2008 Woodie Awards
Candidate quiz
By: Brent McDermott
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: Voices
I was caught off guard Monday when someone asked me which presidential candidate teachers should support.
Having not read candidate position papers since December, I was left scratching my head, feeling blood rush to my cheeks, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.
It is a copout to blame my lapse on the media, but I'm going to anyway. Every morning I read at least half a dozen columns and articles about the presidential election, and watch about an hour of cable news campaign coverage.
Not surprisingly, I find myself fuzzy on many of the issues I used to know inside and out.
Today's column is the first in a two part series quiz, intended to test your candidate knowledge, by the issues. Listed below are the issues and the positions taken by Senators Obama, Clinton, and McCain. Because they are listed by letter, not name, your job is to determine who candidates 'A,' 'B,' and 'C' represent.
Economy
A) 90-day moratorium on subprime foreclosures and 5-year freeze on subprime mortgage rates. $25 billion in emergency energy assistance for families facing increased heating bills. Invest $10 billion to expand unemployment insurance. Pump $5 billion in effort to jump-start green-collar job growth.
B) Trigger $75 billion into the economy via tax cuts to working families, seniors, homeowners and the unemployed. $250 tax cut for workers, temporary $250 bonus to seniors in their Social Security checks. Would extend and expand unemployment insurance.
C) Lower corporate tax rate from 35 to 25 percent. Allow first-year deduction of equipment and technology investments and establish a permanent research and development tax credit equal to 10 percent of wages spent on R&D.
Climate Change
A) Supports an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Supported an increase to 40 mpg fuel efficiency in 2003, but opposed it in 2005. Proposed a $50 billion R&D fund for energy efficiency and alternative energy; oil companies would have to pay into the fund or invest in clean energy themselves.
B) Supports cutting carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Favors increasing the auto fuel economy standard to 40 mpg. Would reward domestic automakers for producing more fuel-efficient vehicles by helping to fund health care for their retirees. Plans to use 50 percent of the health care savings to invest in technology for cars with better gas mileage.
C) Lead author of a Senate proposal to reduce carbon emissions by 65 percent by 2050. Supported an increase in auto fuel economy to 35 mpg, but opposed a 40 mpg standard.
Read Friday's column to find out who these candidates are and where they stand on foreign policy, education, abortion, health care, same-sex marriage and stem cell research.
Having not read candidate position papers since December, I was left scratching my head, feeling blood rush to my cheeks, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.
It is a copout to blame my lapse on the media, but I'm going to anyway. Every morning I read at least half a dozen columns and articles about the presidential election, and watch about an hour of cable news campaign coverage.
Not surprisingly, I find myself fuzzy on many of the issues I used to know inside and out.
Today's column is the first in a two part series quiz, intended to test your candidate knowledge, by the issues. Listed below are the issues and the positions taken by Senators Obama, Clinton, and McCain. Because they are listed by letter, not name, your job is to determine who candidates 'A,' 'B,' and 'C' represent.
Economy
A) 90-day moratorium on subprime foreclosures and 5-year freeze on subprime mortgage rates. $25 billion in emergency energy assistance for families facing increased heating bills. Invest $10 billion to expand unemployment insurance. Pump $5 billion in effort to jump-start green-collar job growth.
B) Trigger $75 billion into the economy via tax cuts to working families, seniors, homeowners and the unemployed. $250 tax cut for workers, temporary $250 bonus to seniors in their Social Security checks. Would extend and expand unemployment insurance.
C) Lower corporate tax rate from 35 to 25 percent. Allow first-year deduction of equipment and technology investments and establish a permanent research and development tax credit equal to 10 percent of wages spent on R&D.
Climate Change
A) Supports an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050. Supported an increase to 40 mpg fuel efficiency in 2003, but opposed it in 2005. Proposed a $50 billion R&D fund for energy efficiency and alternative energy; oil companies would have to pay into the fund or invest in clean energy themselves.
B) Supports cutting carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Favors increasing the auto fuel economy standard to 40 mpg. Would reward domestic automakers for producing more fuel-efficient vehicles by helping to fund health care for their retirees. Plans to use 50 percent of the health care savings to invest in technology for cars with better gas mileage.
C) Lead author of a Senate proposal to reduce carbon emissions by 65 percent by 2050. Supported an increase in auto fuel economy to 35 mpg, but opposed a 40 mpg standard.
Read Friday's column to find out who these candidates are and where they stand on foreign policy, education, abortion, health care, same-sex marriage and stem cell research.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
chipskeptic
posted 3/27/08 @ 11:18 PM EST
But, they do not need to THINK or ANALYZE to answer that question, and they did not need to ask you.
They simply have to wait for the MEA to tell them who to vote for. (Continued…)
Tiffany
posted 3/31/08 @ 12:51 AM EST
The answers to the Canditate Quiz were supposed to be in Fridays paper and they weren't there. Are you going to print them? I am dying to know the answers, to see if I am right. (Continued…)
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