Gary Johnson
Libertarian Party
Abortion: Holds a pro-choice view but does not support using public funds for abortions. He does support notifying parents of a pregnant minor considering this choice.
Alcohol: Johnson believes the legal drinking age of 21 should be lowered to a younger age. “I just believe that the lower the age the better you come to grips with what these substances are,” Johnson said. “If you can go to Iraq and die, or Afghanistan and die as a service man or women at 18, and you can’t drink — I’m sorry I don’t buy into that.”
China: Does not believe China is an economic or military threat to the U.S. Johnson said, “When people understand that the United States spends 52 cents out of the worldwide dollar on military spending and that China spends 9 cents, what arms race are we gonna engage them in? I mean really, is China a threat? No, they’re not.”
Death Penalty: Johnson is against the death penalty. He has stated that he believes the death penalty to be “flawed” and that “this country has put innocent people to death…”
Economy: Johnson is against the federal government continuing to subsidize big oil companies.
Health Care: Johnson is firmly against ‘Obamacare.’ “I would do everything I could to repeal President Obama’s health care plan,” Johnson said. “The long-term solution to health care is a free market approach to healthcare. [Currently] healthcare in this country is about as far removed from free market as it possibly could be.” Johnson proposes that the federal government cut Medicaid and Medicare by 43 percent.
Immigration: Johnson believes state and local law enforcement should have the power to enforce federal immigration laws. Johnson said, “Rather than trying, as the Obama administration is doing, to stop Arizona from implementing its own approach, we should be encouraging the states to be the policy laboratories they were intended to be in our federal system.”
Iran: Johnson does not believe Iran to be a military threat but thinks that the U.S. should continue to be cautious.
Marriage: He believes in the legalization of gay marriage. He believes government should be kept out of personal lives. “I simply cannot find a legitimate justification for federal laws, such as the Defense of Marriage Act, which ‘define’ marriage,” Johnson said. “It has become clear to me that denying those rights and benefits to gay couples is discrimination, plain and simple.”
Stem Cells: Johnson does not believe federal government should fund embryonic stem cell research. He believes it “should only be completed by private laboratories that operate without federal funding.”
Taxes: Johnson does not think any federal taxes should be increased, in fact, he believes raising taxes is “absolutely unacceptable.” He said, “We should eliminate the corporate income tax if we really want to bring about a situation where this country is going to be the place to start up and incubate and grow businesses…”
Constitution: Johnson believes it is time to amend the U.S. Constitution. He means to balance the federal budget, throwing out the entire federal tax system replacing it instead with a fair tax system. “It does away with corporate income tax,” Johnson said.” If that doesn’t create tens of millions of jobs in this country, I don’t know what does.”
For more information on Gary Johnson, visit here
Check out his latest Reddit AMA here
Virgil Goode Constitution Party
Abortion: Goode does not support abortion. In fact, Goode proudly boasts of his consistent pro-life voting record during his time in the United States House of Representatives, of which the 2008 the National Right to Life Political Action Committee commended him. “As President,” Goode said, “I would continue to oppose abortion and would submit a budget to Congress with zero funding for planned parenthood and any other similar entities.”
Alcohol: Is against lowering the drinking age.
China: Goode does believe China to be of both an economic and military threat to the U.S.
Death Penalty: Goode fully supports the death penalty to remain as a legal option.
Economy: Goode is against the federal government continuing to subsidize big oil companies.
Health Care: Goode does not believe the March 2010 federal health care reform laws (otherwise known as ‘Obamacare’) has been any good for the country. Goode does not support providing basic healthcare for all people living in America. “Citizens first,” Goode said.
Immigration: Supports the empowerment of state and local laws regarding the enforcement of immigration laws. “As President, I would immediately direct the Attorney General to support and NOT oppose the efforts of Arizona, Alabama and others to deal with the illegal problem in the states,” Goode said.
Iran: Goode believes the U.S. should only use military force against Iran “if Congress declares war.”
Marriage: Goode is opposed to the legalization of gay marriage and gay civil unions. “I believe that marriage should be a union between a man and a woman,” Goode said. “I support the federal Marriage Protection Amendment.”
Stem Cells: Against the federal government funding embryonic stem cell research.
Taxes: Against increasing any federal taxes.
Constitution: Goode does not believe the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights needs to be amended in any way.
For more information on Virgil Goode, visit here
Dr. Jill Stein
Green Party
Abortion: Stein believes the need for abortions should be reduced by implementing a health care program that would provide “all women with reproductive health care and family planning.” “Abortion is a necessary health care option” Stein said, “but will decline as women’s choices expand upstream of unwanted pregnancy.”
Alcohol: No specific stance.
China: No specific stance.
Death Penalty: Stein is against the death penalty, stating that the judicial system has killed innocent people. “America’s experience shows that capital punishment does not effectively stop crimes from being committed,” Stein said. “It’s time to move beyond capital punishment, to abolish it, and to instead use life imprisonment as the most severe form of sentencing for those who cannot be trusted to live in common society.”
Economy: Does not support that the federal government should continue to subsidize big oil companies. (In fact, of all the major candidates, Republican Mitt Romney is the only one to support this.) Stein said, “We would immediately end Obama’s expensive subsidies for nuclear power as well as fossil fuels, and use those funds instead to kick off a job- producing energy program based on clean, safe and renewable energy.”
Health Care: Stein is against ‘Obamacare.’ (President Obama is the only major candidate to fully support it.) Stein said that she would instead enact an improved Medicare for All which would save money while providing quality care and ending medical inflation. Stein also believes all people living in America should be entitled to basic healthcare. “[I]t’s time for the United States, the richest country in the world, to catch up with the rest of the developed nations and provide health care for everyone as a human right,” Stein said.
Immigration: Stein believes the practice of detention and deportation of illegal immigrants should cease. She said, “The human cost of this escalating war on immigrants includes families torn apart and children emotionally traumatized, the expansion of racial profiling in policing, and the reinforcement of a caste system in which undocumented workers form the most vulnerable and exploitable level in the labor force.”
Iran: Stein believes an attack on Iran, from either the U.S. or Israel, would result in “severe repercussions for the American people.” Stein believes, “it would produce a global oil supply crisis that would send our entire economy into a tailspin … The mindset that every problem requires a military response has gotten us into trouble again and again, and it’s disappointing to see the Obama Administration going down that road yet again.”
Marriage: Stein supports the legalization of gay marriage. Stein stated, “I’m proud that I don’t have to change my position to match the polls. I have supported marriage equality since at least 2002, when I ran for governor. And I’m going to continue to work to eliminate this insidious form of discrimination.”
Stem Cells: Believes the federal government should fund embryonic stem cell research.
Taxes: Stein does think federal taxes should be increased. Stein supports a fair tax system.
Constitution: Believes the need to amend the Constitution is “urgent.” “[We need] to make clear that corporations are not persons and money is not speech. Those rights belong to living, breathing human beings like you and me – not to business entities controlled by the wealthy.”
For more information on Jill Stein, visit here
Check out Jill Stein’s Reddit AMA here
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Information regarding candidates found on their campaign websites as well as on procon.org