abortion, only in cases of rape, incest, or when a woman's life is endangered; signed bill — now blocked in courts — banning a controversial late-term procedure in which a fetus is partially delivered before being aborted		Supports; would only nominate Supreme Court justices who support abortion rights; voted against ban on controversial late-term abortion
DEATH PENALTY
Supports		Opposes
GAY RIGHTS
Opposes gay marriage; has continued President Clinton's policy allowing gays to serve in military if they are not open about their sexuality		Opposes gay marriage, supports right to civil unions
Phone: 703-647-2700 Web site: www.georgewbush.com		Phone: 206-839-8713 Web site: www.johnkerry.com