As an enthusiast of all things politics and all things America, I've been hawkish-ly watching the 2016 election since the beginning. Many arguments over the candidates are based solely off of the candidates' histories and characters, not the stances each candidate takes on the issues our country faces. My staunch beliefs root me at one side of the political spectrum, but I decided to write this article to share unbiased facts on six key issues. I used a variety of sources to collect my information, including websites, newspapers, and candidate speeches, but my main sources are the campaign sites of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Healthcare
Hillary's Healthcare Plan
Hillary's plan will expand the Affordable Care Act. It will incentivize states to expand Medicaid. Her plan also defends access to reproductive health care, and ensures that all women have access to preventive care, affordable contraception, and safe and legal abortions. Her plan allows all people, regardless of immigration status, to obtain health insurance.
Trump's Healthcare Plan
Trump's plan promotes access to high quality and affordable health care for every American. He plans to repeal and replace Obamacare with Health Savings Accounts. A Health Savings Account works alongside a High Deductible Health Plan and is a private, tax free savings account where an individual has complete control over its assets. Trump wants to remove the "state lines" around insurance companies in order to enable competition between companies in order to lower rates. Trump is opposed to abortion except in cases of rape, incest or where the mother's life is at risk. He is against the use of government funds contributing to abortion costs.
Immigration
Trump's Immigration Plan
Trump wants to reform and promote a system of legal immigration, where immigrants are selected based on their likelihood of success in the U.S. and their ability to be financially self-sufficient. He plans to have a wall built along the southern border; Mexico will pay for the wall. He will immediately terminate Obama’s executive orders, which defers the deportation of over four million illegal immigrants. He will ensure that all immigration laws are enforced.
Hillary's Immigration Plan
Hillary's plan focuses on comprehensive immigration reform. She will uphold President Obama’s executive actions, and provide a path of citizenship for all undocumented immigrants. She will put an end to three-and-ten year bars. Under these bars, an immigrant who enters the U.S. illegally, or who overstays a period of admission by over 180 days but less than one year and who then departs the U.S. voluntarily, is barred from re-entering the United States for three years. If an immigrant is illegally in the country for over a year, he or she cannot return to the United States for ten years.
National Defense & Defeating ISIS
Trump's National Defense Plan
Within his first 30 days in office, Trump will work with generals to put forth a plan to defeat and destroy ISIS. He wants to increase size of U.S. Army to 540,000 active duty soldiers. Trump will require a detailed review from Joint Chief of Staff to find and mitigate nation’s cyber vulnerabilities; the government will also invest in offensive cyber capabilities deemed necessary to fight cyber warfare.
Trump's plan temporarily suspends immigration from dangerous regions that have histories of exporting terrorism He believes the United States lacks proper screening to vet Syrian refugees, and that we must establish new screening procedures. Instead of allowing in refugees from Syria, Trump's plan backs the creation of safe zones in Syria to host refugees.
Hillary's National Defense Plan
Hillary plans to defeat ISIS by intensifying coalition air campaign against ISIS fighters, leaders, and infrastructure; her plan increases support for local Arab and Kurdish forces on the ground. She will focus on using diplomacy to resolve the civil war in Syria. Hillary supports increased gun control at home to keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists.
Hillary's plan implements a 550% increase in admission of Syrian refugees, amounting to a total of 620,000 refugees over the course of her first term.
Second Amendment Rights
Hillary's Stance on the Second Amendment
Hillary's plan calls for thorough federal background checks for everyone looking to purchase a firearm. Those on suspected terrorist list, domestic abusers, violent criminals, and those suffering from severe mental illnesses should not be able to buy guns. She is against the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which protects firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable when crimes have been committed with their products.
Trump's Stance on the Second Amendment
Trump is a strong supporter of the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. He plans to fix rather than expand the background check system. He wants to double-down on prosecuting violent criminals, as well as bring back programs to get gang members and drug dealers off streets in order to reduce gun violence. Trump believes the right to carry should be legal in all states. Trump believes the government has no business in dictating what types of firearms law abiding-gun owners can have.
Education & College Tuition
Trump's Education and College Tuition Plans
Trump's plan eliminates Common Core national standards. He wants to keep Washington out of the education system and leave education standards to be handled at the local state level. His plan establishes a national goal of providing school choice to all school-aged children, regardless of financial status. Trump wants to make higher education easier to access, pay for, and finish. His plan uses money from reprioritizing federal dollars to add an additional federal investment of $20 billion towards school choice.
Hillary's Education and College Tuition Plans
Hillary's plan implements the same set of common standards for all public schools across the nation. She supports free tuition at all community colleges, and families with income up to $125,000 will not pay tuition at in-state public colleges and universities. Students will have to work 10 hours a week to help cover the full cost of attendance. Her plan will also encourage employers to help pay student debt.
Taxes
The Tax Policy Center in Washington has analyzed both tax plan proposals. Hillary's plan will increase income taxes across all levels of income (very slight increases to larger increases), while Trump's tax plan will lower taxes across all levels of income.
Hillary's Tax Plan
Hillary's plan imposes a tax increase on select incomes. Her plan enacts an "exit tax" for companies that leave the United States. She plans on closing tax loopholes that allow the wealthy from paying lower rates than some middle-class families. Her plan lowers taxes for small businesses.
Trump's Tax Plan
Trump's tax plan reduces taxes for all incomes. It also reduces the current seven income tax brackets to three brackets. Those earning less than $75,000 annually will pay a 12% income tax; those earning between $75,000 and $225,000 will pay a 25% income tax; those earning greater than $225,000 will pay a 33% income tax; singles making less than $25,000 a year will have a zero percent income tax rate. Trump's plan lowers the business tax rate from 35% to 15%.
These are just six issues among many faced by our great nation. I highly encourage everyone to look into the candidates and decide carefully whom you vote for. Keep in mind the corruption, lies, scandals, and past actions coming from both sides, but know their stances the real issues . Think about the America we have and the America you hope to see, and know all that is at stake when you cast your vote this November.
Below are resources I used for additional information:
Obama's Executive Immigration Orders
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act
