Sizing Up The Candidates Part 6

Poverty/Health Care/Jobs
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My Take: Everyone deserves to be paid a fair and just wage for their work. The minimum wage should gradually be raised. Social Welfare Programs aren't exactly known to promote hard work and independence. They generally should not be increased. Health care should be made more affordable (available to everyone), but the government shouldn't fund the system. The idea of subsidiarity works great here: leave matters to the smallest competent authority.

Mike Huckabee - Republican - 90%

Raise Minimum Wage	Maybe
Universal Health Care	No
Increase Social Welfare Programs	No

Ron Paul - Republican - 70%

Raise Minimum Wage	No
Universal Health Care	No
Increase Social Welfare Programs	No

As much as I love Ron Paul as a candidate, he is starting to lose some ground. His almost totally laissez faire economic policies don't impress me. This is going to be an extremely tight race. Stay tuned.

Sizing Up The Candidates Part 5

Topic: Immigration
Voter's Guide:
• A nation should seek to accommodate the immigrant
who, for just reasons, seeks greater access to the basic goods
of life.
• Political leaders and citizens should recognize the reality
of human interdependence that crosses all borders and all
national identities.
• The immigrant is a person who deserves the same protection
of law and social benefits afforded to citizens.
- Essentially, Guide teachings love LEGAL immigrants. The guide
does not really make mention of illegal immigrants. The Church
seems to be in favor of illegal immigrants because most of them
are Mexican Catholics. Personally, I am split.

Ron Paul (Republican) - 25%

Build a border fence?	Yes
Citizenship eligibility for illegal immigrants?	No
Guest worker program?	No

Mike Huckabee (Republican) - 25%

Build a border fence?	Yes
Citizenship eligibility for illegal immigrants?	No
Guest worker program?	No

Sizing Up The Candidates Part 4

Topic: War, Defense, Terrorism
Voters Guide:
• States have the right to engage in war in self-defense but
should first exhaust all peaceful solutions.
• Just war is waged within defined moral boundaries in regard
to its targets, goals, and outcomes.
• Political leadership must have both the inclination toward
peace and the capacity for decisive action if war is just and
necessary.
• Nations have a duty to protect their citizens from legiti-
mate threats.
• Nations should build their capacity for defense in light of
just-war theory.
• Terrorism—the injury and murder of innocent civilians—
is never justified.
• Defending a nation combines the military, international
diplomacy, and a compassionate foreign policy.
- Essentially, there is debate over whether the Iraq War
is a just one. Religious leaders have criticized it and have
opposed it since the start. Therefore, a candidate
can either oppose it or be in between on it.

Ron Paul (Republican) - 100%

Timetable for withdrawal?	Yes
Support for war in 2002?	No
Supported troop surge?	No
Split Iraq into three regions?	Has not said

Vs.

Mike Huckabee (Republican) - 50%

Timetable for withdrawal?	No
Support for war in 2002?	Yes
Supported troop surge?	Yes
Split Iraq into three regions?	Has not said

Sizing Up The Presidential Candidates (Part 3)

The Death Penalty/Punishment
• The Church teaches that the death penalty is acceptable
in principle but should be avoided in practice.
• The responsibility of elected officials is to ensure that penal
systems and sentencing policies do in fact protect society
from known aggressors.
• The practical elimination of the death penalty is based
upon the strength of the penal system and the commensurateness
of the sentencing procedures.

Mike Huckabee - Republican - 60%
Duncan Hunter - Republican - 30% - Disqualified
John McCain - Republican - 40% - Disqualified
Ron Paul - Republican - 60%
Fred Thompson - Republican - 10% - Disqualified
Alan Keyes - Republican - 30% - Disqualified
William Koenig - Republican - Unknown
Don Grundmann - Constitution Party - Unknown
Dan Imperato - Libertarian Party - 30% - Disqualified

Sizing Up The Presidential Candidates (Part 2)

Marriage and the Family
• Marriage was instituted prior to the state and should be
recognized by the state as something inviolate and necessary
to the common good.
• Prudential judgments about law and public policy should
always seek to strengthen marriage and families.
• So-called same-sex marriages cannot be recognized
by the Catholic Church, and civil unions are likely to
undermine marriage and damage its foundational role
in society.

Mike Huckabee - Republican - 100%
Duncan Hunter - Republican - 100%
John McCain - Republican - 70%
Ron Paul - Republican - 70%
Fred Thompson - Republican - 70%
Alan Keyes - Republican - 100%
Mike Koenig - Republican - 100%
Don Grundmann - Constitution Party- 100%
Dan Imperato - Libertarian Party - 100%

No disqualifications this time! The three candidates who scored 70% are fully in favor of the protection of marriage. However, they believe that the states should decide on the matter.

Sizing Up The Presidential Candidates (Part 1)

You are probably going to disagree with some of the views presented here. What I am going to do is identify an issue, present to you the Catholic voters guide to voting view on the issue, and then I will give each candidate a percentage. The percentage will indicate how close a candidate's view is to the views presented in the guide. I think that all Catholics should use this invaluable guide in helping them vote in 2008. We make up 30% of the nation's voters!

Abortion
- Abortion is the dominant political issue.
- Being pro-abortion disqualifies a candidate from a Catholic vote.
- Catholics can justly support politicians who advocate incremental means toward eliminating abortion.
- All instances of abortion are morally wrong.

1. Joe Biden - Democrat - 33% - Disqualified
2. Hilary Clinton - Democrat - 50% - Disqualified
3. Chris Dodd - Democrat - 0% - Disqualified
4. John Edwards - Democrat - 0% - Disqualified
5. Mike Gravel - Democrat - 0% - Disqualified
6. Dennis Kucinich - Democrat - 0% - Disqualified
7. Barack Obama - Democrat - 0% - Disqualified
8. Bill Richardson - Democrat - 0% - Disqualified
9. Rudy Guiliani - Republican - 44% - Disqualified
10. Mike Huckabee - Republican - 90%
11. Duncan Hunter - Republican - 100%
12. John McCain - Republican - 100%
13. Ron Paul - Republican - 90%
14. Mitt Romney - Republican - 66% - Disqualified
    
15. Fred Thompson - Republican - 85%
16. Alan Keyes - Republican - 100%
17. William Koenig - Republican - 100%
18. Don Grundmann - Constitution Party - 100%
19. Jared Ball - Green Party - 0% - Disqualified
    
20. Cynthia McKinney - Green Party - 0% - Disqualified
    
21. Kent Mesplay - Green Party - 0% - Disqualified
    
22. Kat Swift - Green Party - 10% - Disqualified
23. Dan Imperato - Libertarian Party - 100%

* Please note that there are many other candidates running!
* All "Disqualified" Candidates will not be included in future "Sizing Up" parts