Aside from that, McCain envisions America as the frontrunner when it comes to enforcing sustainable policies on climate change. His very own principles on climate policy can work as a cornerstone in the policy-making of developing countries worldwide. McCain believes that there has to be a global solution to climate change and America is willing to assume leadership on such noble endeavors to save the world from its current state. The United Nations has to call upon the international community to coordinate their efforts and take upon the lead of the United States.

McCain’s banner proposal is the Cap-and-Trade System that aims to exploit human ingenuity by requiring all sectors to promote the use of carbon-based fuel alternatives. Participants in the market-based system shall be awarded total permits of the same number as the cap on greenhouse gas emission. In this system, businesses are encouraged to invent, improve and acquire various ways to reduce emissions and while doing so they are able to sell or auction their extra permits in exchange of cash. By providing corporations a way to profit out of exerting additional efforts to research on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, capitalists, entrepreneurs and environmentalists alike can work on one and the same goal together.

With the cap-and-trade system, McCain projects a reduction on greenhouse gas emission by 2012 back to the emission level in 2005 which is roughly 18 percent above the 1990 emission level. In 2020, he foresees a reduction to 15 percent below the 2005 emission level, so on and so forth. The goal is to have emission levels reduced gradually in all sectors including the energy sector, transportation, commerce, industries, and all the others that are responsible for reducing emission levels up to 90 percent. Small businesses that are least capable to provide for such social undertaking shall be exempt on the said policy.

In support of the Cap-and-Trade System, McCain will also promote research developments on advanced technological innovations that would ensure a sustainable climate change policy. Federal government research funding and infrastructures have to be revamped in order to catch up with the growing necessity to achieve the commercialization of low-carbon technological advancements as well as the greenhouse gas emission goals through the cap-and-trade system.

While allowing the auction of emission permits to heighten knowledge on the sustainable development of advanced technologies, a portion of the proceeds can be used as financial aid for the Green Innovation Financing and Transfer (GIFT). McCain promises to have all these implemented while requiring government accountability to pursue the commercialization goal right on the given target timeframes. He also promises that if such policies are implemented, technological outputs will have a noticeably significant shift from research laboratories to the marketplace.

The fear in the minds of the American people have been exacerbated when Senator McCain, during his campaign in Michigan, admittedly announced that some jobs will indeed remain outside the US and the chance of these jobs coming back anytime soon in their land is very unlikely.

One of McCain’s proposals to solve this crisis is through the creation of financial credit that the displaced employees could use for their technical education and for the training to acquire new skill. There is no denying that Senator John McCain is one of the biggest fans of both NAFTA and CAFTA, which according to statistics have cost a lot people their jobs since these agreements took effect sometime in 1994. In one of the GOP’s debates, he said that he would make sure that the Ohio’s agricultural products would penetrate every market in the globe because he believes that the free trade in overall has made the US economy more profitable and dynamic, contrary to what his critics are saying.

One of Senator McCain’s schemes when it comes to free trade is to make policy that will make it easier for other countries to participate in the free trade by lowering the barriers to trade. He adds that he will also engage, support and enforce some of the current trade agreements because he believes that by doing this the playing field in the world market will be brought to fair competition. Furthermore, it is no surprise to learn that he supports the two most anticipated free trade agreements with South Korea and Colombia.

Retraining the American workers is another suggestion of Senator McCain because he thought that by doing this they will become more competitive in the international marketplace. Also, he recommends a total fix of the present insurance program which caters to those unemployed and an improved kind of education together with a school voucher that the people can use if they decide to enter a retraining program which will be given in the community colleges.

The complete removal of the US farm subsidies is another suggestion that Senator McCain proposes to be included in his free trade policy. He argues that the ones who are only benefiting from these US farm subsidies are the huge commercial corporations and not the poor families who struggle to keep their farms from bankruptcy. According to Senator McCain, these US farm subsidies have consequently forced the underprivileged farm families out of business and equal opportunities when it comes to trading their produce globally.

Everyone was anxious. Obama just picked Senator Joe Biden as his running mate for the latter’s experience on foreign relations. Republicans were hoping that McCain would choose someone similar to Biden who would strongly represent the party’s conservative stand. Pundits on TV were dropping names, saying it’d be Mitt Romney, for his experience in the corporation, or Mike Huckabee for his moral positions, or even some of the red state governors that was instrumental in McCain’s victory in the republican nominations. Some even thought it would be fellow maverick Senator Joe Lieberman, a democrat! But no, no. It was Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, whom John McCain chose as his partner to run the free world with.

