HEALTH CARE REFORM

Obama: Plans to use existing health care system, providers and plans while offering new options to those who don’t have health insurance and cheaper costs for those who do. For those without insurance, require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions and create a Small Business Health Tax Credit to help small businesses provide affordable heath insurance. Will pay for his $50 billion to $65 billion plan by revoking tax breaks given to those who earn more than $250,000 a year.

McCain: Plans to offer a refundable tax credit of $5,000 to families and $2,500 to individuals by allowing families to direct the credit to their insurance company and place leftover money in a health savings account. Wants to promote payment reform, eliminate Medicare fraud and reduce drug costs by allowing greater use of generics. Source: McCain campaign

GAS PRICES

Obama: Plans to enact a windfall profits tax on excessive oil company profits to give families a $1,000 energy rebate. Plans to increase transparency in the oil market and would like a responsible swap of light oil for heavy crude in the nation’s reserves.

McCain: Created the Lexington Project, a comprehensive energy plan that includes expanding domestic oil exploration and production and breaking the country’s dependence on foreign oil, particularly by investing in clean-fuel vehicles. McCain said he would give a $5,000 tax credit to every consumer who buys a zero-carbon emission car. Plans to punish oil speculators and reform oil market regulations. Source: McCain campaign

JOBS

Obama: Plans to create jobs through the funding of a clean-energy economy and reinvesting in American infrastructure. Invest $150 billion over 10 years into biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the creation of hybrids, promote renewable energy and transition into a digital electricity grid, all of which would employ the country’s manufacturing work force. Give $60 billion over 10 years to provide financing for infrastructure projects to create two million jobs. Source: Obama campaign

McCain: Use small business, renewable energy and tax cuts to keep jobs in the country. For small businesses, plans to keep individual tax rates low, minimize expensive health insurance and union mandates and keep the economy competitive by providing a lower corporate tax rate and balancing the budget. Use new renewable energy plants to create jobs, including a plan for 45 new nuclear power plants by 2030, creating 700,000 jobs.

TAXES

Obama: Plans to cut taxes for 95 percent of workers and families, including a $500 tax cut for individuals, a $1,000 cut for couples and cuts for low- and middle-income seniors, homeowners, uninsured and families sending children to college. Plans to eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses. and cut taxes for businesses that invest in American workers and jobs. For families making more than $250,000 a year, take back some of the tax cuts they received in recent years, but making them pay no more than they would have in the 1990s.

McCain: Plans to cut corporate tax rates, from 35 percent to 25 percent. Maintain the 15 percent rates on dividends and capital gains and phase out the Alternative Minimum Tax. Allow a first-year deduction of equipment and technology investments, establish a permanent tax credit equal to 10 percent of wages spend on research and development and ban taxes on the Internet and cell phones.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Obama: Plans to improve infrastructure and provide jobs by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to expand federal transportation investments, which would receive $60 billion over 10 years for projects that are expected to create two million jobs and $35 billion a year in new economic activity. He also plans to modernize the air traffic control system and fight for Amtrak funding.

McCain: Opposes federal funding for Amtrak and has proposed privatizing the country’s rail system. Opposed the 2007 Water Resources Development Act to fund improvements to rivers and harbors, levee and flood control project, because he said the bill was too costly and did not priortize between national emergencies and local projects.

IMMIGRATION

Obama: Plans to address immigration by creating secure borders and removing incentives to enter the country illegally. Supports additional personnel, infrastructure and technology along the country’s border and ports of entry and cracking down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Supports a system that would allow illegal immigrants in good standing to pay a fine, learn English and receive another opportunity to become citizens.

McCain: Has the top priority of securing the nation’s borders by setting objectives for physical and virtual barriers and ensuring adequate funding is provided for border training, staff and technology. Plans to implement an electronic employment verification system to ensure workers are screened for eligibility and will prosecute employers who hire illegal immigrants.

FREE TRADE

Obama: Will support a trade policy that opens foreign markets to support American jobs and pressure the World Trade Organization to enforce trade agreements and stop countries from using unfair government subsidies to foreign exporters. Plans to end tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas and ensure public contracts are awarded to companies invested in American workers.

McCain: Believes the United States should engage in efforts to reduce trade barriers, level the global playing field and build effective enforcement of global trading rules. Would work to prepare the next generation of American workers by improving education, allowing students to have access to any school of excellence. He also would overhaul unemployment insurance and make it a program for retraining, relocating and assisting workers who have lost a job.

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Sources: Obama campaign, McCain campaign