Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/81698
2012 Issue Guide ESEA/NCLB President Obama believes providing a high-quality public education for all children is critical to our economic future. He emphasizes the "path to the American Dream depend[s] on providing every child with an education that will enable them to succeed in a global economy." "I want to take us in a new and better direction...This agenda starts with education...We cannot be satisfied until every child in America - and I mean every child - has the same chances for a good education that we want for our own children." (Sources: WhiteHouse.gov; Weekly Radio Address, 5/21/11) Workers' Rights President Obama fully supports workers' rights to form unions and oppos- es so-called "right-to-work" legislation. President Obama believes "collective bargaining is a 'fundamental American value.'" The President cited labor as "the reason we have a min- imum wage, weekends away from work to rest and spend time with family, and basic protections in our workplaces." He said "making it harder for public employees to collectively bargain is an assault on unions." (Sources: Presidential Proclamation, Office of the Secretary, The White House 9/2/11; WTMJ-TV 2/1/11; Political Punch, ABC, 2/17/11; The Washington Independent, 9/6/11; WSAZ.com 4/26/11) Fair Pay for Women The President strongly supported and signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law. He also supports the Paycheck Fairness Act and acknowl- edges that "gains in education and labor force involvement have not yet translated into wage and income equity." (Sources: WhiteHouse.gov; The Washington Post, 1/29/09) Health Care Reform With passage of the Affordable Care Act, President Obama has ensured that Medicare is stronger for seniors, women have access to life-saving mammograms, and children won't lose coverage for pre-existing condi- tions. • 180 million Americans have protection against gender discrimination, denial of care, excessive premium increases and lifetime caps on care. • 86 million Americans have access to free preventive care, including can- cer screenings. • 2.5 million young adults have insurance under their parents' plans. (Sources: HRSA.gov; WhiteHouse.gov/HealthReform) Social Security and Retirement Benefits President Obama is committed to protecting and strengthening Social Security. He will work to find a bipartisan solution that strengthens Social Security for future generations, without putting current retirees or people with disabilities at risk. The President opposes slashing benefits for future generations or subjecting Americans' retirement income to the whims of the stock market. (Sources: WhiteHouse.gov; Weekly Radio address, 8/14/10. Tax Fairness President Obama successfully urged Congress to pass an extension of the Payroll Tax Cut. He challenged Republicans to not "raise taxes on nearly 160 million hardworking Americans because they refused to ask a few hun- dred thousand millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share." (Sources, WhiteHouse.gov, CNN, 11/30/11) ESEA/NCLB Romney "likes" NCLB because it "reins in national teachers unions" and calls for testing kids. In his book No Apology, Romney wrote: "Former President George W. Bush was right to champion [NCLB] which requires states to test student progress and to evaluate school performance...Only the federal govern- ment had the clout, to force testing through the barricade mounted by the national teachers' unions." Romney's plan for school improvement is to bolster school report cards, and transform federal funding into vouchers that support private schools and tutoring providers. (Sources: Fox News, 1/24/08; Union Leader, 10/30/07; Detroit Free Press, 2/16/12; Romney, Mitt No Apology 2011, pp234-235; Mitt Romney Education Plan, 5/23/12) Workers' Rights Romney has stated he would sign a national "right-to-work" law if elected president. Romney supported the failed New Hampshire "right-to-work" law and waf- fled on restricting teachers' collective bargaining rights in Ohio, ultimate- ly supporting restrictions. Romney also supported the attack on teachers' rights in Wisconsin. (Sources: The Street, 9/28/11; Bloomberg, 11/23/11; Los Angeles Times, 11/30/11; Politico, 10/25/11; Boston Globe, 2/24/11) Fair Pay for Women As Governor of Massachusetts, Romney implemented policies that hurt women. He thinks low-income mothers should be required to work outside the home or lose their benefits, "even if you have a child two years of age." (Sources: MSNBC, 4/12/12; Boston Globe, 12/8/04; The Huffington Post, 4/15/12). Health Care Reform Romney would issue "ObamaCare waivers" for states and work with Congress to repeal the legislation. Romney has pledged to "eliminate Title X family planning programs," which cover preventative screenings, reproductive health services, and cervical-cancer exams for low-icome women. (Source: MittRomney.com) Social Security and Retirement Benefits Romney would change Social Security as we know it by privatizing it, rais- ing the retirement age, and reducing payments. (Sources: Florida Republican Debate, 10/27/07; Romney, Mitt, No Apology 2011, pg 173. Tax Fairness Romney wants to make sure corporations and the richest Americans con- tinue to benefit from the Bush tax cuts. In fact, the only tax cuts that Romney opposes are the ones that benefit the middle class. (Sources: Fox News, 2/9/09; The Huffington Post, 11/23/11; Time, 11/7/11) For more information, visit www.EdVotes.org/Election 2012. Source: NEA 10 September 2012 DSEA ACTION! www.dsea.org