It was surprising to everyone who heard the news. It couldn’t be trivial though. In fact, Sarah Palin is the first woman to run in the presidential elections for the Republican Party, and also the first Alaskan to do so. Liberal attack dogs in the media have already bared their fault-finding fangs, pointing to Governor Palin’s inexperience, or even stirring controversy by folding in more personal and surely private matters like the pregnancy of her teenage daughter. But Palin can never be put down. Her records, and more importantly her conservative principles, would suffice and she will make sure of it in a way Republicans, and maybe even Democrats, would greatly appreciate—like a maverick!

Sarah Palin started as a mayor of a small town in Alaska called Wasilla, the state’s fifth largest city. During her term from 1996 to 2000, she gained notoriety in the locale for the loyalty checks she conducted resulting in the firing of the Chief of Police. She also entered several culture wars, one of which almost invited the ACLU. But all of those were in line with Palin’s convictions as a conservative and her vision of the city. Of course, this vision is one that is similar with the majority of Wasilla, and favored by the majority of Wasilla. She even made personal phone calls to people everyday to make sure!

After becoming mayor for three terms, she was appointed to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission wherein she only stayed for less than a year. As ethics supervisor, she was shocked to find out how corrupt some of her fellow republicans were. She resigned to protest this and won a court decision against the commissioner, thereby reaffirming her conservative values and principles, and making a name as a local maverick!

Then she ran for governor in 2006, and vowed to rid the state off of grime. Despite of having a smaller budget than her opponent, she won 8 points ahead of the democratic candidate and became Alaska’s youngest and first female governor. Coming off from her stint in the Alaska Oil and Gas Commission, she continued to champion ethical governance alongside advocating the development of natural gas resources in the state.

From the little experience Sarah Palin have, she already showed how tough her commitment is to the people and to her Republican convictions. Now that she is with John McCain, there is no doubt she’d learn more. Her keen eye for ethical observance sharper, her judgment more firm, and definitely her values aided by her undying loyalty to America as priority—let us expect all of these when she becomes our vice president!

John Sidney McCain III was born at Coco Solo Naval Air Station somewhere in the Panama Canal Zone which used to be under the control of the United States, on August 29, 1936. He is the second child among three siblings and was born to the couple John McCain Jr. – a naval officer during that time and his other-half, Roberta. The entire family of John McCain was situated in the Panama Canal Zone when he was born.

Both John McCain’s father and paternal grandfather used to be naval admirals with 4 stars under their belts. His father, particularly, was given the opportunity to command all of the United States Naval forces all over the Pacific. He spent most of his early youth days and adolescent years between moving from one naval base to another, all around the United States and out of the country. In 1954, he graduated from Episcopal High School, one of the private preparatory boarding schools located in Alexandria, Virginia.

In 1958, he graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis in the pursuit to follow the footsteps both his father and grandfather. After two years he was able to graduate from flight school. In the early days of Vietnam War, he volunteered for warfare duty and he instantly began to fly attack planes and started attacking their enemy – the North Vietnamese. On July 29, 1969, he was able to escape severe injury when the A-4 Skyhawk plane that he was manoeuvring was inadvertently shot at by a missile aboard the USS Forestal ship which has caused for it to explode that killed more than 134 people. That was not actually his first encounter with death. In October 26, 1967, on his 23rd mission, his plane was gunned down during a bombing which was orchestrated by the North Vietnamese in the then capital of Hanoi. This accident has broken both John McCain’s arms and one of his legs.

He reportedly refused to accept the offers of his captors to release him immediately when they found out that he was the son of one of the high-ranking US naval officials. His desire not to violate the military code of conduct triggered him to refuse the North Vietnamese offers to release him early.  Also because he knew that his early release will be used by their enemy for their military propaganda.

As a result of his refusal for the early release, he was detained in several prison encampment sites for almost 6 years, three and a half of which was spent in the solitary incarceration. His entire stay in the prison camps was never easy for he was constantly tortured and beaten together with other American prisoners of war before he was ultimately freed, on the early day of March 4, 1973, just two months after the cease-fire agreement between the US and Vietnam took effect. He earned several medals including the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Bronze Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

In line with the fiscal reforms, McCain will veto pork-barrel spending and earmarking. He sees these as opportunities for politicians to engage in graft and corruption. By eliminating earmarks, the country’s ability to focus on national priorities will not be met with interference. In conjunction with balanced-budget efforts, McCain vows to abolish government programs that are not performing. In additional the civil service system will be subjected to reforms in order to promote accountability and excellent performance.

Entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare will face also face reforms. McCain believes that the government’s obligations to the retirees can be met even without raising the taxes. The financial challenges that come with reforming Social Security threatens the future of the program, but McCain will not stop until the program is completely fixed. Medicare is also a threat to the fiscal soundness of the economy and McCain has proposed comprehensive health care reforms that reduce Medicare spending without sacrificing service quality.

