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NEWS : STORIES
If you watched Wednesday night's final debate between presidential candidates John McCain and
Here's a breakdown of some of the most important topics for young voters: The Competing Bailout Plans McCain: On top of the $750 billion plan passed by Congress, McCain proposed a $52 billion plan this week that would cut taxes on capital gains (the profit from the sale of stocks or real estate, which not many people are making these days anyway), provide tax breaks for senior citizens tapping into their retirement accounts, and cut taxes on unemployment benefits. Obama: His $60 billion plan focuses on tax cuts for middle- and lower-income Americans, as well as investment in renewable-energy industries and rebuilding the country's crumbling infrastructure. The verdict: The New York Times broke down the competing plans and said they would likely have some short-term benefits for investors, homeowners and retirees, but it's unclear what they would mean in the long run. Charter Schools and Education McCain: Like Obama, McCain said he sees education as a national-security issue and thinks school choice and competition is critical to closing the achievement gap. He wants to reward good teachers and dump bad ones, give college students loan-repayment programs that are more reasonable and offer a full student-loan program for in-state tuition. Obama: He supports charter schools — elementary and secondary schools that are an alternative to public education and sometimes provide a specialized curriculum — and performance-based pay for teachers. He wants to invest in early childhood education, recruit a "new generation" of teachers with higher pay and make college affordable by offering a $4,000 tuition credit to students for every year of school in exchange for community service. Obama disagrees with McCain on giving out vouchers as a solution to the education problem and questioned how McCain was going to pay for lowering college-loan rates. The verdict: Neither candidate gave enough specifics to really give a sense for how they will deal with education in their respective administrations, but here's a breakdown of their records on education, courtesy of USA Today. Who's Really Helping 'Joe the Plumber'? McCain: He claimed that Obama's tax increases would make it so Joe Wurzelbacher would be unable to buy the business he's had his eye on for many years. Obama: He repeated that his plan would cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans making less than $250,000, but it was unclear if it would make it impossible for Joe to buy the business. The verdict: ABC News reported that Joe planned to buy the business for $250,000 to $280,000 and that he would make much less than that in profits, which seems to indicate he would be eligible for an Obama tax cut. Abortion McCain: Staunchly anti-abortion, he said he believes Roe v. Wade is a "bad decision" and that it should be up to the states to decide the abortion question but that he would not impose an abortion "litmus test" on potential Supreme Court justices. McCain said Obama's "present" votes in the Illinois Senate on partial-birth abortion and late-term abortion put him in league with the "extreme pro-abortion" position. Obama: A pro-choice supporter, Obama also said he would not apply a litmus test to a justice based on the abortion issue but that he thought Roe was a good decision. He said the Constitution has a right to privacy built into it, so the issue "shouldn't be subject to a state referendum." Obama explained his Illinois Senate votes by saying that to vote otherwise would have undermined Roe and that there was already a law on the books in Illinois that required lifesaving treatment. He said he supports a ban on late-term and partial-birth abortions, as long as there is an exception for the health and life of the mother. The verdict: This always-divisive issue produced drastically different takes on what the candidates said Wednesday night, with different quarters hearing vastly different answers to the question. Here's a breakdown of the candidate's public records on abortion. What Is ACORN? McCain: He claimed that the nearly 40-year-old organization that advocates on behalf of low- and middle-income families is on the "verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy." He was referring to allegations that the people hired by the organization in several swing states to register new voters had submitted tens of thousands of bogus names. He also questioned an $832,000 payment from the Obama campaign to ACORN for "lighting and site selection." Obama: The senator said the organization has nothing to do with his campaign and that his only involvement with them was representing ACORN alongside the U.S. Justice Department in helping implement a "motor voter" registration plan in Illinois. The verdict: The Obama campaign has claimed the labeling of the "lighting" payment to an ACORN-affiliated group was the result of a clerical error, but the GOP continues to question the senator's ties to the group, which is now under investigation in several states. Controlling Health Care Costs McCain: He proposes physical-fitness and nutrition programs for schools, rewards for employees who join health clubs and a $5,000 refundable tax credit that would allow you to go anywhere you want to find the right program for you. McCain claims Obama's plan will create a huge bureaucracy, mandating coverage and fining those who don't sign up. Obama: He claims that if you have health insurance already, you don't have to do anything and that his plan would cut the average family's premium by $2,500 a year. If you don't have coverage, you would be eligible for the same plan members of Congress enjoy. He denies there will be fines for small businesses and claims McCain's $5,000 credit is fine for young, healthy Americans, but with the average policy priced at $12,000, the credit will actually provide a loss for many. The verdict: NPR said Obama's claims to save the average family $2,500 was "optimistic" and that while McCain promises $5,000 to every family, individuals will only get half that amount. This report is provided by MTV News
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