McCain supports tax cuts as an incentive for businesses to have room to innovate and grow. With growth, these businesses can offer new and better job opportunities to the American workforce. The changing economy calls for the American workers to be more competitive globally. This requires the involvement of employers and their ability to attract and retain workers. Workers should be given choices when it comes to work arrangements as well as health and retirement benefits. McCain wants every American worker to have access to job training assistance so that they acquire more skills and find better jobs.

McCain will help Americans find relief amidst the increasing gas and food prices. He vows to end the United States’ dependence to foreign oil. McCain’s economic policies ensure that the burden of high prices and taxes will be lifted to bring immediate relief to Americans.

McCain strongly believes in securing the borders first and foremost. Only when the borders are secured can the next phase of the reform can be implemented effectively. The second step is implementing comprehensive immigration initiatives for a secure nation. To address the problem of illegal immigration, McCain will implement an electronic employment verification system in which workers are screened for their work eligibility. This system will also uncover employers who are continually hiring illegal immigrants. Employers who are found to be breaking the law will be prosecuted.

McCain acknowledges the fact that there is a growing number of undocumented individuals residing working illegally in the United States. To address this problem, McCain will require all undocumented individuals to enroll in program that will help resolve their status.  The program will do background checks to identify any criminals. Those who are identified as criminal aliens will face prosecution and deportation. To resolve their status, the undocumented individuals will be required to learn English, pay back taxes, and pass a citizenship course. An accounting of social security numbers used and attained illegally will be done to rectify any problems that have been created as a result of identity theft.

McCain believes that undocumented aliens deserve a chance to stay in the American soil as long as they follow the processes that will give them legal residence. Should they refuse to follow the legal path, they will have to leave the country. The program provides a fair and humane system that protects the rights of individuals. Such program aims to lessen the number of undocumented individuals while protecting the employment opportunities of American workers. McCain will implement temporary worker programs that will help meet the labor needs of the country. High-skilled workers will be given opportunities to stay and work in the United States. Low-skilled workers will not be ignored. They will also be given work opportunities and they will be protected from abusive employers. Under the McCain presidency, there will be reduced waiting times on the release of work visa, as well as increased green card availability to reflect employer and employee demand.

McCain believes that America has humanitarian responsibilities; and immigrants, whether legal or undocumented, should be given opportunities provided they follow the laws governing them.

While McCain stands firm on the issue of stem cell research, he has made it known to everyone that he strongly supports the funding for research programs that do not involve the use of human embryos. He fully supports scientific and medical studies on adult stem cell research provided that they do not use human embryo. McCain does not believe in sacrificing moral values in exchange for scientific advancement or medical breakthrough. He emphasizes the need to subject medical and scientific research on stem cell to strict federal guidelines.

While it is clear that McCain strongly opposes stem cell research using cloned human embryos, he was known to have supported the three 2006 United States Senate bills that increases the federal funding for adult stem cell research. This is not to say that McCain’s views and his actions are contradictory. The first bill that he voted for is S.2754 which offers increased federal funding for adult stem research, as long as it does not involve the use of human embryos. The other bill S.3504 makes “fetal farming” a crime and is therefore banned. To set the record straight, both bills further strengthen McCain’s stand on stem cell research. The third bill H.R.810 allows researchers to perform highly regulated embryonic stem cell research but is limited to researchers who use embryos that have been created for in vitro fertilization. But before any experiment can be done, the source of the embryo must be consulted to determine if the embryos will be discarded or donated. In this kind of situation, McCain has relaxed his stand a little, but reiterated that his vote on that particular bill should not be misconstrued as a shift on his stand regarding stem cell research. It is just striking a balance between scientific breakthrough and moral value.

McCain acknowledges that the scientific communities in foreign countries may be performing embryonic stem cell research under unregulated conditions. He believes that even without federal approval, the stem cell research efforts will continue to proceed hence carrying out experiments and research should be done under strict guidelines to ensure that no ethical principles are compromised.

McCain believes that scientific progress should not be enough reason for Americans to turn away from their moral values and ethical principles.

McCain is pushing to cut the Corporate Tax Rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. Having low-tax business environment creates incentives for would-be investors. Consequently, new investments will provide Americans with new and better job opportunities. Lowering the corporate tax rate will help the United States keep level the business playing field by making the country a more attractive in the eyes of investors. As it stands, the United States has the second highest corporate tax rate in the world, which drives away foreign investors. McCain aims to create a business environment that will be favorable to investors. He believes that the country will be able to catch up with its trade partners by having a competitive tax rate. With lower corporate tax rates, businesses can redirect the funds to growth efforts, which indirectly affect workers, in a good way.

McCain sees the need for businesses to utilize the finest technologies available. American workers can compete head on with their foreign counterparts if they are using the best technology around. To address this need, McCain would allow Expensing (or First-Year Deduction) of Equipment and Technology Investments. Expensing of equipment and technology will boost capital expenditures, thereby rewarding investments in state-of-the-art technologies.

To boost innovation and productivity, McCain believes in establishing a permanent tax credit. The rate that he is proposing is equal to 10 percent of wages spent of Research and Development. This policy will encourage businesses to put more money on their Research and Development, thereby allowing room for innovative endeavors.  In addition, this tax policy will simplify the tax code while making the United States more competitive with other countries. Companies will no longer be faced with Research and Development investment decisions that hamper their growth.

McCain is pro-innovation because he believes that innovation is key to meeting national security goals, achieving cost-efficient and more competent health care system, reducing dependence to foreign sources, and raising the quality of education. With this belief, McCain is against Internet taxes and new cell phone taxes.

A larger military also calls for modernization, which includes the procurement of advanced weapon systems and training that will increase the survivability of each American soldier in the face of war. With potential threats from several fronts, the men and women of the United States armed forces must also be encouraged to engage in other activities beyond the traditional defense systems. This includes increased efforts in counter terrorism, counter insurgency, and information warfare. The country’s national security interests should be prioritized and McCain has been aggressively pushing for defense budget process reform. He believes that the nation’s spending decisions should be guided by national interest. Reforming the system will ensure that there is an efficient use of taxpayer dollars for defense acquisition and procurement. He vows to continue fighting pork-barrel spending so that funds are properly allocated for military spending.  There is a need to address the needs of the men and women in the armed forces; and with sufficient funding, there is an assurance that the military personnel are supported and well-compensated – after all, they are the ones who risk their lives in the interest of national defense.

McCain strongly supports the development and deployment of national missile defenses in order to protect the country from rogue states, such as North Korea and Iran. These countries have the capability to launch ballistic missiles. Deploying an effective missile system will keep America safe from rogue attacks.

Terrorism is not just mere threat; it is as real as the September 11 attacks. The tragedy that befell Americans was a show of the nation’s failure to respond to the persistent development and growth of terrorist networks that operate for the purpose of finding America’s weakness and hit her where it hurts the most. Under a McCain presidency, Americans are assured of quality intelligence and counter intelligence efforts that will uncover plots and threats before they become another tragic incident that will leave a scar that won’t heal. A McCain presidency will keep America progressive, free, and safe.

Obama’s concern about the health of American spans years of advocacy.  In 2003, he enacted a bill that gave health care coverage to 70,000 children and over 80,000 adults.  A few years later, when he was elected as Senator, Obama co-sponsored the Healthy Kids Act State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act so children can have affordable health care.

Providing adequate and affordable healthcare to the American citizens will enable them to seek medical treatment at the onset of an illness and minimize its escalation to something that is more expensive to treat and that could affect mortality.  Obama will establish a research body independent of any provider or government institute to conduct comparative effectiveness research to review healthcare services and enable doctors to accurately make decisions on a patient’s state of health.

Obama’s medical research policy espouses openness to new developments in the medical field.  Studies in technology to treat new strains of diseases and to curb the need for long-term medical care will guide the provision of effective and affordable medical services.  Statistics show that a large number of Americans, exceeding the 130 million levels, are afflicted with at least one chronic disease.  Costs to treat these conditions amount to $1.7 trillion per year.  With the discovery of new technology, long-term costs to maintaining public health will be reduced.  The costs involved in doing medical research will far outweigh the long-term cost of medical care.

Strong support for investments in biomedical research can be expected in an Obama presidency.  His advocacy of issues supporting research in the field of cancer research, mental health research, women’s and children’s health research and veterans’ health research spans years and years of moves towards increasing health-related funding and legislation.  Obama has been known to champion both government and privately funded researches to improve disease prevention, early detection and efficient treatment.  In a nation plagued with problems of the health, Obama is of the belief that much of the budget spent for health care should be devoted to studies in disease prevention and treatment.

This Democratic Party presidential candidate sets aside party politics with his bipartisan view and focuses on what Americans need.  His public health policies will immensely impact the 47 million Americans who do not have access to affordable healthcare services.  His medical research policies will greatly help the millions of Americans suffering from chronic illnesses.  His policies will help the millions of children in America’s populace who could potentially develop debilitating diseases.  A healthy citizenry that is able to provide for their own needs will result in an America that is able to focus on initiatives that benefit the majority.